In a blunt warning to today’s political leaders Thomas O’Neill, the son of ‘Tip’ O’Neill has laid out the necessity for both President Obama and Mitt Romney, whichever is elected to work with the other side.
He made his comments in a New York Times op-ed.
Twice in the presidential debate this week the Reagan/O’Neill relationship was brought up as an example of what could be achieved when two leaders from opposite sides agreed to work together.
However Thomas O’Neill, a former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, said the relationship between the two Irish American leaders was far more hard knuckle and antagonistic than has generally been portrayed ---but nonetheless the two men found a way to work together.
O’Neill wrote: “Twice in their debate on Wednesday, President Obama and Mitt Romney brought up the names of my father, Tip O’Neill, and Ronald Reagan, the Republican icon, asserting that the relationship between Reagan and my father, a Democrat who was speaker of the House for most of Reagan’s presidency, should serve as a model for how political leaders can differ deeply on issues, and yet work together for the good of the country.”
“It is not a new idea. As Washington has become increasingly partisan, and increasingly deadlocked, a misty aura has grown around the O’Neill and Reagan years. That mist obscures some hard truths — and harder words.”
Thomas O’Neill says his father called Reagan “Herbert Hoover with a smile” or “a cheerleader for selfishness.” He referred to the village of Reagan’s Irish forebears — Ballyporeen — as “the valley of the small potatoes.”
In turn Reagan called him “Pac-Man — “a round thing that gobbles up money,” and made him the butt of G.O.P. political advertising.
Thomas O’Neill stated that “they were two men from humble Irish-American backgrounds who did not back down from a fight, and their worldviews were poles apart”.
He described vicious battles over social security and the Clean Water Act and O’Neill remembers his father calling Reagan names privately.
“I remember some of what he said at the time. None of it is was printable.”
However, when it came down to it Thomas O’Neill says Reagan and his father put country first.What both men deplored more than the other’s political philosophy was stalemate, and a country that was so polarized by ideology and party politics that it could not move forward.”
O’Neill says that commitment is needed again now “That commitment to put country ahead of personal belief and party loyalty is what Mr. Obama, Mr. Romney and millions of Americans miss so much right now.
“It allowed these two men to bend enough, even after their knockdown fight in 1982, to forge an agreement that helped save Social Security — something both men knew needed to be done. It meant that Reagan could support an increase in federal gas taxes, which would fund infrastructure improvements that both he and my father were convinced would put thousands of unemployed Americans back to work.”
“Historic tax reforms, seven tax increases, a strong united front that brought down the Soviet Union — all came of a commitment to find common ground. While neither man embraced the other’s worldview, each respected the other’s right to hold it. Each respected the other as a man.”
O’Neill writes that Reagan knew his father worshipped Boston College and he kindly appeared at a fundraising dinner for them and when Reagan was shot O’Neill went immediately to the hospital and prayed at his bedside.
“It was a stubborn refusal not to allow fund-raisers, activists, party platforms or ideological chasms to stand between them and actions — tempered and improved by compromise — that kept this country moving.
“I don’t blame Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney for getting nostalgic about that,” O’Neill concludes.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.O'Hanlon | Oct 07, 2012, 09:00 AM EDT
Reagan is reviled and he never gave a hoot about the Irish. All Reagan did as President was recite phoney B-Movie lines with Merrill Lynch advisers nudging him and pulling his corporate puppet on a string policies as they ransacked America and lay the groundwork for the economic annihilation we're living through today. He supported fascist dictators in Chile, Argentina and Greece. He whistled and ignired Pinochets purge of innocent people and he armed pretty much all the regimes American soldiers are dying fighting today and on top of that the man was a grade a dunce who thought "TREES CAUSE MORE POLLUTION THAN AUTOMOBILES DO". Wow! Such a buffoon reached the most powerful post on the planet! How we should be asking ourselves not righting revisionist tosh like this to make it appear Reagan gave the slightest hoot about his faux-Irishness. He was an Anglophile WASP man through and through who appeased Thatcher as she prodded, stoked and fanned the flames of the troubles that should never have lasted so long. Her provocative stance cost too many lives and all this revisionism around Reagan is pathetic. Think we get the picture Irish Central. This mus be about the 8th pro-Republican article I've read in 2 days. Not that Obama's much better but compared to the loony fringe boardroom cheesgrin snake oil he's at least 40 per cent less dangerous. No-one went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public I guess. As for Reagan and Bush Jr, all bets are off. Most incompetent Presidents in the history of the USA.
