alternatehistory.com
June 1987
"Tear Down This Wall!"
Sagan weighs in
"I look forward to a time when all walls between nations can be torn down, not out of some vain hope for a political victory, but because humans should not be divided from other humans. I join President Reagan in his plea to Gorbachev, though perhaps not for the same reasons. Certainly, we can at least agree on the hope for eventual reunification of Germany and the world."
--Carl Sagan, in an interview with CBS News, June 14th, 1987
"What's interesting about Sagan's response to Reagan's speech, I think, was that he didn't have to address it at all. It was receiving relatively little coverage in Western media before his comments[1], and he could have let it slip by without controversy. But he chose to respond to it and invite the controversy anyway.
"Hm. Can anyone tell me why he might have chosen to do that...? Anyone?
"Audrey? ...Ah, yes, that's a good theory. He saw a political opportunity and seized it. To be infamous is to be famous, better to target your base than people you can't win over, so on and so forth.
"But there is a flaw in that theory. Carl Sagan was not a normal politican. One of the biggest criticisms people have of his presidency today was that he was too passive. That he didn't grab at enough opportunities. So it seems odd that he would simply take the moment to jab at the president. Anyone else have ideas?
"Percy? ...He just wanted to. See... I hear everyone laughing, thinking that's lazy. But I think that's exactly it. He wanted to use his popularity at the time to spread his message of peace."
--Mrs. Amelia Lenard
"Tear Down This Wall!"
Sagan weighs in
"I look forward to a time when all walls between nations can be torn down, not out of some vain hope for a political victory, but because humans should not be divided from other humans. I join President Reagan in his plea to Gorbachev, though perhaps not for the same reasons. Certainly, we can at least agree on the hope for eventual reunification of Germany and the world."
--Carl Sagan, in an interview with CBS News, June 14th, 1987
"Hm. Can anyone tell me why he might have chosen to do that...? Anyone?
"Audrey? ...Ah, yes, that's a good theory. He saw a political opportunity and seized it. To be infamous is to be famous, better to target your base than people you can't win over, so on and so forth.
"But there is a flaw in that theory. Carl Sagan was not a normal politican. One of the biggest criticisms people have of his presidency today was that he was too passive. That he didn't grab at enough opportunities. So it seems odd that he would simply take the moment to jab at the president. Anyone else have ideas?
"Percy? ...He just wanted to. See... I hear everyone laughing, thinking that's lazy. But I think that's exactly it. He wanted to use his popularity at the time to spread his message of peace."
--Mrs. Amelia Lenard
Sagan Plummets in Polls Following Reagan Comments
Jackson and Sagan Neck-and-Neck
--New York Times, June 17th, 1987
"They've placed all their hopes on a goddamn bleeding heart."
--George H.W. Bush, in leaked conversation with Lee Atwater
-------
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tear_down_this_wall!#Response_and_legacyJackson and Sagan Neck-and-Neck
--New York Times, June 17th, 1987
"They've placed all their hopes on a goddamn bleeding heart."
--George H.W. Bush, in leaked conversation with Lee Atwater
-------
- TooManyIdeas
- Word Count: 340