BREAKING - RONALD REAGAN HAS DIED

[IceAgeComing]

Ronald Reagan, to me, to someone born the year of his re-election, to me as a Brit, alive and well in the era of Thatcherism and Reaganomics, to me Reagan is a cross partisan hero plain and simple. He was upbeat and determined, but humble and not an opportunist. Himself and Thatcher re-introduced the free and open market economic policies that allows us to this very day, to choose who will provide our internet connection or where we buy our groceries. They kept prices down and put the consumer back in charge. We owe everything to those two giants, one of whom has now passed on. To Reagan and to America I say your city is still shining on the hill, but for today at least, it is that little bit dimmer. Rest in Peace.

This is why the internet is actually bad: makes it harder to hide from the shameful things you believed and said when you were younger

[OSR stands with Israel]

Reagan was the best president we had in the past 70 years and I truly wish he not Trump were our president today as he would be so much better for our nation and I would also not only get to vote for the republican candidate but proudly do so

[President Johnson]

BREAKING: Bill Walker has dropped out.

[President Johnson]

Reagan was the best president we had in the past 70 years and I truly wish he not Trump were our president today as he would be so much better for our nation and I would also not only get to vote for the republican candidate but proudly do so

I obviously disagree. Reagan made the rich the richer and the poor poorer and blew the federal deficit despite claiming to be a fiscal conservative. The balanced budget happened under Clinton after Poppy Bush laid a good foundation through the compromise he stroke with Democrats in congress and helped defeating him in 1992. Reagan's foreign policy was mixed; but you need to give equal credit for the archivements in disarments to Michail Gorbachev. Other decisions like arming Islamic fundamanalists and Iran Contra turned out to be disaster. The best president since 1969 is definitely Barack Obama.

That being said, Reagan would be huge improvement over today's Republican Party. At least he was a pragmatist and had rational stances in gun policy. I didn't like the growing influence of the Christian Right that happened under his watch though.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The media went overboard and the Dukes of Hazzard was established during this era. REAGAN along with Nixon were the founder of the Southern strategy and many statues and confederate flags were put up during their administration.  Not only that, along with the Bin Laden tape it helped, unfortunately,  Bush W get reelected

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This thread was cool, I never thought to look it up. I remember this day. My brothers and I went to spend the night at my grandma's apartment that day, and when we came in, my grandma was sitting on the couch crying. It was the only time I ever saw her cry period, at least until her sister died like fourteen years later.

[Landslide Lyndon]

[UkrainianRepublican]

Ugh. "Thanks" for reminder. My mood was unironically ruined.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The best president since 1969 is definitely Barack Obama.

Actually, if we look at the whole picture, Nixon was not a "bad" President, at least not entirely. While there was the Watergate (though, to be fair, it's not like JFK and especially LBJ didn't do similar impeachable things, but were never brought into account. It doesn't justify Nixon, but kind of shows us it was easier for a Democrat to get away with certain political shenanigans) and some other stuff (bombing Cambodia, coup in Chile), but things like Detente or opening on China were monumental foreign policy achievements. Being from a formerly Soviet-dominated country I'm feeling especially grateful for the Detente, because such easing of tensions in the 70s contributed to relaxing the internal grip inside satelite states, eventually leading to the birth of the Solidarity Movement (and KOR before that). Nixon belongs to the same category as LBJ and Wilson: a President with great achievements, but also great failures, thus escaping an easy categorization.

Obama was definitively an "above average" President, but his achievements weren't too exceptional, though it can be argued that, at least in the domestic arena, he got the best deal there was out there, particularly in regard to health care (the Obamacare might've been watered-down, but that's because of the GOP's obstructionism and some Democrats not willing to go as far as it should go). Other person in his place might've failed (Hillary screwed up health care once before).

As far as his foreign policy is concerned, I see his first term as largely unsuccessful (the infamous "reset", mess in Libya), while his second term saw such achievements as Cuban thaw and Iran nuclear deal. Unfortunately these two were dismantled once his successor took office, but that's more of a fundamental problem with the post-1989 U.S. foreign policy: lack of consistency and dependability, with every new administration being able to make a complete u-turn.

