Why the right will one day embrace Obama as an iconic conservative figure

[Procrustes Stretched]

Why do intelligent and educated people say the right will one day embrace Obama as an iconic American conservative figure?

We all know how devious and calculating Obama is. Obama studied Reagan.
nuff said---almost

So here is the logic of O's plan: Just as the right was upset with Reagan both during his two terms in office and immediately after he left office, they later embrace Reagan as an iconic conservative figure. This was because of what transpired after he left office.

The GOP & runaway deficits.

In 1981, shortly after taking office, Reagan lamented "runaway deficits" that were then approaching $80 billion, or about 2.5 percent of gross domestic product. Within only two years, however, his policies had succeeded in enlarging the deficit to more than $200 billion, or 6 percent of GDP.

"It was an experiment," said Alan Auerbach, a professor of economics at UC Berkeley. "No one before Reagan had ever run such huge deficits during peacetime. He showed that you could smile and tell everyone not to worry and, politically, no one will call you to account."

This lesson clearly wasn't lost on the current occupant (
OP's note: this article was published in June of 2004 on W's watch)of the White House, who has followed the Reagan economic playbook virtually step by step in taking a budget surplus and turning it into a deficit this year of more than $520 billion, or 4.5 percent of GDP.

Runaway deficits

But runaway deficits do have consequences. They can lead to higher interest rates, exacerbate high debt-servicing costs and cause funding to dry up for important social programs, such as education and health care.

"It was up to the first President Bush, the loyal soldier, to clean up the mess by raising taxes, and he didn't get re-elected because of it," Auerbach observed. "Clinton also had to raise taxes because of Reagan."

Over time, the Reagan deficit became the Clinton surplus.

Read more: article...........

American conservative icons like Reagan get credit for setting things in motion, not credit for getting anything accomplished during tenure. The things they've actually promised to do take commitement, time and effort, and following through on these things is not as important to great iconic figures as the end result of the actions of others, years later.

These things that happen, these things that make people like Reagan and Obama iconic American conservative figures, are the seemingly broken promises that eventually come to fruition (often years or decades later), things that are often enacted by, embraced by, and followed through on---caused to become reality---by the actions of mostly political opponents of American conservativism.

Sure, sure, sure...American conservative leaders appear to whine about and assault these figures during their terms in office or positions of leadership, and during these figure's lifetimes, it may appear the rightist agenda is being stiffed, but the end results of the failed policies and broken promises of great men like Reagan and Obama can only be seen in hindsight, after the right gets to attribute and the world sees that the actions of political opponents of conservatism are actually the actions of dupes and tools of the great conservative agenda.


now all we know that people from the ideologically challenged think tank Heritage Foundation, keep saying things like "In the 20 years following Reagan’s tax cuts,"-notice the emphasis is always on things like 20 years a-f-t-e-r Reagan left office.


....break time......

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

break's over... lol

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

befo9re the Berlin wall fell...

before Reagan was embraced...

To many American conservatives, the answer to those questions is simple: Reagan stared down the Soviet Union. And the Berlin Wall speech stands as the dramatic symbol of Reagan's challenge and triumph.

But those who say this ignore the actual history and context of the speech. In fact, Reagan's address served the purpose of shoring up public support as he moved to upgrade American relations with the Soviet Union. It was Reagan's diplomacy with Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, bitterly opposed at the time by his conservative former supporters, that did the most to create the climate in which the Cold War could end.

By the time Reagan delivered his Berlin Wall speech, in June 1987, he had already held two summits with Gorbachev and was moving toward two more. He was in negotiations for the arms-control treaty he signed later that year. In fact, during Reagan's second term, he met five times with Gorbachev, more than any other American president had met a Soviet leader during the Cold War.

When Reagan won Senate ratification of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, it was the first arms-control treaty with the Soviets to win approval in 15 years. At a 1988 summit in Moscow, Reagan backed away from his famous remark five years earlier that the Soviet Union was an "evil empire." He told reporters: "That was another time, another era."

Reagan's conciliatory policies toward the Soviets provoked anguished and increasingly bitter denunciations from the right wing.

