Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm not a liberal, as most know, and I loved Reagan something fierce for a variety of reasons. That said, the older I get, the closer I look at his policies, what he did and the long term ramifications of that, the less I think of the job he did as president. I still love the man but time and distance have prevented the Reagan legacy from standing up as well as I once thought it would.
I'm not a liberal, as most know, and I loved Reagan something fierce for a variety of reasons. That said, the older I get, the closer I look at his policies, what he did and the long term ramifications of that, the less I think of the job he did as president. I still love the man but time and distance have prevented the Reagan legacy from standing up as well as I once thought it would.
Somebody needs to make a documentary on how he was not what the sugar-coated, history-revised version cracks him up to be. Michael Moore would do a fine job.
Somebody needs to make a documentary on how he was not what the sugar-coated, history-revised version cracks him up to be. Michael Moore would do a fine job.
RWNJ response in advance:
*wince* A documentary might not be a bad idea but Michael Moore? Dear god no. The thing is, I'm not sure a documentary would make a difference. It is almost impossible to change someone's mind when they believe something absolutely.
The RWNJ would lose their minds if Moore was involved.
I'm not a liberal, as most know, and I loved Reagan something fierce for a variety of reasons. That said, the older I get, the closer I look at his policies, what he did and the long term ramifications of that, the less I think of the job he did as president. I still love the man but time and distance have prevented the Reagan legacy from standing up as well as I once thought it would.
Which is what happens with most Presidents. It will also happen with Obama, though I think he will come out worse than most think.
Last edited by Anonymous Political Junky; 06-24-2009 at 08:28 AM..
It's interesting that someone brought up polls. A poll simply reflects people's attitude/rememberance/concept of a President. The polls show that people think that Reagan;
1. "He brought down the Berlin wall." In fact his "Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall" speech was not directed at the Kremlin, but at his right wing attackers (particularly Newt Gingrich) at home.
2. He "got the country (job market) moving again." Hmmm, so apparently the business cycle didn't apply back in the '80s.
3. "He put through the biggest tax cut." Followed by some of the biggest tax increases. And of course gas prices coming down had not effect on the economy picking up.
4. "He shrunk the size of government." Wrong, he increased it, Clinton did shrink it though, how about that!
5. "He was tough with our enemies." Actually he was more than willing to talk to our enemies. Go check the record, he was often in trouble with the right wing at home because of this. See #1 above.
I think he was a good President, not great, not bad. I don't think he was "an amiable dunce" as many think. He was smart enough, and a good enough actor to appeal to stupid as well as smart people. His idea of totally deregulating everything was an unmitigated disaster. His banking dereg led right to the S&L mess, the cure of which led to where we've gotten now. The regulations put in during the '30s led to a long period of sustained growth. Since the deregulation bug bit we've lurched from housing crisis to tech boom to banking and insurance crisis.
Which is what happens with most Prsidents. It will also happen with Obama, though I think he will come out worse than most think.
I agree that it happens with most presidents but I am not yet ready to make that call about Obama not because I like or care for him one way or another but because I think it is simply too soon to make that call. He's been in office five months. I honestly believe it is too soon to even figure out what he is or isn't going to do as President much less to judge what history will think of him longterm.
"He brought down the Berlin wall." In fact his "Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall" speech was not directed at the Kremlin, but at his right wing attackers (particularly Newt Gingrich) at home.
Okay, this is just silly.
First of all, you are presuming to know what his motive is and asserting your presumption as a fact.
Second, he was in Berlin when he made the speech. The people gathered in East Berlin could hear him. But you don't think it was directed toward them?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
