Opinion of Ronald Reagan

[specific_name]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJDhS4oUm0M&feature=feedrec

left wing RR (1948)... too bad he didn't use his powers of oratory for good, instead of evil.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Horrible Horrible Person.

Ronald Reagan has got to be the most evil man in all of the histories of the history of the world.  In the grand compilation of all evil beings, and this is including trial lawyers, Satan, and IRS agents, Ronald Reagan is by far the evilest.  Ronald Reagan was so damn evil that he liked to crack open the dead bodies of black babies so he could use their blood in making his morning soda bread.  Ronald Reagan is so evil, he hated the poor so much that he makes Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler look like gentle dentists in comparison.  If Ronnie Reagan could get away with it he would've nuked Jerry's Kids, welfare queens, and seniors surviving off of Social Security checks.  Oh and he also hated the gays.  WHy else would he do nothing about the AIDS epidemic?

Goddamn Ronald Reagan.  Goddamn him!

What point are you trying to make, exactly ?

I'll give you that Stalin and Hitler were worse than Reagan, does it mean much ?

[Mechaman]

Horrible Horrible Person.

Ronald Reagan has got to be the most evil man in all of the histories of the history of the world.  In the grand compilation of all evil beings, and this is including trial lawyers, Satan, and IRS agents, Ronald Reagan is by far the evilest.  Ronald Reagan was so damn evil that he liked to crack open the dead bodies of black babies so he could use their blood in making his morning soda bread.  Ronald Reagan is so evil, he hated the poor so much that he makes Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler look like gentle dentists in comparison.  If Ronnie Reagan could get away with it he would've nuked Jerry's Kids, welfare queens, and seniors surviving off of Social Security checks.  Oh and he also hated the gays.  WHy else would he do nothing about the AIDS epidemic?

Goddamn Ronald Reagan.  Goddamn him!

What point are you trying to make, exactly ?

I'll give you that Stalin and Hitler were worse than Reagan, does it mean much ?

This post isn't really any defense of Reagan (personally I think he's an HP) but that the responses this thread is going to get are utterly predictable.  I thought a second about making one about how Ronald Reagan was God's second son and how he cured cancer and AIDS and times were so good in the '80s that "Dance Hall Days" was playing everywhere........but considering the rankings so far I figured this would get more of my point across.

In other words, it's me being my usual asshole self.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Basically a massive fraud who had the ridiculous luck of rising into power at the very moment that the social influence and reach of television and American post war popular culture was at its peak.

This is why Naso loves him. Reagan could have done the exact opposite of what he did in his presidency and people like him would still love Ronald Reagan. This is also why he is the postmodern president, like Clinton was the black president - except that he was.

[republicanism]

Basically a massive fraud who had the ridiculous luck of rising into power at the very moment that the social influence and reach of television and American post war popular culture was at its peak.

This is why Naso loves him. Reagan could have done the exact opposite of what he did in his presidency and people like him would still love Ronald Reagan. This is also why he is the postmodern president, like Clinton was the black president - except that he was.

Well said, expect that I don't know and therefor can't judge Naso.

Reagan also was the one to knock over what had been unsteady since the mid 1970s: The class compromise in America.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

That's right, Reagan was a fraud. A talented fraud.

There was a huge gap between his image and an actual record. For example, while Governor of California and the new leader of GOP conservative wing, Reagan was much more economic liberal than his successor, Jerry Brown.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

At least he's better than Filmore, Pierce, and Buchanan.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

At least he's better than Filmore, Pierce, and Buchanan.

Is that supposed to be some achievement?

[Roemerista]

At least he was better than that FDR chap.

[© tweed]

I don't think it's totally fair to call Reagan a "fraud" because he only had the vaguest idea of what was being done in his name, particularly towards the end.  unless you mean he was a fraud perpetrated by those around him.

[Mechaman]

At least he's better than Filmore, Pierce, and Buchanan.

Is that supposed to be some achievement?

[King]

At least he's better than Filmore, Pierce, and Buchanan.

Is that supposed to be some achievement?

Hey, Ronnie, what cheat code did you use and can you help a brother out?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

At least he was better than that FDR chap.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

UmmFDR is one of the best presidents ever.

[Vosem]

UmmFDR is one of the best presidents ever.

FDR leans FF.

[Roemerista]

UmmFDR is one of the best presidents ever.

Just proving my Hackish chops sir, as seems to be the point of the poll.

[Antonio the Sixth]

UmmFDR is one of the best presidents ever.

Just proving my Hackish chops sir, as seems to be the point of the poll.

Comparing Roosevelt with Reagan is already hackery.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Reagan grew up in small-town, rural, Midwestern America at a time when much of America-especially that region-was still either on family farms or living in a small, close-knit community in the countryside. It is likely that he always had a deeply conservative streak in the cultural sense, a kind of Jeffersonian/Jacksonian nostalgia for the agrarian past of America.