Howard Phillips of the Conservative Caucus branded Reagan "a useful idiot for Soviet propaganda." Conservative columnist George Will pounded away at Reagan for having changed. "Four years ago, many people considered Reagan a keeper of the Cold War flame," he wrote in 1988. "Time flies. For conservatives, Ronald Reagan's foreign policy has produced much surprise, but little delight." Even Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush -- when he ran for president in 1988 -- suggested that Reagan had gone too far in his diplomacy with the Soviet leader.

The Berlin Wall speech produced an intense fight within the Reagan administration. The speech was drafted by a young White House speechwriter, Peter Robinson, and was cleared by Reagan's domestic advisors. Reagan's foreign policy advisors balked at the "Mr. Gorbachev" line. They worried that it might undermine Gorbachev's political position in Moscow, making him the target of hard-line elements within the Soviet leadership and weakening his ability to reach out to the West.

- Reagan backed off the Soviet union being an Evil Empire. [/QUOTE]

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

IT needs repeating...

hey talk about using youtube:

Well before the Wall came down or Reagan's speech, Frank Zappa (a cultural God in Eastern Europe) was asked by the Soviets, "what can we do to improve our image and get foreign investment?".

Zappa replied, "tear down that wall". An obscure interview of Zappa on the Johnny Carson show explains this. You can Google the video. In East Europe, there are many statues of Frank Zappa...none of Reagan. They know Reagan made his speech when the planning of dismantling the Wall had already begun. Reagan used his actor's timing to jump on the stage to steal credit.

As Gorbachev was reforming the USSR, Reagan was so behind the times with "evil empire" talk, the Europeans dragged Reagan to the Soviet border and let Reagan walk accross the border to prove Soviet intention. Reagan's misguided conservative handlers caused the hardline communists to conspire a coup and hold Gorbachev hostage...until Yeltsin squashed the revolt and banned the communists from government.

Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Pope John Paul, Polish Solidarity, Frank Zappa, and the Truman Doctrin of standing up to the communists in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan ended the Cold War.

No amount of revising history by conservatives will change the facts. Reagan had almost nothing to do with ending the Cold War...if anything, Reagan extended it another 5 years and almost caused the hardline Communists to regain control.
toncuz (11/07/2009, 9:53 AM )

-just the facts ma'am...

 

[saveliberty]

"Why the right will one day embrace Obama as an iconic conservative figure" - Devnell

Outside of waterboarding us, I can't think of any reason at all. I dare say Al Gore waterboarding me might not be enough. Al Gore waterboarding me at the 2010 Climate Conference in Mexico. Al Gore waterboarding me at the 2010 Climate Conference in Mexico while Obama announces a $100b. commitment to third world countries, handing me my $750 penalty for not having health insurance.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

So Al Gore gets your panties all in a bunch? What else is new? Reagan was hated by many on the right and he was tolerated because he was not Carter or Kennedy or any other Dem. Reagan was a huge dissapointment to forgien policy hawks and fiscal conservatives and other conservatives during his terms and immediatley following them.

Only after Reagan leaves office do we get cons praising the co-star of a fuckin' stupid monkey as a great conservative icon. But the co-star of a fuckin' stupid monkey is an apt image of Reagan as a conservative. All mouth and little brains.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Proud Sponsor of DevNell's Threads and Stupid Posts

 

[AllieBaba]

Dev, you fucking retard.

You're using an opinion peace from the San Fran Chronicle, and presenting it as an objective piece of journalism, written by "intelligent, educated" ppl, as if that somehow means they aren't far left nutjobs.

Whenever a partisan says "intelligent, educated" it is code for "far left elitist crapface."

 

[Big Black Dog]

Why the right will one day embrace Obama as an iconic conservative figure

Wow. I want some of the stuff you're smoking...

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Dev, you fucking retard.

You're using an opinion peace from the San Fran Chronicle, and presenting it as an objective piece of journalism, written by "intelligent, educated" ppl, as if that somehow means they aren't far left nutjobs.

Whenever a partisan says "intelligent, educated" it is code for "far left elitist crapface."

yeah and you chose to ignore the facts...like the grand father of the latest round of GOP cons called Reagan a useful idiot before he said he was a great conservative. maybe they are one and the same...useful idiots and great conservative?

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Why the right will one day embrace Obama as an iconic conservative figure

Wow. I want some of the stuff you're smoking...

People said the same thing to those who said the right and conservatism would embrace Reagan after he left office. facts suck

go figure