the Gipper on the Dime

[Big M]

WASHINGTON (Dec. 5) - Conservative Republicans angry over an unflattering television movie about Ronald Reagan want to put his image on the dime in place of Democratic icon Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Democrats are just as determined to keep FDR's profile in coin purses.

''If they want to find another way to honor Ronald Reagan, I'm happy to join with them, but leave the dime alone,'' said Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass.

Supporters of the ''Ronald Reagan Dime Act'' said Roosevelt and his government-expanding New Deal represented decades past, while Reagan's conservative, anti-communist administration ushered in society as it exists today.

Triggering the dispute is a TV movie that depicts a doddering Reagan dominated by his wife, Nancy. The movie is being aired by Showtime after CBS canceled its plans to show it last month in response to pressure by Reagan supporters.

''It's what precipitated me introducing the bill at that time and why it was a lot easier to get a lot of support,'' said Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind.

Souder said he has collected 89 co-sponsors for his bill to mint a new dime featuring Reagan. Among them are more than a dozen House members from California, where the former president lives secluded and suffering from Alzheimer's disease in his Los Angeles home.

''I believe he represents conservative values as we would see them implemented through a president better than anybody else we've had in American history,'' Souder said. ''He, to conservatives, represents kind of the reverse of FDR, who is kind of the liberal icon. Ronald Reagan is the conservative icon.''

McGovern claims 80 co-sponsors on his opposing bill affirming Congress' support for keeping Roosevelt on the dime. The lone Republican among them is New York Rep. John Sweeney, who represents the Hyde Park area that was Roosevelt's home.

Reagan has ''already been honored in many ways - he's got an airport named after him, and a building, and there are schools and roads and bridges and other things,'' McGovern said.

''While it's important to honor President Reagan, I think it's also important that we do so in a way that doesn't dishonor the memory and the legacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt,'' he said.

It isn't uncommon to change images on currency, but the custom has been to wait until the person being memorialized is dead.

''I certainly would not look at it in any way as dishonoring FDR. He's also one of my favorite presidents,'' said Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif. ''He was also interestingly enough a personal hero of President Reagan's, but frankly I feel more connection with Reagan. He's a Californian, also closer to us now in history.''

Souder rounded up support from colleagues for his bill with a letter, headed ''Win One for the Gipper,'' that lambasted CBS for its ''vile miniseries.''

The dime has borne Roosevelt's profile since 1946, a year after his death, in part commemorating his support for the March of Dimes campaign to fight polio.

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20031205060509990001


Please, gimme a break.

[Voice Of Reason]

I myself would love to see President Reagan's head on a dime, even better I would love to see it on Mt Rushmore........

[up2date]

I don't think either are likely to happen. They may very well find some other way to honor President Reagan, but I don't think it will or should be the dime.

[Voice Of Reason]

Originally posted by up2date
I don't think either are likely to happen. They may very well find some other way to honor President Reagan, but I don't think it will or should be the dime.

Your probably right, I was just trying to pull the lefts chain a bit.....:)

[Chiasmus]

I agree with Up2date. There are better places to honor Regan; leave the dime to FDR.

[gopman]

"There are better places to honor Regan"

Like the shrine under my staircase?

[up2date]

Originally posted by gopman
Like the shrine under my staircase? You mean the Reagan International Staircase?

[Voice Of Reason]

Like him or hate him you have to admit that what is happening to him is very sad...I wish he would pass away and be out of his misery and pain.......

i think Nancy Reagan must be a saint for what she had endured in taking care of him............God bless her..........

[gopman]

"You mean the Reagan International Staircase?"

No, the one down in the basement.

[notfortunateson]

I don't see the real reasoning behind this only that it's spiteful. Are we not the UNITED STATES? FDR is on the Dime because of his support of the March of Dimes because he was crippled himself! So start the spin? Why the hate?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104930,00.html
I know it's coming:confused:

[Big M]

Originally posted by Voice Of Reason
Like him or hate him you have to admit that what is happening to him is very sad...I wish he would pass away and be out of his misery and pain.......

i think Nancy Reagan must be a saint for what she had endured in taking care of him............God bless her..........

Well, maybe if they had supported stem cell research all those years ago he may not be suffering today. Just a thought.

[notfortunateson]

Suggestion a dime is so small amount, let's go big with it! The 10,000 dollar bill! Who's Salmon P. Chase anyway?
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/4678/10000.html

[ljromanoff]

Although I think Reagan was a great president, putting his face on any US currency while he is still alive is not appropriate.

[ljromanoff]

Originally posted by Big M
Well, maybe if they had supported stem cell research all those years ago he may not be suffering today. Just a thought.

The process for isolating human stem cells didn't exist until 1991, and the current medical science we generally refer to as "stem cell research" is only about five years old - so I don't really know what you expected Reagan to do to support stem cell research in the 1980s.

