James Watt

James Watt

God, guns, and freedom U.S. Politics

Starting arguments over Thanksgiving dinner

Executive power and the War on Terror Employment Non-Discrimination Act Wedge Strategy Lyndon B. Johnson Jerry Brown Spanish-American War Joe Hill

Persons of interest

Jack Abramoff 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination Orrin Hatch John Kerry Dan Quayle Thomas Jefferson v - t - e

James Gaius Watt (January 31, 1938–May 27, 2023) was a political figure most infamous for his actions during the administration of Ronald Reagan, where he served as Secretary of the Interior. Called one of the most "intensely controversial and blatantly anti-environmental political appointees" in American history, he grew infamous during his time working for the White House due to his bombastic and frequently nonsensical statements that were downright concerning for somebody in his position.

Highlights of his time working for Reagan

Issue of Mad Magazine which lists various scandals Watt had.

During his time working for Reagan, he did all of the following:

• Told Congress "I do not know how many future generations we can count on before he Lord returns."
• Warned "liberals of the Jewish community" that if they oppose his policy "they will weaken our ability to be a good friend of Israel."
• Said that he will "never use the words Democrats and Republicans. It's liberals and Americans."
• Explained that "I speak in black-and-white terms without much gray in my life. I see problems without the complexity that is confusing a lot of people."
• Called environmentalists "A left-wing cult dedicated to bringing down the type of government I believe in." Later, he said of the same group "Look what happened to Germany in the 1930s… The dignity of man was subordinated to the powers of Nazism… Those are the forces that this can evolve into." He also said those who fail to speak out against abortion are similar to "the forces that created the Holocaust."
• Said of Native Americans, "If you want an example of the failures of socialism, don't go to Russia. Come to America, and see the American Indian reservations."
• Tried to ban rock music from an Independence Day parade.
• Said of his coal-leasing commission, "We have every kind of mix you can have. I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews and a cripple." During Larry Flynt's satirical Presidential run in 1984, he said he planned to have "a black, a woman, two Jews, a cripple, a homosexual, an Oriental… and a Mexican in my Cabinet."