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Reagan ---will go down as one of best ever
helped end communism, started a period of unprecendented growth, reduced taxes and stopped alot of wasteful spending
Bill Clinton---will go down as one of best ever
was at the right place at the right time, but was responsible enough to balance budget. Also reduced taxes.
George Bush (current)----one of worst ever
mismanaged federal government by increasing spending, most fiscally irresponsible republican president in history, brought us in to a war by lying which resulted in a larger national debt which led to a devaluation of the dollar, this silver spoon doesn't even seem to know what a budget is (strangely enough he campaigned on a fiscal conservative platform!)
Obama---will be one of worst ever
Talks of raising taxes and handling out entitlements and spending/wasting alot
Reagan sucked. His asleep at the wheel presidency and trickle down economics did nothing but manufacture indebtedness which we will all keep paying until our grandchildren are dead. While a likable guy, we can't forget that he was an ACTOR. The anti-gay (let's ignore AIDS), anti-woman, anti-child (ketchup is a vegetable?), and let's-spend-all-our-money-on-defense mindset made me barf. I saw the country divide like I had not perceived before.
Bush 1 was a continuation of the above with massive deficits and just a country going in the wrong direction. When he looked at his watch in the presidential debate, he surely had jumped the shark. And when he pardoned >50 people in both his and Reagan's administrations at the end of his tenure, I knew he was a crook. These people hadn't even been accused of crimes, but they're getting pardoned? Where was the outrage?
Clinton was a breath of fresh air, the country was running smoothly it seemed. But underneath, the beginnings of totalitarianism were slowly beginning to form. His was probably the first presidency to be subjected to continuous coverage and unflinching scrutiny. The explosion of video in every day situations exposed his flaws. His sexual shenanigans showed us that he was human and not a very good one at that. A intelligent leader and great speaker, yes, but a poor excuse for a man.
But Bush 2 is the lowest this country could aspire to. I'm sure the secrecy and arrogance of this administration is partly due to a lesson learned from his predecessor: limit coverage to limit the exposure of the weaknesses. But there are so many! Bush 2 is a buffoon anointed by corporations because he was the easiest to control. It has become apparent that the presidency is actually a figurehead, a yes-man position to be occupied by the person most willing to sacrifice their soul. Too bad the good man that he could have been was removed by those pulling his strings.
McCain is insane and may win because he's so unstable (easier to control with drugs). Obama may win because it doesn't look like America will go the Republican route even though both routes are the same path. The choice is actually between two props, two caricatures, two empty headed puppets.
Somewhere in the 300 million of us is a better candidate. But because we have allowed our power to be stolen from us and because we hardly even noticed, that great man or woman will not hear this call.
Reagan sucked. His asleep at the wheel presidency and trickle down economics did nothing but manufacture indebtedness which we will all keep paying until our grandchildren are dead.
Congress outspent Reagan. Reaganomics gave the U.S. the most prosperous decade in 40 years.
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While a likable guy, we can't forget that he was an ACTOR.
You leave out the fact that he was the governor of the most populous state in the country in between being an ACTOR and the President of the United States.
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The anti-gay (let's ignore AIDS), anti-woman, anti-child (ketchup is a vegetable?),
A source for those wacky claims?
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and let's-spend-all-our-money-on-defense mindset made me barf.
"All of our money?" Extremely inaccurate.
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I saw the country divide like I had not perceived before.
The country was "divided" under Reagan? LOL. That's a good one! Then why did he win 49 states and the most electoral votes (525) in history in 1984?
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Bush 1 was a continuation of the above with massive deficits and just a country going in the wrong direction.
Thanks to a Congress which was still Democrat-controlled.
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And when he pardoned >50 people in both his and Reagan's administrations at the end of his tenure, I knew he was a crook. These people hadn't even been accused of crimes, but they're getting pardoned? Where was the outrage?
Every modern President have given out pardons.
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Clinton was a breath of fresh air,
More like a bunch of hot air. He broke about 90% of his campaign promises.
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the country was running smoothly it seemed.
Yeah, it seemed. Doesn't mean it was. Terrorism and terrorist attacks grew greatly during the '90s.
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His was probably the first presidency to be subjected to continuous coverage and unflinching scrutiny.
