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Did Reagan call G.W. Bush a ne’er-do-well?
Status: False
This paragraph supposedly written by Ronald Reagan is currently circulating widely around the internet: Direct quote from the just published REAGAN DIARIES.
The entry is dated May 17, 1986.
'A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne're-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work.'
The entry is dated May 17, 1986.
'A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne're-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work.'
Did Reagan really write this? Nope, he didn't. The quotation is pulled from an article titled "My Lunch with Reagan" by Michael Kinsley in the New Republic (vol. 237, issue 1, 7/2/07). And, not surprisingly, the quotation is taken out of context. In its original context it's easy to tell that it's meant as a joke:
The literary editor of The New Republic, Leon Wieseltier, brought the joyous news. "Guess what, Mike. You're mentioned in Reagan's diaries." The diaries were published recently by HarperCollins and were generally well-received. Edited by America's historian-on-steroids, Douglas Brinkley, The Reagan Diaries apparently reveal Reagan to be more thoughtful than he is normally given credit for. Of course, our standards in the area of presidential thoughtfulness have plummeted in recent years. Still, the fact that Reagan was writing it all down was news, and an interesting departure from presidential tradition. Traditionally, presidents use a hidden tape recorder.
But I was more interested in the me angle, frankly. And it was a puzzle. What on earth could Reagan have written? I indulged my imagination, and my ego: "January 22, 1983. Mommie [Nancy] says that Kinsley's column this week in The New Republic undermines the entire philosophical basis of my administration. O dear O dear, I had better not read it."
Or: "October 6, 1987. Why does Kinsley keep picking on me? He is the only thing standing between me and the total destruction of the welfare state. But, ha: I will destroy him--destroy him utterly-- or my name's not … not … not … . Say, they had 'State Fair' on TV last night. What a wholesome, clean-cut young man that Pat Boone is."
Or: "May 17, 1986. A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."
But I was more interested in the me angle, frankly. And it was a puzzle. What on earth could Reagan have written? I indulged my imagination, and my ego: "January 22, 1983. Mommie [Nancy] says that Kinsley's column this week in The New Republic undermines the entire philosophical basis of my administration. O dear O dear, I had better not read it."
Or: "October 6, 1987. Why does Kinsley keep picking on me? He is the only thing standing between me and the total destruction of the welfare state. But, ha: I will destroy him--destroy him utterly-- or my name's not … not … not … . Say, they had 'State Fair' on TV last night. What a wholesome, clean-cut young man that Pat Boone is."
Or: "May 17, 1986. A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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A credible tale... As for the "Smart Liberal" what a contradiction in terms.
Posted by John Hughes in Stanford, CA on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 09:44 AM
Almost as big a contradiction as Compassionate Conservative. 
Posted by Charybdis in Hell on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Great page I will be a return visitor!
Posted by Dominic Monaghan Star on Fri Nov 30, 2007 at 10:13 AM
My old man sent me this quote and it sounded like something a liberal would say (i.e. a LIE). Having read the Reagan Diaries, I was pretty sure it wasn't in the book. So I Googled it and found your website. Good job.
Posted by Rob in Seattle on Tue May 06, 2008 at 10:57 AM
nice site keep it up ok
Posted by Nikolaifredrikke in Nikolaifredrikke on Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 04:39 AM
Just found your home page its great, best site I seen for ages. This is a wonderful wealth of information, it looks like you folks do great service keep up the good work.
Posted by Noahadine in Noahadine on Fri Aug 29, 2008 at 02:03 AM
the link to the article the quote is supposedly really from is dead. better fix that if you want it to be credible.
Posted by kermit in ohio on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 08:18 AM
Hello admin, nice site! Good content, Beautiful design, thanks! Greetings
Posted by Torkel in Torkel on Mon Apr 20, 2009 at 01:04 AM
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