Correcting the Reagan Myth

[Procrustes Stretched]

In all his guises and careers, Reagan valued the response of the audience more than his critical notices. While few of his political decisions were poll-driven, he cared immensely about his standing with ordinary Americans and relatively little about the opinions of the experts. That was just as well for Reagan, for expert opinion in 1989 gave low marks to his presidency. Soon after Reagan left office, a national survey of academic historians and political scientists conducted by the Siena Research Institute ranked him twenty-second among the then-forty U.S. presidents. Even among the conservatives, Reagan’s normally dependable political base, the verdict on his presidency was far from unanimous. At the time, influential conservatives worried that their hero had conceded too much to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev; some were also alarmed about his economic legacy.

The conservatives have since come back to Reagan, either because they have learned to appreciate his legacy or simply because they miss him. They are not alone. As the Reagan presidency recedes into history, Americans of varied political persuasions have become nostalgic about The Gipper, as he was known to the White House press corps.

-The American Experience | Reagan | Book Excerpt | Lou Cannon

 

[midcan5]

Reagan: Worst president of the modern era, whose policies started the decline of America's middle class and the stupidity that led to Bush Jr. Weird how the right wingnuts run from old history, aren't they the traditionalists? Rome didn't collapse in a day, voodoo economics still lives in the minds of the empty headed.

OpEdNews - Article: Ronald Reagan: Worst President Ever?

"....there's a growing realization that the starting point for many of the catastrophes confronting the United States today can be traced to Reagan's presidency. There's also a grudging reassessment that the "failed"- presidents of the 1970s--Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter--may deserve more credit for trying to grapple with the problems that now beset the country."

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Reagan was the worst President, for the Marxist. It stings Marxists that Reagan kicked their asses out of Central America and Eastern Europe

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Reagan was the worst President, for the Marxist. It stings Marxists that Reagan kicked their asses out of Central America and Eastern Europe

Reagan didn't kick anyone out of eastern europe.

Reagan sold arms to terrorist enemies, in violation of us law, of the USA...and then lied about it to the AMerican public on national television. Lied about, not a sexual affair, but treason.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Reagan: Worst president of the modern era, whose policies started the decline of America's middle class and the stupidity that led to Bush Jr. Weird how the right wingnuts run from old history, aren't they the traditionalists? Rome didn't collapse in a day, voodoo economics still lives in the minds of the empty headed.

OpEdNews - Article: Ronald Reagan: Worst President Ever?

"....there's a growing realization that the starting point for many of the catastrophes confronting the United States today can be traced to Reagan's presidency. There's also a grudging reassessment that the "failed"- presidents of the 1970s--Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter--may deserve more credit for trying to grapple with the problems that now beset the country."

I agree, but public sentiment and that of weak scholars posing as historians and biographers disagree with us. Like Camelot and JFK, it will take time for history to tell the truth.

Problem is the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project was invented to subvert the normal scheme of things.

fuckin' hollywood image types.

 

[☭proletarian☭]

When did the Marxists ever have a large representation in Central Europe or Central America?

Just before Reagan made kicking their asses out of Central America and Eastern Europe the central theme of his Presidency

What world do you live in?

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

When did the Marxists ever have a large representation in Central Europe or Central America?

Just before Reagan made kicking their asses out of Central America and Eastern Europe the central theme of his Presidency

What world do you live in?

Why he lives in the land of awes...as in awe shucks.

CrusaderFrank lives in a world of nitwitticism.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Yet Reagan booted Marxists out of Central America and Eastern Europe.

 

[LibocalypseNow]

"BLAME BOOOOOOOOSSH","BAD FOX NOOOOOOOOZ",and now they're digging up Ronald Reagan? Wow the Hopey Changey wingnuts really are losing it at this point. Scary stuff.

 

[rightwinger]

Can we get into the Reagan family values myth?

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Can we get into the Reagan family values myth?

Yes, Dear, whatever you little heart desires. Talk about Nancy blowing Frank Sinatra, whatever you want. You Libs are so entertaining

 

[☭proletarian☭]

Yet Reagan booted Marxists out of Central America and Eastern Europe.

A lie repeated does not become truth.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Yet Reagan booted Marxists out of Central America and Eastern Europe.

A lie repeated does not become truth.

So why do you keep lying about Reagan?

 

[GHook93]

Reagan TRIPLED the national debt. DISPUTE that FACT! Our economy LOST manufacturing jobs DESPITE Reagans HUGE tax breaks for the RICH and big business, why is that?

You do realize that in 1985 America produced 28% of the world's goods. That was our highest in history. The decline could have been the NAFTA and CAFTA agreement by Clinton and Gore, no?

 

[☭proletarian☭]

Yet Reagan booted Marxists out of Central America and Eastern Europe.

A lie repeated does not become truth.

So why do you keep lying about Reagan?

Feel free to quote any lie I ever posted about Reagan.

 

[Yukon]

The GOP should dig up his corpse, stuff him, and try and elect him again. He'd be as about effective as he was 20 years ago.

 

[Cold Fusion38]

Ronald Reagan was a puppet of big-business. His mind was going when he was elected and ultimately he died not even knowing who he was. How sad and pathetic....

Reveling in the suffering, even or ESPECIALLY, that of a political rival is DISGUSTING on too many levels to discus here. I WOULD hope that it changed the opinions of some about stem cell research though.

 

[The Rabbi]

Intense?

Ron Reagan TRIPLED the existing deficit to spend his way out of a recession. When challenged, he dismissed the idea that deficit spending was bad for the economy.

History...what a concept!

Yeah. Reagan tripled teh deficit. He went from 2.65% of GDP in 1980 to 3.04% of GDP in 1988.
Obama is now running the deficit at 8.54% of GDP.
US Federal Deficit As Percent Of GDP in United States 1900-2010 - Federal State Local

Do you ever get tired of lying? Doesn't it ever bother you? Or do the ends really justify the means?

 

[rdean]

The Ronald Reagan Legacy Project was started in the late 90's over the objection of Nancy Reagan. What ended up happening is exactly what she was afraid would happen. Right wingers simply rewrote history.

They insisted Reagan was this enormous success using Republican policies that didn't work for 8 of the last 9 years. Republicans needed a hero. They haven't had one for years and years so they "invented" one.

The problem is that when you point to a "myth" as evidence that certain policies work then people become confused when those same policies don't work a second time. The truth is, they never worked.

What happens is what happened with Bush. Conservatives felt that he didn't really "follow the policies". Bush wasn't a "true conservatives". Except he was. Bush was what conservatives say Reagan was.

Reagan wasn't "bad", but if he actually followed the policies attributed to him within the framework of his "myth", he would have been as great a disaster as Bush.

 

[The Rabbi]

Dean, do you have a fucking clue as to what you're talking about? I don't think so. That was the biggest bunch of bullshit I have read on this site today. I don't even have a snarky comment to throw back. It doesn't even deserve a snarky comment.