Savannah Guthrie is apparently very smart. Guthrie was a member of the prestigious Order of the Coif (which has nothing to do with promoting good scalp health, nor with seventeenth-century headwear) while earning a J.D. from Georgetown Law, highlight her ability to learn dull and boring things very quickly.
Lost among the dusty tomes of Georgetown, however, was the fact that Ronald Reagan was a very nice guy.
On the Friday edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, the Brew Crew was discussing the apparent Zen-like calm of the Obama White House. Guthrie, drawing on her spectacular knowledge of the Reagan era, noted the difference in temperament between the Reagan and Obama administrations:
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: That's true. There is this no-drama ethic, and – it's funny, sometimes you hear about other politicians – I was reading a book about Reagan and his evil empire and some of the things he said about Russia, and I thought, it’s just – you could not imagine that kind of rhetoric coming from Obama. He's such a measured, even guy. And obviously, it’s a difference in temperament. Not casting a judgement on it one way or the other, but it’s just such a different approach. And I think that it does extend throughout the White House. Although, in any White House, there's a little palace intrigue, a little drama, there’s competition and there’s certainly plenty of that.
No doubt. As we all know, Reagan was quite a paragon of emotional reactionism.
The man known as “The Great Communicator” was known for his dry quips and prodigious wisdom, much more than he was ever known for losing his cool. Two occasions one might recall of Reagan losing his cool might be the famous “I am paying for this microphone” moment, during the 1980 Republican presidential primary campaign and in the waning days of his 1980 campaign, when he irritably told a heckler to shut up – much to the delight of the rest of the crowd. And of course, the electorate seemed to agree.
One might characterize the Obama administration a shade differently. Joe Scarborough did mention the hard-charging Rahm Emanuel as one conspicuous exception to the rule immediately preceding the Guthrie quote – which, if one thinks about it, makes Guthrie’s historical revisionism that much more irritating. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that the comparison of Reagan, a two-term President, to Obama, a seven-month President, is patently ridiculous.
Obama’s freshman year has been fairly easy so far, politically speaking. The president has not been legislatively or politically frustrated yet. If Obama’s approval ratings hit the lower half of the 40's, we shall see if the Zen veneer still holds.
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WTF is she talking about?
August 28, 2009 - 15:29 ET by Airforce_5_O" I was reading a book about Reagan and his evil empire and some of the things he said about Russia, and I thought, it’s just – you could not imagine that kind of rhetoric coming from Obama. He's such a measured, even guy. And obviously, it’s a difference in temperament."
Well lady I can tell that Reagan was right about Russia. What you said just proves to me how close to Communism we are getting everyday in this country. Rewrite it all you want but it just isn't true.
Liberalism: The haunting feeling that someone, somewhere, can help themselves.
You do know that socialists
August 30, 2009 - 13:18 ET by JRJ08You do know that socialists loathe communists, and vice versa. Right? Do you even know what socialism and communism are, other than being the root of all evil in the Universe? Socialism is a system where the government owns and operates everything. Communism rejects centralized government and promotes collective ownership. Socialism can arise out of capitalism, without changing the structure of a state, while communism requires a high level of productivity which can only be achieved in a capitalistic system. Communism failed because it is too idealistic and tended to be a reductive system that lowered productivity. A blind person could see that neither of these scenarios applies to anything that President Obama is trying to do. Even the public option in the health care reform that he supports would not employ a single doctor, nurse, technician or therapist, nor would the government own or operate a single hospital of emergency room. What we have here is a few people who think they know a lot about some things which they really know nothing about.
Where have you been Junior
August 30, 2009 - 13:20 ET by Free StinkerWhere have you been Junior ?
When you get caught again and brought back, please say hi to WhichWing and ThoughtPolice for us, will ya?
→ Jar-Jar
August 30, 2009 - 13:21 ET by Cool ArrowOK, so you prefer socialism to communism.
What's your point? It's not as though this revelation is going to get you a banner headline.
We will Barry you! - Russian prophecy
"Guthrie joined Court TV
August 28, 2009 - 15:37 ET by QueenMum"Guthrie joined Court TV from the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer
and Feld where she practiced law, with an emphasis in white-collar
litigation, from 2002-2003."
All that education gone to waste. She barely got her feet wet in the practice of law. Maybe she would have been better served by majoring in history.
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out
of other people's money."
