Happy 100th Birthday Ronald Reagan and thank you.

[Lowell]

The point of this thread is not about Reagan, Obama or whoever. It is about those who grovel over him, make him their white knight in shining armor, like our tea party friends, but who would absolutely tear him to shreds if he were a candidate today with his record.

Selective forgetfulness is the theme.

I do not hear any explanations from his defenders on this thread for his wasteful borrow and spend policies that doubled the debt, grew government and raised taxes. Isn't that what the tea party against?

I dare anyone to explain that contradiction.

[Original63]

His policies have now made America what it is which is broke...

What states or cities or counties are in better shape after this pioneer of the Conservative agenda?? here is space to write...

Reagan and the conservatives said they hated this government and the did what anyone who wants to destroy i
an Institution does.. he defunded it thru tax cuts and tax breaks and a belief that the unions that created the middleclass were the bad guys.......

Thanks Ronnie the American Manufacturing base thanks you, our better schools and roads thank you. our National infrastructure thanks you.....

don't you her the applause you so called greatest President....

all I here is We're broke. THAT IS THE REAGAN LEGACY.

[oldredfordette]

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/05/reagan-centennial/

[oldredfordette]

Such a sweet old man.

http://readersupportednews.org/off-s...-of-atrocities

[Whitehouse]

For doubling the Federal debt and never submitting a balanced budget.

For growing government during your administration.

For raising taxes several times.

For negotiating with terrorists by sending 1200 stinger missiles to Iran for release of hostages in Lebanon.

For standing strong against terrorists then fleeing from Lebanon with tail between legs after the Marine barracks bombing.

Would our friends on the right nominate someone else with the same record today?

I will give him one credit. He was a much better actor that I thought he was.

So happy birthday Ronald Reagan.

Were you that mistery caller that [[almost) silenced Rush Limbaugh?

[Vic_doucette]

http://www.dailytribune.com/articles...ewmode=default

[mjs]

1) 3) the Soviet empire fell because of Afghanistan. Something the current administration would be advised to learn.

It fell because the weaker communist military-industrial complex had to keep up with the stronger democratic military-industrial complex. And yes, the American backed Afghan rebels beat the Russians just as the Russian backed Vietnamese rebels beat the Americans just as the French backed American rebels beat the British. The Afghans rebels have no significant backing now, but I still agree, lets get out of there. The objective was to take out Obama's support and that is done. The other objective was to take out Obama, and if he isn't dead already, staying there isn't helping our odds much.

Back to the first point, the military deficit spending was necessary to bring down the pinkos which ultimately made balancing the budget possible. So, at least there was a long term plan. The other part of it was trickle down economics which doesn't fit my understanding of how humans spend their money so I can't explain it. I'd have less of a problem with our current deficit spending if there was a bill out there saying what taxes were going to go up in 2012, 2013, and 2014 or what specific spending was going to go down in those years to bring us back closer to balanced.

[firstandten]

This is really enlightening. This shows that perception is reality especially if the spin-masters can tell the story in a sound-byte way that appeals to the low information citizen. It is available thru numerous articles about all the havoc that Reagans policies created. However there are people on here who feel that facts=left wing dogma

How do you square the fact that Reagan did a 180 politically. Reagan started out as a liberal new deal FDR style democrat. Well some of you will say that Reagan found jesus and thats why he changed. The cynic in me says he changed because the folks at GE and other corporations got to him and told him he had a better political future as a convervative Repub . An opportunist... Naw only Obama could be that. At least Obama never did a 180 on his politics.

As part of making Reagan be the deity that he is the spin-masters needed to make Carter look bad. One way to do that was to refer to the hostage release after Reagan was elected. Not to get into that in any detail. there was some back door deals made and Reagans people basically stabbed Carter in the back concerning that hostage situation.

Reagan while he was gov did Engler 10x better concerning closing mental health facilities.

I know we all are just pleased now that we see the folly of Reaganomics. It really worked well for us didn't it ?

Reagan reminds me of a Joe Paterno standing on the side line with no headset, no cheat sheets, coaching [[looking at) his Penn State team. He is a figurehead, managed by the right wing spinmasters who have a vested interest in maintaining his legacy. Why do you think they are jumping up and down with Ron Jr. putting it out there that Dad may have started losing his mind during his second term. Really it doesn't matter because I never believe he was calling the shots anyway.