James T. O'Hora | Oct 07, 2012, 02:01 AM EDT
The Reagan-O'Neill relationship is certainly worth studying as a model of mutual respect and bipartisanship success. President Reagan was very shrewd to stroke Tip O'Neill and in January 1981, the first guests the Reagan's had for dinner in the private upstairs White House residence, was not his VP George Bush, rather it was Tip and Millie O'Neill. These two self-made, Irish American giants circled each other that evening like two sumo wrestlers and learned that they had similar humble upbringings and that "they could do busines together." They seeemed to enjoy each others company and often celebrated St. Patrick's Day together at local Washington, DC Irih pubs like The Dubliner and shared cornbeef sandwichs and a pint together. Tip O'Neill also had a rule where he could be very critical of Reagan or one of his policies but as he would say, "after 6 pm, they could be friends." The country certainly benefitted from their ability to get along and do the nation's business in spite of personal political differences. Sad that President Obama promised to work in this fashion during the '08 campaign, but acutally he has really contributed to the present hyper-partisan culture in Washington. Mitt Romney did it in Mass. and will work in this fashion on Day One after he Wins in November. Irish For Romney Ryan!!
irishpjk | Oct 06, 2012, 10:46 PM EDT
wtf. In the debate Mr. Obama told Mr. Romney that talking to the other is not always the way to go. He proved that when he held a meeting to hammer out his Obama health with only democrats allowed in. It’s time to see if Mr. Romney can bring both sides closer to a middle ground, I am willing to give him my vote and hope he keeps his word.
plstg67 | Oct 06, 2012, 08:06 PM EDT
Yes.i totally agree.We do need a new Reagan & O'Neil team again.God help this country if Obama wins again.
KatieMurphy | Oct 06, 2012, 06:06 PM EDT
Any of you who oppose obama care should rethink your position. Obama care is about supporting life . As an example in my parents families, only 9 of 16 children survived infancy due to extreme poverty and alck of medical care in general...........Where are the real catholics re this issue?
KatieMurphy | Oct 06, 2012, 06:01 PM EDT
The repubs / tea party work with the democrats - Very early in Obamas first days as president it was either Boehoner or cantor who said their first goal was to make Pr. Obama a one term president..............Of course they were pandering to the republicans right wing extremist religious base in the south - for whom a black man in the presidency is their nightmare come true...........If you havent lived in the deep south as I did while in the mil, its hard to understand how some so called Christians are still fighting the civil war. Chris Hedges book - the christian right and the war on America is only an introduction. YOu can buy it via search engine bookfinder4u.com for less then $10...........Frightening
Frosty38 | Oct 06, 2012, 02:38 PM EDT
what would he think of his son bad mouthing Pres According to Paul Kengor, author of God and Ronald Reagan, Reagan had a particularly strong faith in the goodness of people, which stemmed from the optimistic faith of his mother, Nelle,[9] and the Disciples of Christ faith,[9] which he was baptized into in 1922.[10] For the time, Reagan was unusual in his opposition to racial discrimination, and recalled a time in Dixon when the local inn would not allow black people to stay there. Reagan brought them back to his house, where his mother invited them to stay the night and have breakfast the next morning.[11]
Frosty38 | Oct 06, 2012, 11:46 AM EDT
Times don't change I was born in the late 1930;s and they got the people out to the polls and he was a friend of my Moms she was Irish Catholic
1661996usmc | Oct 06, 2012, 11:36 AM EDT
I believe "Gutless", "Wimpy" Boehner is no match to Tip. He can't express an opinion without the approval of the "Tea Baggers"
trconnors | Oct 06, 2012, 11:23 AM EDT
there will never be peace and agreemaent with the political parties as long as we have a--holes the likes of hannity, oreilly, limbaugh, schultz and olbermann spewing out hate, lies and whatever other garbage that fires up the radical wings of both parties. They are not journalists, just $ hungry a--holes who are destroying our country from within !!!!
trconnors | Oct 06, 2012, 10:39 AM EDT
They were two tough old Irish guys who knew how to deal
cillowen | Oct 06, 2012, 10:17 AM EDT
o'neill better get a life those good old days are no more - the country is as swiss cheesed as palestine.
tom/peggy | Oct 06, 2012, 10:05 AM EDT
The Senate Minority Leader made that statement 2 years into the Presidents term. It was in response to Obama's agenda. Obamacare the plan most Americans opposed then and still do. As I recall the House Majority Leader (Pelosi) told us it needs to be passed so we can find out what's in it. Perhaps the next time they'll read it before it's passed.
olovely | Oct 06, 2012, 09:50 AM EDT
Reagan didn't 'show the way' to the tens of thousands who died of AIDS whilst he looked the other way in contempt, refusing to give the public access to the latest treatments. Reagan wouldn't even bother himself to mention there was a plague in their midst. He was needlessly heartless and cruel.
faberm1 | Oct 06, 2012, 09:24 AM EDT
Tip O'Neil fought tooth and nail against everything Reagan stood for. Reagan went over his head and over the heads of the rest of the democratically controlled congress straight to the American people. I know. I watched and saw it happen. When Reagan took office inflation was at 20% and the maximum tax rate was 70%. It was the same ole argument from leftists that the "rich" (meaning someone else better off than me) pay their "fair share". No democrat ever gives a number a to what a "fair share" means. Reagan reduced the highest rate to 28%. The economy boomed. Inflation dropped to 2%. And I think America was saved for a season. Now we have Jimmy Carter II back in the Whitehouse. It is deja-vu all over again.
jerrydonovan | Oct 06, 2012, 09:05 AM EDT
I could not agree more,however ,when the leader of the republican party in the senate states that the number one PRIORITY of his party is to limit President Obama to one term term then we can clearly see who has party ahead of country.