—Margaret Thatcher
And prior to her recent
August 28, 2009 - 15:43 ET by SickofLibsAnd prior to her recent anointment as up-n-coming NBC superstar, her last gig with any significant airtime was standing like a fencepost outside the Michael Jackson molestation trial for weeks (or was it months?) on end for Court TV.
Oops...
August 29, 2009 - 09:43 ET by retrocon"Guthrie joined Court TV from the law firm of Bubba Gump Strauss Hauer
and Feld where she practiced law, like a box of chocolates, from 2002-2003."
There, fixed that for ya ;-)
you could not imagine that
August 28, 2009 - 15:46 ET by motherbeltyou could not imagine that kind of rhetoric coming from Obama. He's such a measured, even guy.
And Gorbachev would have left footprints on his back, even as Obama offered to talk "with no preconditions."
MB - Gorbachev isn't the only one
August 28, 2009 - 15:53 ET by FeynmanFanA lot of other people are going to leave their footprints on his back as soon as the honeymoon's over and they start playing hardball with him.
"I support the President but not his policies" - Blonde
Seriously, can you imagine
August 28, 2009 - 15:59 ET by motherbeltSeriously, can you imagine Obama confronting Gorbachev?
He has already let it be known that the US will release terrorists for hostages.
Reagan was the first President to not tiptoe around the USSR, worrying about "provoking" the Soviets, like Presidents before him.
The best thing he ever did was walking out of Reykjavik.
Joe is the main reason I
August 28, 2009 - 15:58 ET by bigtimerJoe is the main reason I don't watch much anymore.
He disgusts me most of the time.
Guthrie is a leftist tool...like most of them there.
Obama's a Community Agitator, a walking, talking destroyer. ~ Rush Limbaugh
Another distinction
August 28, 2009 - 16:35 ET by the mad poleReagan LOVED this country.
Silly little girl...
August 28, 2009 - 18:39 ET by vastateofmindSavannah Dearest (and what a suitably pretentious millennial name THAT is) didn't even earn her UNDERGRAD degree until 1993, a full FIVE years after Reagan left office. So where does SHE get off being a Reagan expert, nor even comparing that great president to the empty suit currently occupying the White House? She would've been far more concerned with following New Kids on the Block and blue nail polish than brushing up on Reagan's biographies when the man left office. And yes, I agree with a previous poster - I'm sure this twit IS a legitimate waste of a juris doctorate degree. Court TV, indeed...
Now now, I didn't get my
August 29, 2009 - 07:39 ET by Mike SargentNow now, I didn't get my undergrad degree until 2008 -- by your logic, I'd be even less of an expert on Reagan. You don't have to study during a period to know the period well -- you just have to put aside ideology when evaluating facts.
Which, it appears, she has not done. Bummer, right?
Comparing a two-term president (and a rather successful one at that) to a guy who hasn't been challenged in the few months he's been here...that, friend, is patently ridiculous. As to being a waste of a J.D., I'd say that remains to be seen. She's probably going to sap a ton of MSNBC resources (gotta pay that Manhattan rent and Georgetown school loans, y'know), which I really don't begrudge her :D
Strength vs. Weakness
August 29, 2009 - 22:11 ET by Desperado67What Guthrie is missing is that Reagan was able to say those things because he presented an image of strength for himself and for our country. On the flip side, Obama displays nothing but weakness as he goes around the world apologizing for our nation. No piss-ant dictator like Chavez would have dared say anything toward Reagan like he has toward Obama, and even if he tried it I am sure that Reagan would not have just sat there like a cowardly wimp in the same way that Obama did. Even with Bush, Chavez waited to make his derogatory remarks toward him until after Bush had already left the scene. With Obama, foreign leaders put him and our nation down while he is still sitting right there at the same table with them.
Rob Binsrick - Louisville Economic Policy Examiner
Reagan's strength was to take
August 30, 2009 - 13:06 ET by American.Patriotappropriate action to reinforce that the US is the leader of the free world, unlike the current administration of apologists.
If you check, you'll see that Reagan ordered numerous military actions in the Gulf of Sidra against Libyan leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi, for a series of terrorists actions that were condoned by Gaddafi from 1981 - 1986, culminating in an air stike against Gadaffi called "Operation El Dorado Canyon".
Reagan was a true American Patriot
Obviously she's misinformed
August 30, 2009 - 12:39 ET by American.PatriotReagan's "evil empire" was a carefully crafted strategy to bring down the iron curtain, of which he succeeded.
What a total pice of crap she is. She should ask for her tuition money back, she got robbed