View co-host Whoopi Goldberg on Thursday used the Republican presidendial debate as an excuse to trash Ronald Reagan, assuring people that “he wasn’t all that.” Reading from note cards, Goldberg began, “I just want to point out that, you know, he did some things that were not particularly good for the country.”
Assailing Reagan’s 1981 firing of 11,000 striking air traffic control employees, Goldberg attacked, “The air traffic controllers were on strike. You know, I feel like if the air traffic controllers are pissed, you want to hear what they have to say. Okay? You listen to them.” She sneered, “Instead of saying, 'hey, what's going on?' He said, 'you have two days to come back to work or we're firing you.'”
Of course, Goldberg offered zero context for her audience. She didn’t tell ABC viewers that the strike was illegal and, according to the President, a danger to national security. Offering an all-over-the-map serious of complaints, the co-host then jumped from '81 back to 1967 when Reagan was governor of California:
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: In '67 he signed the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, which sought to end to the involuntary commitment of the mentally ill. So, what they did was they closed all of these mental facilities and they dumped --- they didn't bring them anywhere else – they dumped mentally ill people on the street.
Wednesday's GOP debate took place at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library in California. This was the context for Goldberg's commentary.
In a humorous moment, the View crew vainly struggled to remember Reagan’s 1984 “Morning in America” ad:
JOY BEHAR: And they were in Ronald Reagan's library, which is supposed to be -- what's the phrase, Paula? Something about the morning. Something about how great the morning is going to be?
PAULA FARIS: Oh, what a beautiful morning? Oh, wait. That’s Oklahoma. No, but they did invoke Ronald Reagan.
RAVEN SYMONE [After audience member yells the answer]: Morning in America?
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Morning in America.
BEHAR: Morning in America. Right.
A transcript of Goldberg’s rant, which aired at 11:06am ET on September 17, follows:
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: You know, I just want to -- I like Ronald Reagan. He was a very nice man. But I just want to point out that, you know, he did some things that were not particularly good for the country. In '67 he signed the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, which sought to end to the involuntary commitment of the mentally ill. So, what they did was they closed all of these mental facilities and they dumped --- they didn't bring them anywhere else – hey dumped mentally ill people on the street.
BEHAR: I remember that.
GOLDBERG: They dumped ‘em. Also, you know, the air traffic controllers were on strike. You know, I feel like if the air traffic controllers are pissed, you want to hear what they have to say. Okay? You listen to them.
FARIS: But it's also hard --
GOLDBERG: Hold on. Wait, wait. Let me finish. And so, instead of saying, 'hey, what's going on?' He said, 'you have two days to come back to work or we're firing you.' This caused such an issue, because they didn't have any backup. They didn’t have any backup! So, he wasn't all that, for me. And war on drugs? You know, please.
