Letters to the Editor
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Who among us does not love Ronald Reagan?
Me.
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Who Amongst Us Does Not Love Ronald Reagan
I for one was never a fan of the GOP-canonized Saint Ronald Reagan. Sure he was handsome, witty, oratorically-gifted and even at times a shrewd politician. But above all, Reagan was an actor and not a very good one at that. He decided when he jumped the Democrat ship to join the GOP that gaining money for himself and his GOP-like-minded buddies was more important than politics or ideology. He spied on his fellow actors during the Mc Carthy era. He publicly lied about his role in the Contra arms scandal and inspired the likes of Ollie North to rouse the "patriotic Right" in the USA. Tip O'Neil, former speaker of the House, once said that "Ronnie sleeps eighteen hours a day." Which meant that others like Jim Baker and Ed Meese were the ones running the show. Sounds like Dubya's stagecraft, doesn't it? He let the rich get richer and the less favored get poorer. He was credited with the fall of Communism when it was Pope John Paul II and the failed Russian economy that did in the Soviet Union. This emperor had no clothes but the current GOP presidential candidates seem not to notice.
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I don't like Bill Clinton anymore.
I see truth in Obama's tone and statements. Unfortunately I see lies, deceit and pettiness in those of the Clintons. (It's Clinton(S) because any pretext of him being on the sidelines is over at this point) Barack Obama is not perfect, but he's far more truthful than the Clinton machine. I've lost respect for Bill Clinton. I'm having a hard time remembering how I ever regained it.
Senator Obama seems to be trying to move past these petty differences, but unable to resist the Clinton machine's attacks. Anyone who thinks the Clintons would be different, or the next agents of change, does not have a full grasp on reality. It's sad that they have chosen to continue down the same dirty road that Karl Rove has traveled so well. I'm sure he and the other republicans who elected the shrub are gleefully enjoying the Clinton's latest antics.
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brightstar65
Ah yes, I'm obviously a left-wing boogeyman who's just jealous of the greatest President...evar!
Except that I'm not. I'm a fiscal conservative that isn't blinded by my man-crush on a Hollywood actor, whose main ability was telling some people what they wanted to hear.
His economic policies were a disaster. He committed treason and broke the law in the Iran-Contra affair. He listened to his wife's ASTROLOGY advisor.
Reagan was a joke and so are you. Go back to whining about leftists and women.
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Isn't there a third Democratic candidate?
Something about a great health plan, and fighting for all Americans...hasn't exhibited a single bit of childishness towards other candidates...does great in every single debate, and matches up very well towards all GOP candidates in the polls...
What's his name again? Oh well, doesn't matter. Back to ClintonObamarama!
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Reagan
Reagan left us saddled with debt and deficits as far as the eye could see due to his irrational economic policies (which had the basic form of: Step 1 cut taxes, Step 2 vastly increase spending on the military, Step 3 ?, Step 4 massive budget surpluses and vibrant economy). We do have to admit that he was man enough to raise taxes a bit to cover at least some of the shortfall, and that is something the current crop of "conservatives" will never be honest or honorable enough to do. He undermined American confidence in its ability to do things as a whole, through concerted action organized by the government - this notion is not that of socialism, but of democratic civilization. He undermined American education, putting in power luddites who did not accept evolution or other basic tenants of modern science. He engaged in unconstitutional and illegal activities in the Contra scandals, directly contravening Congressional legislation. He ran a corrupt administration, with many of his underlings being convicted of crimes and serving prison time. He funded and provoked wars in Central and South America that killed hundreds of thousands in order to fight a Soviet threat that was wildly overestimated (The Soviet Union would have fallen in the 1970's had the price of oil not spiked high enough to keep their economy going). He killed investment into alternative energy technology, leaving us more beholden to foreign oil, and in the predicament we find ourselves now in. He eliminated many regulations that kept greed in check in corporate America, opening the public up once again to their rapaciousness, and leading to such debacles as the S&L bailout by public funds (ever notice that when "conservative" ideology does not survive contact with reality, it is the public that must pay the price?). He declared ketchup to be a vegetable. He contributed to the partisan divide in this country that has so harmed us today. The thing about Reagan is that he was not a great president, nor even a good one. The truth is that his ultimate influence, though transformative, has been largely corrosive to the country. He appears great because he looked the part, was a good actor, and had minions who have spent the last twenty years acting as boosters for him, turning a man into a tin god to whom "conservatives" must bow down - a myth that defies the reality of what was (and has been used to motivate the incredible mess that Bush is going to leave us). The boosters have been so successful that mention of Reagan seems to rob his worshipers of all faculty of reason - if Reagan is mentioned as the originator of an idea, it must be good, they think. The interesting thing is that he left office tainted by Iran-Contra, and with an approval rating far lower than Clinton's - a man who, though far from perfect, did a lot to clean up Reagan's mess.
No, Reagan was not a good president. Many have merely been made believe he was. It is perhaps the Right's greatest propaganda victory - he is their Lenin.
And Brightstar, are you capable of anything other than trollish, histrionic nonsense? Don't you have a Ron Paul worship service you could go to? You lower the value of any board you post to. Even when you have something to say, you couch it in such inflammatory, over-the-top language that no one listens to you. And where do you get off attacking Democrats for being corporate lackeys while praising Reagan, a man who believed all corporations knew best, and were to be deferred to in all ways on all things? Things like that make me think you really cannot be serious about what you say, but are merely parodying a typical "conservative" rightist.