Reagan,was a creation of the right wing spin machine and they did a damn good job.

[ja!mz]

[Jimaz]

... As part of making Reagan be the deity that he is the spin-masters needed to make Carter look bad. One way to do that was to refer to the hostage release after Reagan was elected.

They were released within minutes of his inauguration. Nothing suspicious at all about that.

[maxx]

..uh... everything you said can be said for Obama as well.....be sure to wipe up the cool aid..

Obama threw this country into this recession? You live in a different reality.

[ja!mz]

Obama threw this country into this recession? You live in a different reality.

he threw the country into a depression..do you actually believe numbers the adminisration spins out? There will be a women prez before there is anoyher if any black prez again, hes gone in '12

[firstandten]

he threw the country into a depression..do you actually believe numbers the adminisration spins out? There will be a women prez before there is anoyher if any black prez again, hes gone in '12

He threw the country into a depression.... well I must have missed your analysis when I read all the other economist left, right and center who would dispute that. There will be a woman prez, its coming very soon, but 2012 I'm still waiting for a credible Repub to stick their neck out and try and beat Obama, all of your hero's are too far to the right to put a beatdown on Obama in 12

[barnesfoto]

Free Ronald Ray-Gun pro-smoking ads here! A great gift to help republican friends forget about all the contradictions regarding their hero-dunce:


http://whitehouse.georgewbush.org/ki...esterfield.asp

[Lowell]

I sure hear a lot of crickets on this thread. Let me try again. I asked tea partiers on this thread...

I do not hear any explanations from his defenders on this thread for his wasteful borrow and spend policies that doubled the debt, grew government and raised taxes. Isn't that what the tea party against?

I dare anyone to explain that contradiction.

[Meddle]

If anyone thinks Ronnie had anything to do with the fall of the Iron Curtain, I feel sorry for you.

And yes, the American backed Afghan rebels beat the Russians

Those 'rebels' are now the Taliban we are currently fighting. If we had stayed out of it then, we wouldn't be in it now.

he threw the country into a depression..

Bush did that with 8 years of complete irresponsibility. It will take us many, many years to correct Bush's mistakes.

And No, I don't get the idolization of RayGun or why anyone is even taking note of his buffoonery now.

[Big Dog]

Good link redfordette. It enlightened me about the true reagan presidency.

[oladub]

I lived in California after Reagan was Governor. That experience provided me with reasons not to vote for him as President. For all his rhetoric about small government, he vastly expanded the size of government in California. He had a Democratic legislature in California. Reagan would typically decry Democratic spending and then set up a new bureaucracy with reams of regulations. Everything seemed to require a license and the licenses were made expensive so only the rich could do business. Rich Republicans got to squeeze their competition off the playing field while Democrats got their new bureaucratic fiefdoms with their accompanying revenue. The leaders of both parties were happy.

My experiences included having to do engine modifications like adding a 'smog pump' when importing autos from Michigan, long lines and rude service at the DMV, being threatened by someone from some bureaucracy three days after running a moving/hauling ad; I was supposed to be licensed and have a warehouse to move or haul anything, and operating a carpentry business without being properly licensed. In the end, I decided to get out and move back to Michigan.

The art of licensing everything that moved was developed to such a point that in Santa Cruz, where I lived, auto repair shops had to buy licenses to do smog control work, align wheels, align headlights, etc. and each was a separate license. The licenses were in short supply and sold to the highest bidders which pretty much guaranteed that they were controlled by the dealers and a few of the largest gas stations in town. No matter how good of a mechanic you might be, you could not provide that service for customers unless you worked for someone rich enough to buy that license at whatever wages he chose to pay. it was a horrible situation for working people.

I had a buddy that was a licensed home builder who worked in partnership with his father. About 10 years ago, he got squeezed out and into bankruptcy because the business climate is so adverse in CA. That, I suppose, could have been my fate there had I chosen to stay. Litigation in California is another topic.