His economic views were also reflective of his upbringing, but in a different way-the son of an alcoholic father who, despite his struggles, still managed to send both of his sons to college (this was huge in the late 20s/early 30s for most people). One can imagine Ronald Reagan thinking of his father as being both strong because of his hard work ethic, and challenged because of his dependency-which probably caused the son to think that a dependency is a weakness. Additionally, the rural, small-town upbringing in the 1920s must have created an impression on Reagan as an ideal America of close-knit families and individuals who were culturally conservative, economically independent (or so he perceived them to be), and optimistic about the future.

Add to the combination of cultural conservatism and a belief in the power of individuals and small actors in the economy, with a strong, fervent anti-Communism-nourished by his experiences in the late 1940s as president of the Screen Actor's Guild, his disillusionment with the Democratic Party re: the Cold War, his marriage to Republican Nancy Davis, and his time as a salesman and TV spokesman for General Electric in the 1950s-and you have a person who was singularly committed to a rather simple, clear message: America is a great place at heart, a place where individuals and families and close-knit communities are valued, and attempts to "collectivize" or engineer "social justice" through government action are not just misguided, they are wrong, unjust, even evil.

However, the clash between Reagan's idealized beliefs and Reagan's actual, concrete policies became clear first as Governor of California, then as President on a bigger scale. I think he was rather naive about the unintended consequences of major cuts to domestic spending, or military deficit spending, or his huge supply-side tax cuts This was likely, as much as anything, a  consequence of someone who had little actual policy experience being President. But to Reagan's credit, he was willing to be pragmatic at times, raising taxes, negotiating with the Soviet Union, and going back on some of his promises to his conservative base.

Still, it is remarkable that for someone who had a very complicated and mixed record in many ways as President, how simplistically and absolutely the Republican Party has deified Reagan as an ideological symbol. They remember Reagan the actor, Regan the spokesman, Reagan the salesman, Reagan the communicator; but they don't really remember his actual Presidency, just the simplified ideals of "low taxes, low spending, a strong national defense." Funny how American politics mythologizes certain figures in our history. 

[courts]

Reagan grew up in small-town, rural, Midwestern America at a time when much of America-especially that region-was still either on family farms or living in a small, close-knit community in the countryside. It is likely that he always had a deeply conservative streak in the cultural sense, a kind of Jeffersonian/Jacksonian nostalgia for the agrarian past of America.

His economic views were also reflective of his upbringing, but in a different way-the son of an alcoholic father who, despite his struggles, still managed to send both of his sons to college (this was huge in the late 20s/early 30s for most people). One can imagine Ronald Reagan thinking of his father as being both strong because of his hard work ethic, and challenged because of his dependency-which probably caused the son to think that a dependency is a weakness. Additionally, the rural, small-town upbringing in the 1920s must have created an impression on Reagan as an ideal America of close-knit families and individuals who were culturally conservative, economically independent (or so he perceived them to be), and optimistic about the future.

Add to the combination of cultural conservatism and a belief in the power of individuals and small actors in the economy, with a strong, fervent anti-Communism-nourished by his experiences in the late 1940s as president of the Screen Actor's Guild, his disillusionment with the Democratic Party re: the Cold War, his marriage to Republican Nancy Davis, and his time as a salesman and TV spokesman for General Electric in the 1950s-and you have a person who was singularly committed to a rather simple, clear message: America is a great place at heart, a place where individuals and families and close-knit communities are valued, and attempts to "collectivize" or engineer "social justice" through government action are not just misguided, they are wrong, unjust, even evil.

However, the clash between Reagan's idealized beliefs and Reagan's actual, concrete policies became clear first as Governor of California, then as President on a bigger scale. I think he was rather naive about the unintended consequences of major cuts to domestic spending, or military deficit spending, or his huge supply-side tax cuts This was likely, as much as anything, a  consequence of someone who had little actual policy experience being President. But to Reagan's credit, he was willing to be pragmatic at times, raising taxes, negotiating with the Soviet Union, and going back on some of his promises to his conservative base.

Still, it is remarkable that for someone who had a very complicated and mixed record in many ways as President, how simplistically and absolutely the Republican Party has deified Reagan as an ideological symbol. They remember Reagan the actor, Regan the spokesman, Reagan the salesman, Reagan the communicator; but they don't really remember his actual Presidency, just the simplified ideals of "low taxes, low spending, a strong national defense." Funny how American politics mythologizes certain figures in our history.  

