Does Santorum Know About This?

I'm pretty sure laughing at a eulogy automatically reserves you an executive suite in hell, but since they already had the mint set on my pillow anyway, I'm going to confess an infantile chuckle at this one, from Bush at the Reagan memorial:

And he believed in taking a break now and then, because, as we said, there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.

Comments

[s.a.m.]

Maybe these are coincidences. Or maybe GOP candidates for President believe that owning a ranch is crucial to a folksy image.

Ever heard of the Farm Bill?

[jon b.]

In Tennessee a few years ago Fred Thompson, a lawyer, actor, and lobbiest, was losing in the polls in his race for the senate until he lost the five thousand dollar suits and limos in favor of a rented Chevy pickup truck and a flannel shirt and jeans. He immediately got a boost and wound up winning the election. Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American consumer. Two years later various parts of the nation elected a dead guy in Illinois, a carpetbagger in NY, and the brain surgeon currently occupying the white house. Nuff said?

Bush has to keep the brush clear so he can harvest all the horse shit he's been giving the American people.

[J]

FYI, the dead guy was in Missouri, not Illinois, and he beat our illustrious current Attorney General for a Senate seat (unless there was also a dead guy elected in Illinois that I didn't know about). Illinois doesn't have the stones to elect a corpse to national office.

[Stephen Fetchet]

Reagan used to take Friday afternoons off, and go riding horses - on top of them, not in 'em - at Marine Base Quantico, VA.

They were days off in the same way most presidential down time is time off - Reagan would ride with congressmen or advisors and talk business.

I don't think it had bestiality in mind when he said that. FYI, Churchill also used to say the same thing, as did Lord Palnerstone, Samuel Clemens, and others.

[The Lonewacko Blog]

It took me a moment too, but I believe the "outside of a horse" is supposed to mean getting on one and riding it.

Richard Simmons?

Nope.

One of the QEFTSG guys?

Nope.

Wayland Flowers?

Yep, I think you'd need to be gayer than Wayland Flowers and Madam to read bestiality into this.

I'd imagine clearing brush could be dangerous if there are snakes or ticks around.

[Groucho Marx]

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. And inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

[Dan]

Yeah, as Stephen observed, Bush was quoting Winston Churchill (although Churchill generally said it the other way around, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man").

If you hear that quote and immediately think "bestiality!", you're definitely spending way too much time on the Internet. 🙂

I heard (correct me if I'm wrong) that Reagan bought his ranch shortly before his first run for President.

Reagan bought his ranch in Santa Barbara after he left office. He might have owned another ranch before then; I have no idea.

I heard similar things about Bush II

Bush did, indeed, buy his ranch shortly before he ran for President. But it would be more accurate to say that he bought his ranch shortly after he made $15 million from his share of the sale of the Texas Rangers baseball team.

[thoreau]

The dead guy who won the election was in Missouri. The dead guys who voted were all in Illinois 🙂

I'd say the "White Guy Off Beat Clap at a Black Church" is the Democratic version of clearing brush on your ranch.

That just cracked me up. Good thing I wasn't eating or drinking anything when I read it, or I'd have a very messy computer monitor right now.

[thoreau]

Reagan bought his ranch in Santa Barbara after he left office. He might have owned another ranch before then; I have no idea.

A year and a half ago I was at a party in Santa Barbara. I talked to somebody from the YAF team restoring their idol's shrine....um, I mean, Reagan's ranch. She said that he had bought it before his first run for office, and that he had sold it some time after leaving office. Looking at info on the YAF website, it appears that Reagan bought the ranch in 1974.

[The Lonewacko Blog]

Reagan used to own part of what is now Malibu Creek State Park. You can walk a couple miles to his old ranch house. That park also has the wall featured in the Planet of the Apes, which is now used by rock climbers.

[The Lonewacko Blog]

Reagan used to own part of what is now Malibu Creek State Park. You can walk a couple miles to his old ranch house. That park also has the wall featured in the Planet of the Apes, which is now used by rock climbers.

Just to make this clear, that's different from his Santa Barbara ranch. I don't know when he owned the Malibu ranch, but I'd imagine much earlier.

[J]

Speaking of Illinois and Reagan, the Illinois legislature just voted to name a section of highway near where Reagan was born after him.

[Pavel]

Reminds me of this first video someone told me to download on the internet...called simply..."horse.mpg"

I still don't get what this means non-bestialy speaking. Is it a movie reference or a saying from the '20s?

[joe]

W's afraid of horsies. All that time at the ranch, you never see him with one in a picture.

[fyodor]

Pavel,

It took me a moment too, but I believe the "outside of a horse" is supposed to mean getting on one and riding it. Must be more automatic in certain circles...

[joe]

Anyway, Bush certainly took the advice about taking breaks to heart. Daily intelligence brief about domestic terror got you down? Go kick back at the ranch for a week or two.

[Kevin Carson]

joe,

I've heard the "Bush afraid of horses" thing quite a few times; and, sure enough, I've never seen him doing anything but clearing brush on his "ranch." Do you have any sources on that?

If he can't handle pretzels or a bicycle, he's probably better off letting horses alone.

[Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)]

Well, what do you expect from a Hollywood actor? He spends all his time around gays, why wouldn't he eventually go for bestiality?

Oh, wait, that was President Reagan who said it?

[SOUND OF HEAD EXPLODING]

[thoreau]

I don't own a ranch, so I don't know how significant a task clearing brush is. Maybe it's an enjoyable task. But it seems like a dull pursuit to me, and it's interesting how frequently Buah and previously Reagan have been caught on camera doing it.

I heard (correct me if I'm wrong) that Reagan bought his ranch shortly before his first run for President. I heard similar things about Bush II, and even about McCain and his failed run for President.

Maybe these are coincidences. Or maybe GOP candidates for President believe that owning a ranch is crucial to a folksy image.

I'm not suggesting that Democrats are any less phony, I'm just laughing at politicians who might think clearing brush is a necessary political maneuver. Once I own a home I'll be glad to let Presidential candidates mow my lawn and pull weeds if they want to be caught on camera doing physical activity in the outdoors.

Any guesses?

[rich]

"And I thought they smelled bad on the outside!" - Harrison Ford as Han Solo, The Empire Strikes Back

[joe]

"I'm not suggesting that Democrats are any less phony"

I'd say the "White Guy Off Beat Clap at a Black Church" is the Democratic version of clearing brush on your ranch.

[Skeptikos]

Thank you Mr Sanchez, I missed that one (OK folks, I just read these posts, and I can't tell if any of you got it, sheez).

If I never meet you in "real life" then perhaps we will meet in hell, along with Sam Clement, and any other number of American thinkers. I actually wish I believed in the afterlife, I mean can you imagine the parties? Hell would be the only chance for a game of poker with the infamous Mr. Twain. And almost all of my heroes.

[Lee]

Clearing brush is some of the worst work you can do, especially during the Texas heat.

I've always wondered how long he actually clears brush? All day? half a day? Long enough for a photo op is my guess.

Also why is he clearing brush? Usually it is because you want to build something or move something.

[dagny]

I realize the parallelism, but apart from that... the outside of a horse? Isn't it generally assumed that, unless they're in hamburger form or something, you're dealing with the outside of an animal?