I realize that much of this had to do with a Democratic legislature but Reagan was a big part of it. It was no surprise when the air traffic controllers were squeezed out and businesses were encouraged to move their jobs overseas. That was Reagan although we have yet to replace Reagan with a President who would reverse NAFTA and similar programs licensing the elites to profit at US workers' expense. Reagan even granted to amnesty to illegal workers allowing them to compete for jobs in this country. No surprise. Reagan's career was about transferring money from US workers and the lower middle class to the rich but making them think he was on their side.

[Big Dog]

Good post dub. It is correct.

[ghettopalmetto]

Thank you President Reagan for the fall of communism and bringing an end to the Cold War and thank you for bringing home the Americans that were kidnapped under Carter's watch. I suppose acting as peace broker to the Middle East rather than bombing jackoffs like Qadafi isn't as helpful in appeasing terrorists as some think. Your death blows to communism allowed us to cut the percent of our total budget going to Defense from 27% down to 16%. All the free people of Eastern Europe thank you for your administration's hard work. This was by far the largest reason we were able to balance the overall budget.

This post is either intentionally ironic, or you're a piss-poor student of history.

The downfall of communism in Eastern Europe had nothing to do with Ronald Reagan. In the 1970s, there were several enormous and sudden increases in the price of food. There was unrest among the laboring classes, manifesting in strikes.

This all came to a head when Pope John Paul II visited his native Poland in 1979, and urged his countrymen to be strong in the face of communist oppression. This sparked the strikes at the "Lenin" shipyard in Gdansk the following year. The strikes, led by Lech Walesa, became the labor movement Solidarnosc in September 1980. This all happened well before Reagan was elected in November 1980, and long before his summits with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. Once communism fell in Poland in 1989, the rest of the Eastern Bloc fell like dominoes.

There are statues, and roads, and parks all over Poland named for Jan Pawel II. Not a single fucking tribute to St. Ronnie, though.

And Reagan tripled the national debt during his two terms--he never came close to balancing the budget.

[maxx]

Oh man, that link is hilarious. No, I'm not surprised that RayGuns was Fred Thompson's personal hero. Not a bit surprised.

Like Ronnie, Fred was just another pretty face. lol

ghettoP: And Reagan tripled the national debt during his two terms--he never came close to balancing the budget.

It don't matter; thar's a airport named after him.

[gdogslim]

Democrats controlled the House during Reagan. The house has control over the budget Prez can veto it.
He also increased the military budget massively, after Carter cut it massively, to show the Ruskies they can't beat the U.S. and wanted to have the u.s.s.r. spend itself into oblivion.
Clinton had a Republican House, mostly, and they cut spending big time.
Reagan's tax cuts increased investment by businesses and spending by consumers who had more money in their pockets and lowered inflation, employment increased as a result for years.
Debt was under 500 billion in the 80's,
Obama over doubled it in two years, and now the Debt is what, 14 trillion? I think Pelosi will go down as the country's worst House speaker ever.

Republican David Stockman, director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan, as op-ed contributor to the New York Times blamed the "ideological tax-cutters" of theReagan administration for the increase of national debt during the 1980s.

[ghettopalmetto]

Democrats controlled the House during Reagan. The house has control over the budget Prez can veto it.
He also increased the military budget massively, after Carter cut it massively, to show the Ruskies they can't beat the U.S. and wanted to have the u.s.s.r. spend itself into oblivion.
Clinton had a Republican House, mostly, and they cut spending big time.
Reagan's tax cuts increased investment by businesses and spending by consumers who had more money in their pockets and lowered inflation, employment increased as a result for years.
Debt was under 500 billion in the 80's,
Obama over doubled it in two years, and now the Debt is what, 14 trillion? I think Pelosi will go down as the country's worst House speaker ever.

And, as always, I'm sure you have plenty of sources for this data. Please cite.

Reagan also oversaw the largest tax increase in history, in 1982, after his cutting of the top marginal rate from 70% to 50% in 1981 led to a massive recession. But don't let history get in the way of a good story.

[gibran]

yes trading hostages for an election was really advantagous for our country...

[gibran]

here is the darling of the neocons and chenettes...his policies hurt the poor and advanced a culture of I have mine you get yours; not saying he didn't have his qualities...but to canonize him is ridiculous.