reagan: he still sux

My friend jorit tells it like it is about Dead Reagan, and I highly recommend you read it.

I understand the high road taken by many liberal and leftist bloggers since Ronnie's demise, who think it's best to just stay quiet for the moment ... no need to give ammunition to those who would claim people like me are desecrating the dead, after all. I understand, but I'm way too childish and spiteful ... hence my own brief blogspurt on hearing of the Great Communicator's death. What I like about jorit is that the spitefulness is there, but it's encompassed by actual commentary of an adult nature. Much appreciated.

Here's what I said to Robin yesterday. Nixon, who in the pre-Bush II days was my shining example of the worst America has to offer, gave us corruption unencumbered by any sense of decency. Reagan, who was likely a worse president than Nixon but I already had my #1 Hated Guy slot filled, covered up his ugly combination of ineptitude and god-inspired craziness with an amiable persona. The current President Bush combines the worst qualities of Nixon and Reagan: he's at least as corrupt as Nixon, and if possible even less concerned about the implications of that corruption than was Dick, but he's also as cluelessly inept as Reagan, and if anything even more tied to a destructive reduction of xtianity. Nixon was evil in his corruptness, but his politics weren't as far from Kennedy's or Humphrey's as you might think; Reagan at least had something of a positive hand in the fall of the Wall. Bush has nothing. He is the worst of the worst.

Comments

[Bob]

I pretty much agree with your view on Reagan. However, there is one thing that I don’t understand and I think it would be great if you would address this in a future Posting.

I can understand how the general public, during Reagan’s presidency, can be manipulated into believing he was doing a great job. But what I can’t understand is why, 15 years after he left office, they look back and still think he was a great president. Don’t they remember ANYTHING about his presidency? Hell, currently all the taxes collected West of the Mississippi goes to paying the interest on the federal debt he created. Why do people not recall this? To this day many people I know think he did a fantastic job. When I confront them with the facts, they act as if I have my facts wrong. How in the world were they able to create an illusion that is still working on people 15 years later? Will someone PLEASE explain it to me !!!

[Steven Rubio]

Well, to the extent that the manipulations worked when Ronnie was president, there's no reason they wouldn't still work now. My sense is that ever since Reagan admitted to being sick, which was a long time ago now, revisionists have worked on rescuing his reputation. So the manipulating has never stopped.

Besides, this stuff always happens when a president dies. Even Nixon got treated relatively kindly when he croaked. History, I suspect, will judge Reagan less kindly than it appears now, during our moments of national mourning.

[the future]

Sorry for the anonymous comment; my blog is apolitical. But as a voter, I have a comment!

It's my modest opinion that Reagan-bashing is fighting the last war, so to speak, although I respect the energy spent in the past grappling with Reagan and what he stood for. My Reagan battles being trival in comparison, nonetheless, I'll mention my first participation in a presidential primary and election was 1980 ("Hi, John Anderson") in Indiana. It was a pivotal experience, to say the least, coming from a very Republican family and state, to know that one's vote had zero impact on the national outcome i.e. Reagan's first term. Ironically, I somehow surmised that California was progressive, despite the results of that election.

Ok, so my hypothesis is thus: Ronald Reagan's funeral is the *apex* of the conservative movement. Just as Bush's Mission Accomplished speech on the aircraft carrier was the beginning of the end for the Bush presidency, this moment in time is the beginning of the end for conservatives (due to demographics, the trend towards government as a *good* thing, penalties for past sins etc.). So, unless payback is the ultimate goal, hanging back and letting the Republican party gets its last moment in the sun might lead us toward a better, successful, united future. That other party of course doesn't yet realize this, which makes it even more entertaining.

As long as we are being creative, we should also look forward to the "Nancys"...

-Nancy Reagan fighting for stem cell and Alzheimer's research. Independent of the Reagan political legacy, Nancy has spent the last 10 years dealing first hand with the consequences of this public policy. She has political capital and has the temperament to use it for the better good.

-Nancy Pelosi as the first female majority leader of the House of Representatives. This will be stunning when it happens, in a good way.

One could imagine the distress all this will cause fundamental Republicans. And as Bob has pointed out, the ultimate legacy of Reagan (and the Republicans) may not be as kind. So, I suggest patience (as well as registration and voting). I wish I could share the anger but at this point, I am optimistic as long as we all vote.

[Don neal]

Nancy is not Mrs. science. She only supported stem cell research because they can cure oldtimers.

[Cyn]

Thanks for the plug!