I'm sure I'm going to get flammed for the title, but there are plenty of facts to back up my claim. I really started this thread to maybe hear from Regan worshipers and realist what happened exactly happened in 1962 that caused him to leave the democratic party? I remember reading something about him saying "I'm not liking where the direction the party is going in." But since I started I guess I will go in. Also, The way that his administration was secretly magicaly able to win the release those hostages minutes or so after his inauguration seems kinda peculiar as well. Please explain Why do we Americans give him credit for winning the cold war when in reality the soviets would have ran out of money reguardless of who was the sitting United States President. Reganomics was a joke, but you have people who over look the damage that it did to this country. The poverty he helped to further create in the Urban community is another thing conservaties ignore. I could go on and on, but I'm mobile so I won't. What is so special about this guy as a president besides being the so call " great communicator and telling a bunch of racist jokes?
It's more or image thing. Americas have seen Reagan just in the same looks of John Wayne and Clint Easwood with the tough talk and flexing muscle ideas basically punking the oppositions into doing what you want. Reagan followers felt he was one of that role. I always felt that he was actually an example of good marking skills by corporate entities that prospered during this time.
Explain what? Why were the hostages released when they were? I'll admit that I don't know, but I don't understand how this is a knock on the guy. Reagan, I would argue, was a factor in the collapse of the Soviet Union, though not necessarily THE factor. The increased expenditure and his discussion of Star Wars forced the Soviet Union to come to grips with reality, that they were a Second-World nation with a ton of nukes and thus was an sign for the attempted reforms that utterly destroyed them. Secondly, the fact that the United States under Reagan forced the Soviet Union to realize that they could not win any arms race forced them to sit down and discuss various missile-limiting treaties with the United States on an unprecedented scale. Did Reagan single-handedly cause the collapse of the USSR? No, but I would argue that he sped it up by forcing them into bankruptcy and into implementing their half-assed reforms which only exarcebated the nationalist tensions within that country. .....Let's just say that I massively disagree, but what specific part of Reaganomics utterly damaged this country and is as bad as you claim it is?
I agree with your general premise: Reagan was VERY overrated. Unless you were a rich businessman or military industrialist in the 1980s, in which case Reagan was a God among men. Truth is, he wasn't that good. Yes, the cold war was going to end no matter what, but I have little doubt that Reagan's actions hurried the end and insured American "victory". However, at the same time, he did little to stem the tide of an increasing lower-class and the spread of a insidious disease (AIDS). His repeated capitulation to the Moral Majority was sickening. Add to that the shady dealings that came to light later (Iran-Contra) and the many other causes that his administration had no trouble marginalizing for politcal gain, and I think you have a President who was mediocre at best.
you could change the title of the thread to .... Bill "the over rated president" Clinton and have nearly the same discussion.
Loved his foreign policy and support for great leaders like roberto d'aubuisson. Why do poor children and priests deserve to live? Kill them all!! ronald reagan threads get me in trouble. They say a pic is a worth a 1000 words so In my eyes, he is just as bad as hitler, stalin, and castro. BJ> Iran/contra ...only in the U.S
Are you reading history or have you experienced history because seriously even I can nitpick the character/attributes of anybody and anything.
Not really, it didn't compare apples to apples, it compared a president who has been in office for less than a year with a former president with an eight year legacy. If you want to give a "nice answer," maybe you should address the point and not try to distract with a tangent.
Tax cuts for the Ultra rich? I don"t believe trickle down economics work, and I think it's a bad way to run a country.
I don't believe Clinton is lionized to the same degree. Nobody is renaming airports after him or trying to get him on coins.
Agreed. Reagan is definitely revered by his supported in a way that no president since Vietnam has been. Obama could be the next one.
In 20 years we can add Barack "the over rated president" Obama to the list as well... People dont see him as John Wayne or Clint Eastwood though, they see him as Ghandi or Jesus Christ.
I was alive in the 80s dude and we don't discriminate when it comes to nitpicking in here. I'm sure I can go more in depth about how Regan was overrated, but since you disagree how about you tell me why he is not?