I see Obama's biggest flaw in him being a poor political operator (as opposed to being great in running for office himself). He never really build a political machine on his own and, after initially trying with Kaine (a "nice guy", but not fit for the task), he essentially ceded the control of DNC to Clinton loyalists, who only saw his Presidency as Hillary's springboard for 2016. We've even came to the point when a DNC chair opposed her President's key foreign policy goals (Iran deal). I also really don't like the fact Obama was quick to discard the people who stuck out their necks for him during the primaries (passing Kerry over for SoS or being quick to cut Bill Richardson loose).

In the end, Obama's greatest achievement may not lay in policies implemented, but in helping to usher a new era in the American politics, if Biden and the Democratic establishment are actually serious about the need of embracing a fundamental change.

[Calthrina950]

Wow, I know the posts are 16 years old but this thread is civility politics at its worst

the people who didn’t have anything nice to say didn’t say anything, it seems

Which is a good thing. If this event had happened today, half the comments posted on this thread would be negative. I remember many of the responses that were posted in the threads about both Bushes and Charles Krauthammer.

I mean, he was a driving force behind many of the policies that ushered in the massive wealth inequalities we experience today, so it's hard to see why he should get a totally free pass...

You are correct, but there's a certain time and place for such criticisms, and when someone has died, I don't think its right to rain down brimstone and fire upon their reputation. As was said by MB, those who had nothing nice to say didn't say anything at all.

[With you in spirit]

Ugh. "Thanks" for reminder. My mood was unironically ruined.

You didn’t remember that Ronald Reagan has been dead for 16 years

[UkrainianRepublican]

Ugh. "Thanks" for reminder. My mood was unironically ruined.

You didn’t remember that Ronald Reagan has been dead for 16 years

I remembered this. Just that it was on backstage.

Now I did read this, compared Reagan to Trump, and how low Republican  party had fallen, and my mood worsened

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

BREAKING--RONALD REAGAN IS STILL DEAD

Should have waited till tonight to post that live this Saturday.

[CookieDamage]

He and Nixon are looking up at all of us :')

[The Dowager Mod]

YAY! bumping 16 year old threads!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Ugh. "Thanks" for reminder. My mood was unironically ruined.

You didn’t remember that Ronald Reagan has been dead for 16 years

I remembered this. Just that it was on backstage.

Now I did read this, compared Reagan to Trump, and hoe low Republican  party had fallen, and my mood worsened

You seem way too emotionally attached to Reagan for being a non-American.

[UkrainianRepublican]

Ugh. "Thanks" for reminder. My mood was unironically ruined.

You didn’t remember that Ronald Reagan has been dead for 16 years

I remembered this. Just that it was on backstage.

Now I did read this, compared Reagan to Trump, and how low Republican  party had fallen, and my mood worsened

You seem way too emotionally attached to Reagan for being a non-American.

yes, I can agree to somewhat extent. In my eyes, Reagan directly contributed to the fall of Evil Empire™, which gave my country independence. Also I am a Reaganite politically, so no surprise either.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Ugh. "Thanks" for reminder. My mood was unironically ruined.

You didn’t remember that Ronald Reagan has been dead for 16 years

I remembered this. Just that it was on backstage.

Now I did read this, compared Reagan to Trump, and hoe low Republican  party had fallen, and my mood worsened

You seem way too emotionally attached to Reagan for being a non-American.

Well Reagan in many ways helped contribute to the fall of the USSR which liberated Eastern Europe and given he is from Eastern Europe I am not at all surprised by that

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Ugh. "Thanks" for reminder. My mood was unironically ruined.

You didn’t remember that Ronald Reagan has been dead for 16 years

I remembered this. Just that it was on backstage.

Now I did read this, compared Reagan to Trump, and hoe low Republican  party had fallen, and my mood worsened

You seem way too emotionally attached to Reagan for being a non-American.