There were no major cuts to domestic spending. Reagan grew the government massively as President even ignoring the arms build up and war on drugs that a lot of liberals cite. Why so many Conservatives and "Libertarians" seem to worship someone who tripled the national debt, gave amnesty to illegal immigrants and hiked taxes multiple times is a bit baffling to me. I mean intellectually I know why, doesn't make it any less bizarre to me.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Reagan grew up in small-town, rural, Midwestern America at a time when much of America-especially that region-was still either on family farms or living in a small, close-knit community in the countryside. It is likely that he always had a deeply conservative streak in the cultural sense, a kind of Jeffersonian/Jacksonian nostalgia for the agrarian past of America.

His economic views were also reflective of his upbringing, but in a different way-the son of an alcoholic father who, despite his struggles, still managed to send both of his sons to college (this was huge in the late 20s/early 30s for most people). One can imagine Ronald Reagan thinking of his father as being both strong because of his hard work ethic, and challenged because of his dependency-which probably caused the son to think that a dependency is a weakness. Additionally, the rural, small-town upbringing in the 1920s must have created an impression on Reagan as an ideal America of close-knit families and individuals who were culturally conservative, economically independent (or so he perceived them to be), and optimistic about the future.

Add to the combination of cultural conservatism and a belief in the power of individuals and small actors in the economy, with a strong, fervent anti-Communism-nourished by his experiences in the late 1940s as president of the Screen Actor's Guild, his disillusionment with the Democratic Party re: the Cold War, his marriage to Republican Nancy Davis, and his time as a salesman and TV spokesman for General Electric in the 1950s-and you have a person who was singularly committed to a rather simple, clear message: America is a great place at heart, a place where individuals and families and close-knit communities are valued, and attempts to "collectivize" or engineer "social justice" through government action are not just misguided, they are wrong, unjust, even evil.

However, the clash between Reagan's idealized beliefs and Reagan's actual, concrete policies became clear first as Governor of California, then as President on a bigger scale. I think he was rather naive about the unintended consequences of major cuts to domestic spending, or military deficit spending, or his huge supply-side tax cuts This was likely, as much as anything, a  consequence of someone who had little actual policy experience being President. But to Reagan's credit, he was willing to be pragmatic at times, raising taxes, negotiating with the Soviet Union, and going back on some of his promises to his conservative base.

Still, it is remarkable that for someone who had a very complicated and mixed record in many ways as President, how simplistically and absolutely the Republican Party has deified Reagan as an ideological symbol. They remember Reagan the actor, Regan the spokesman, Reagan the salesman, Reagan the communicator; but they don't really remember his actual Presidency, just the simplified ideals of "low taxes, low spending, a strong national defense." Funny how American politics mythologizes certain figures in our history.  

There were no major cuts to domestic spending. Reagan grew the government massively as President even ignoring the arms build up and war on drugs that a lot of liberals cite. Why so many Conservatives and "Libertarians" seem to worship someone who tripled the national debt, gave amnesty to illegal immigrants and hiked taxes multiple times is a bit baffling to me. I mean intellectually I know why, doesn't make it any less bizarre to me.

Yes, there were major cuts to domestic spending under Reagan. However, these were more than offset by the explosive growth of corporate subsidies, entitlements (especially health care), and many parts of the government were "outsourced" to the private sector, rather than cut.

Also, define a "Cut". Reagan cut the rate of growth of a lot of programs, even if he didn't eliminate most of them.

[© tweed]

read a bunch of stuff in class today (was actually for a different class than the class I was in.  class I was in is called Employee Benefits.  they brought in some wonkish lawyer who deals with ERISA stuff for a living.  beat me in the balls with a hammer in non-erotic fashion type of stuff, so I brought some distractions)... about the 80s SCOTUS and how it lead to the 1991 Civil Rights Act.  hate Reagan.  though that's a bit unfair, he was just an ignorant symbol.

[BugsBunny]

Massive HP, just like the 100+ times it has been asked.

[courts]

Yes, there were major cuts to domestic spending under Reagan. However, these were more than offset by the explosive growth of corporate subsidies, entitlements (especially health care), and many parts of the government were "outsourced" to the private sector, rather than cut.

Also, define a "Cut". Reagan cut the rate of growth of a lot of programs, even if he didn't eliminate most of them.

Saying you're going to not increase spending as much isn't a cut. I know both parties have been repeating that lie since at least the Eisenhower years but.. yeah. You know my spiel by now.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Reagan grew up in small-town, rural, Midwestern America at a time when much of America-especially that region-was still either on family farms or living in a small, close-knit community in the countryside. It is likely that he always had a deeply conservative streak in the cultural sense, a kind of Jeffersonian/Jacksonian nostalgia for the agrarian past of America.

His economic views were also reflective of his upbringing, but in a different way-the son of an alcoholic father who, despite his struggles, still managed to send both of his sons to college (this was huge in the late 20s/early 30s for most people). One can imagine Ronald Reagan thinking of his father as being both strong because of his hard work ethic, and challenged because of his dependency-which probably caused the son to think that a dependency is a weakness. Additionally, the rural, small-town upbringing in the 1920s must have created an impression on Reagan as an ideal America of close-knit families and individuals who were culturally conservative, economically independent (or so he perceived them to be), and optimistic about the future.