Not true. Reagan was called a "crazy cowboy who will start WWIII," among other things.
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His sexual shenanigans showed us that he was human and not a very good one at that.
It also showed how corrupt he was (lying to a grand jury, obstructing justice and witness tampering).
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A intelligent leader and great speaker, yes, but a poor excuse for a man.
"Intelligent" leaders don't give nuclear material (for "energy" purposes) to North Korea. Nor do they change the way the FBI and CIA could obtain information, leading us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Bill Clinton---will go down as one of best ever
was at the right place at the right time, but was responsible enough to balance budget. Also reduced taxes.
Bill Clinton will be remembered as the murderer of the Branch Davidians. That chicken-hawk, cowardly, scum murdered -- burned alive -- 21 Children.
Quite right. LBJ gets the prize. GWB 2nd, Reagan or FDR in 3rd place.
You'd have to go back to Coolidge to find a real Republican.
the best story about coolidge is when he refused to visit an area of massive flooding. he said it would be political grandstanding. ahhhhhh, the do nothing president. where have all the good ones gone?
Reagan ---will go down as one of best ever
helped end communism, started a period of unprecendented growth, reduced taxes and stopped alot of wasteful spending
If this is the case, and I believe you're right, that is extremely unfortunate. Reagan, a very nice man, with one of the worst cabinets in modern presidential history. When you've got Jerry Falwell campaigning for you, you know you've got some issues.
First, John Roberts having Ronald Reagan stumble onto the podeum in 1982 to deliver his speech, not backing down from the CDC's demand that he explain that AIDS wasn't delivered communicably and then in a grossly disgusting manner, continue to pin the virus as being a sort of retribution for homosexuality and promiscuity and drug use COST countless American lives. I know one thing -- the Hemophilia Community isn't absolutely devastated with death and disease if those decisions aren't made.
Secondly, call it the heat of the moment in the midst of the Cold War, but I bet if Ronald had any idea he was arming what would next become the Taliban, I bet he wouldn't. I don't think any of their ideas to arm bands of thugs in the middle east and south america are wise. Suppressing social change because it isn't what YOU like is exactly what gets us in deep water later -- he SHOULD have learned from Eisenhower in 53.
Third, Reaganonimcs, if you will, sure cut taxes, but at the cost of alot of poverty which we're still attempting to dig ourselves out of.
I hardly consider this one of the greatest presidents of all time. Enough emotional appeals regarding the Cold War ending -- such was an evolution of necessity in the SU's history. "It should be remembered that Reagan was in office for over four years before Gorbachev came to power, and Thatcher for six years, but in that period of time nothing of any significance in the way of Soviet reform took place despite Reagan's and Thatcher's unremitting malice toward the communist state." (Blum)
I think you need a history lesson, no not of wacky claims or conspiracy theory. We have on record the CDC's knowledge before his damaging press conference. Please read my previous post. You can like the guy - I don't mind him - but know this: His inability to stand for what was right and humane cost the lives of many people in this country. Much of the blame goes to John Roberts and a truly terrible cabinet, but you can't withhold blame from someone who didn't stand up for something on that particular day.
Maybe if he had cared half as much as trying to look powerful pounding his fist at Gorbachev, just maybe the AIDS epidemic in this country wouldn't look as embarrassingly bad on his resume, and ours.
Not true. The poverty rate was lower when Reagan left office than when he began (13.0% when he became President and 12.8% when he left).
Also, in 1989, the lowest wage earners were paying less in taxes (by percent) than in 1981.
When we look at how a president affected the country's economics, we don't solely look at poverty rates when he was there, and when he left.
Do you recall what was occuring in the country before Reagan took office? Much like Clinton can't receive all of the credit from the IT boom, Reagan can hardly call Americans' economy following natural trip back to normalcy following the oil shocks and recessions of the 70's.
-.2 % Really? That's it? At a time, when like I said, we're coming back, the povert rate drops 0.2%. This is at the same time his economic plan nearly quadrupled the national debt.
Let's stop romanticizing dead presidents just because they were nice people, please.
Bill Clinton will be remembered as the murderer of the Branch Davidians. That chicken-hawk, cowardly, scum murdered -- burned alive -- 21 Children.
YA i mean the great economy we use to have is a bad thing a right!
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