[Big M]

Towards the end of the Bush administration (the first one) and the Clinton administration Ronald and Nancy stood against "stem cell research"(or call it what u may). It was only when the Gipper got Alzheimer's disease did she change her mind. "screw the unborn, save the Gipper" many republicans followed.
However, I'd like, if possible, not to stray to far from the original purpose of this post.

also, as a sidenote. and im not blaming anyone for this i just find it amusing. The irony of the fact that Reagan generally faught "big government" and yet the Ronald Reagan building is one of the Largest in the city of D.C. just an observation I've been made aware of.

[Big M]

You've got the Presidency, the House, the Senate, most of the justices were apointed by republicans. the only thing that liberals have left is the faces on most american currency. (Kennedy, Washington and Benjamin Franklin (actually closer to radical), FDR, Jefferson, you could even argue Lincoln) what more do you want. AHhhhhhh

Oh and Chase was a banker. Ever heard of Chase bank. Ding

[ljromanoff]

Originally posted by Big M
Towards the end of the Bush administration (the first one) and the Clinton administration Ronald and Nancy stood against "stem cell research"(or call it what u may). It was only when the Gipper got Alzheimer's disease did she change her mind.


I would be very curious to see an actual quote. And since you're talking about a time when they were private citizens, I fail to see how you can condemn them for "not supporting" stem cell research at that point as their opinion either way on the matter made little difference.

[ljromanoff]

Originally posted by Big M
You've got the Presidency, the House, the Senate, most of the justices were apointed by republicans. the only thing that liberals have left is the faces on most american currency. (Kennedy, Washington and Benjamin Franklin (actually closer to radical), FDR, Jefferson, you could even argue Lincoln) what more do you want. AHhhhhhh


Lincoln was a Republican, and throwing Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson in a list of "liberal Democrats" is fairly preposterous.

[notfortunateson]

http://www.connectedtraveler.com/sacramento.html

[Big M]

I meant as icons. (as it states FDR is in the Article)

And im not in second grade. I know Lincoln was a Republican (the first republican president unless im mistaken). The idea of ending slavery however was a liberal idea. Seeing as most of our looks back at his presidency focus on the civil war or his assasination I added, "you could even argue Lincoln." I never said any of them were Democrats or Republicans. Washington was, as I said, a radical, so it may be hard to classify him as either a liberal of a conservative. If this offended you i apologize. Jefferson was the first president to be part of a liberal party (what was then the Republican party as aposed to the more conservative Federalists It kinda switched with lincoln. Im not too familiar with how that worked). And Franklin was a liberal hero. If it is true that the Gipper did look up to him, would he really feel comfortable replacing him on a coin.

[DRMIZER]

Well now, let's call a spade a spade. . . . .If you believe in what you hear, Mrs. Reagan came out this morning and nixed the idea of having her husband's image on a dime.

[DRMIZER]

Originally posted by ljromanoff
The process for isolating human stem cells didn't exist until 1991, and the current medical science we generally refer to as "stem cell research" is only about five years old - so I don't really know what you expected Reagan to do to support stem cell research in the 1980s.

To my understanding, Reagan was mentally alert in 1991 and he could have lent his support to the concept the way other presidents endorse important issues after they have left the whitehouse.

[ljromanoff]

Originally posted by Big M
I meant as icons. (as it states FDR is in the Article)

And im not in second grade. I know Lincoln was a Republican (the first republican president unless im mistaken). The idea of ending slavery however was a liberal idea. Seeing as most of our looks back at his presidency focus on the civil war or his assasination I added, "you could even argue Lincoln." I never said any of them were Democrats or Republicans. Washington was, as I said, a radical, so it may be hard to classify him as either a liberal of a conservative. If this offended you i apologize.

My mistake in misunderstanding your post. In any event, I think it is suspect to describe historical views as "liberal" or "conservative" since both those terms have changed their meaning someone radically in modern times. Freeing the slaves was a liberal idea in the sense that it appealed to the idea of maximizing individual liberty. Modern "liberalism" is not concerned with individual liberty but is instead a sort of benevolent statism whose ideals are often in direct opposition to the idea of maximizing individualism.

[ljromanoff]

Originally posted by DRMIZER
To my understanding, Reagan was mentally alert in 1991 and he could have lent his support to the concept the way other presidents endorse important issues after they have left the whitehouse.

Perhaps, but I hardly think that's what was meant by the statement "maybe if they had supported stem cell research all those years ago he may not be suffering today."

[DRMIZER]

Originally posted by ljromanoff
Perhaps, but I hardly think that's what was meant by the statement "maybe if they had supported stem cell research all those years ago he may not be suffering today."

Your statement does not invalidate mine. :D

[Voice Of Reason]

Originally posted by Big M
Well, maybe if they had supported stem cell research all those years ago he may not be suffering today. Just a thought.

Stem cell research,,,,,,,,,,Now that is a whole new thread.......

Not sure they even knew about stem cell research back then and don't know what his politics were on them......

[Big M]

i agree lets return to the dime.

[DRMIZER]

Originally posted by Big M
i agree lets return to the dime.
His wife doesn't want to!!