Add to the combination of cultural conservatism and a belief in the power of individuals and small actors in the economy, with a strong, fervent anti-Communism-nourished by his experiences in the late 1940s as president of the Screen Actor's Guild, his disillusionment with the Democratic Party re: the Cold War, his marriage to Republican Nancy Davis, and his time as a salesman and TV spokesman for General Electric in the 1950s-and you have a person who was singularly committed to a rather simple, clear message: America is a great place at heart, a place where individuals and families and close-knit communities are valued, and attempts to "collectivize" or engineer "social justice" through government action are not just misguided, they are wrong, unjust, even evil.

However, the clash between Reagan's idealized beliefs and Reagan's actual, concrete policies became clear first as Governor of California, then as President on a bigger scale. I think he was rather naive about the unintended consequences of major cuts to domestic spending, or military deficit spending, or his huge supply-side tax cuts This was likely, as much as anything, a  consequence of someone who had little actual policy experience being President. But to Reagan's credit, he was willing to be pragmatic at times, raising taxes, negotiating with the Soviet Union, and going back on some of his promises to his conservative base.

Still, it is remarkable that for someone who had a very complicated and mixed record in many ways as President, how simplistically and absolutely the Republican Party has deified Reagan as an ideological symbol. They remember Reagan the actor, Regan the spokesman, Reagan the salesman, Reagan the communicator; but they don't really remember his actual Presidency, just the simplified ideals of "low taxes, low spending, a strong national defense." Funny how American politics mythologizes certain figures in our history. 

Interesting analysis.

One thing my biased history book mentioned was how Reagan might've been the greatest politician ever. By forcing his successors to focus on the huge deficit continued under his Presidency, he really did force Clinton into the balanced budget. It was an interesting idea as to how he might've had the foresight or political knowhow to pull that off, but whatever. It was interesting, don't know about "true".

[Antonio the Sixth]

Reagan grew up in small-town, rural, Midwestern America at a time when much of America-especially that region-was still either on family farms or living in a small, close-knit community in the countryside. It is likely that he always had a deeply conservative streak in the cultural sense, a kind of Jeffersonian/Jacksonian nostalgia for the agrarian past of America.

His economic views were also reflective of his upbringing, but in a different way-the son of an alcoholic father who, despite his struggles, still managed to send both of his sons to college (this was huge in the late 20s/early 30s for most people). One can imagine Ronald Reagan thinking of his father as being both strong because of his hard work ethic, and challenged because of his dependency-which probably caused the son to think that a dependency is a weakness. Additionally, the rural, small-town upbringing in the 1920s must have created an impression on Reagan as an ideal America of close-knit families and individuals who were culturally conservative, economically independent (or so he perceived them to be), and optimistic about the future.

Add to the combination of cultural conservatism and a belief in the power of individuals and small actors in the economy, with a strong, fervent anti-Communism-nourished by his experiences in the late 1940s as president of the Screen Actor's Guild, his disillusionment with the Democratic Party re: the Cold War, his marriage to Republican Nancy Davis, and his time as a salesman and TV spokesman for General Electric in the 1950s-and you have a person who was singularly committed to a rather simple, clear message: America is a great place at heart, a place where individuals and families and close-knit communities are valued, and attempts to "collectivize" or engineer "social justice" through government action are not just misguided, they are wrong, unjust, even evil.

However, the clash between Reagan's idealized beliefs and Reagan's actual, concrete policies became clear first as Governor of California, then as President on a bigger scale. I think he was rather naive about the unintended consequences of major cuts to domestic spending, or military deficit spending, or his huge supply-side tax cuts This was likely, as much as anything, a  consequence of someone who had little actual policy experience being President. But to Reagan's credit, he was willing to be pragmatic at times, raising taxes, negotiating with the Soviet Union, and going back on some of his promises to his conservative base.

Still, it is remarkable that for someone who had a very complicated and mixed record in many ways as President, how simplistically and absolutely the Republican Party has deified Reagan as an ideological symbol. They remember Reagan the actor, Regan the spokesman, Reagan the salesman, Reagan the communicator; but they don't really remember his actual Presidency, just the simplified ideals of "low taxes, low spending, a strong national defense." Funny how American politics mythologizes certain figures in our history. 

Interesting analysis.

One thing my biased history book mentioned was how Reagan might've been the greatest politician ever. By forcing his successors to focus on the huge deficit continued under his Presidency, he really did force Clinton into the balanced budget. It was an interesting idea as to how he might've had the foresight or political knowhow to pull that off, but whatever. It was interesting, don't know about "true".

He was certainly very skilled in pushing forward his agenda. To me, that doesn't really matter as much as what his agenda was.