Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeHenry
Why was he one of the top 2-3 presidents of the 20th century?
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I trend neutral on all presidents and tend to believe they all tried to do the best they could with the cards they were delt. If Reagan had been a Democrat, I suspect many Republicans would have considered him one of the worst presidents. What he did have going for him was his admin hired the very best script writers. Reagan never varied from script and knew how to deliver a punchline.
His admin was mired up to their ears in muck and then there was the Iran Contra affair. That admin experienced the most indirements and convictions of any in history. Reagan claimed no knowledge and people believed him. Back then there was no political cable news or the Internet.
No one knew that he spent most of his time at his ranch - not the White House. Back then, people were not obsessed with the number of presidential vacation days. People seemed to understand that the president is never off duty.
His ran on a platform promice of balancing the federal budget and reducing taxes. Income taxes were reduced but we're not offset by a reduction in spending. So the federal debt trebled under his watch. People did not care.
The first attack by Islamic terrorists occurred in 1983 and destroyed the US embassy in Beruit. 63 people died. No one seemed to blame Reagan for not knowing and protecting the embassy.
Many seem to forget the S&L crisis where it became necessary for the federal government to bail out the thrifts.
Immigration reform was amnesty. Reagan promised to secure the borders and get tough with those who employed undocumented workers. Nuff said.
Real income , adjusted for inflation, did not increase. Walmart with low wage part time jobs replaced IBM as the nation's number one private sector employer. Then McDonalds pushed IBM to third place.
The Earned Income Tax Credit was substantially expanded and became the reason why low income earners with dependents don't pay federal taxes or have skin in the game. This dove tailed well with the decline in full time middle class wage jobs.
Hospitals became required to stabilize anyone who came through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay.
Federal funding for mental institutions was substantially cut and patients were put on the street.
Payroll taxes were increased ( a smart move, in theory) and then promptly borrowed by the fed and spent.
The Soviet Union was disolving regardless of who sat the oval. Had a Putin like character been at the helm, outcomes would have been substantially different than what happened, with or without the Reagan admin.
Reagan was pro gun control, understandable given he was shot. The people blamed the shooter not a failure of the Secret Service.
The seeds for NAFTA and repealing portions of Glass Seagal were planted and nurtured. Most did not take notice.
Reagan took direction from his handlers, well. Nancy knew how to amp up the pomp and circumstance. Back then, people chuckled about presidential gaffs and the media was not yet into selling sensationalism.
Reagan did the best he could with the hand he had been dealt.
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