Well Reagan in many ways helped contribute to the fall of the USSR which liberated Eastern Europe and given he is from Eastern Europe I am not at all surprised by that

As I've said in my previous post, the 70s Detente played a great role in loosening of the Soviet grip over Central and Eastern Europe, and I think it was actually a bigger factor than Reagan. And we also forget it was Carter that initiated the hard line on the USSR following Afghanistan.

But in the end, we should realize that the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc wasn't in any way "decided" by actions of some individuals, like "if Reagan [or insert any other name here] weren't President, the Soviets would still be around". The Soviet system was doomed to collapse under its' own weight and due to being simply dysfunctional. Actions of certain individuals might've contributed, but not in a decisive way. And if we're looking for somebody who came closest to managing that, it would be Gorbachev. With the hardliners in charge, the process could've been much more messy, and much more dangerous to the world at large.

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

Ugh. "Thanks" for reminder. My mood was unironically ruined.

You didn’t remember that Ronald Reagan has been dead for 16 years

I remembered this. Just that it was on backstage.

Now I did read this, compared Reagan to Trump, and hoe low Republican  party had fallen, and my mood worsened

You seem way too emotionally attached to Reagan for being a non-American.

Well Reagan in many ways helped contribute to the fall of the USSR which liberated Eastern Europe and given he is from Eastern Europe I am not at all surprised by that

No one denies that Reagan was good for white people.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Reagan was the best president we had in the past 70 years and I truly wish he not Trump were our president today as he would be so much better for our nation and I would also not only get to vote for the republican candidate but proudly do so

I obviously disagree. Reagan made the rich the richer and the poor poorer and blew the federal deficit despite claiming to be a fiscal conservative. The balanced budget happened under Clinton after Poppy Bush laid a good foundation through the compromise he stroke with Democrats in congress and helped defeating him in 1992. Reagan's foreign policy was mixed; but you need to give equal credit for the archivements in disarments to Michail Gorbachev. Other decisions like arming Islamic fundamanalists and Iran Contra turned out to be disaster. The best president since 1969 is definitely Barack Obama.

That being said, Reagan would be huge improvement over today's Republican Party. At least he was a pragmatist and had rational stances in gun policy. I didn't like the growing influence of the Christian Right that happened under his watch though.

You guys summed up my feelings perfectly about Reagan. He was a terrible president.

Anyways, why is a 16 year old thread being bumped?

[America Needs R'hllor]

Wow, I know the posts are 16 years old but this thread is civility politics at its worst

the people who didn’t have anything nice to say didn’t say anything, it seems

Which is a good thing. If this event had happened today, half the comments posted on this thread would be negative. I remember many of the responses that were posted in the threads about both Bushes and Charles Krauthammer.

The thing is, if you skim through the thread, someone made a very respectful post which had criticism of Reagan's policy, which is very fair. But he was flamed for being "very disrepectful". I was never a fan of dancing on graves, but the other side of the coin is smothering any debate, no matter how respectful and considerate.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Wow, I know the posts are 16 years old but this thread is civility politics at its worst

An example of how much worse our politics have gotten now

[OSR stands with Israel]

Wow, I know the posts are 16 years old but this thread is civility politics at its worst

the people who didn’t have anything nice to say didn’t say anything, it seems

Which is a good thing. If this event had happened today, half the comments posted on this thread would be negative. I remember many of the responses that were posted in the threads about both Bushes and Charles Krauthammer.

The thing is, if you skim through the thread, someone made a very respectful post which had criticism of Reagan's policy, which is very fair. But he was flamed for being "very disrepectful". I was never a fan of dancing on graves, but the other side of the coin is smothering any debate, no matter how respectful and considerate.

I’m sure there must have been an individual politics thread back in the day of an Opinion of Ronald Reagan thread in which that commentary would have been more appropriate.

If that was the only thread you have shared your opinion about his policies that would be one thing but there are multiple boards and threads  for a reason and turning this type of a thread into a debate thread is not something that would be good .

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

BREAKING--RONALD REAGAN IS STILL DEAD

Should have waited till tonight to post that live this Saturday.

Incidentally, the reason for the gag was that for months before he actually died, John Chancellor, the then anchor of NBC's Nightly News, had been including bulletins on Franco still being alive.