Remembering Reagan

[edhopper]

[Skittles]

1. ugh

I saw him just a while ago, in a movie on Antenna TV (Dark Victory) - the sight of him still makes me sick. Fucking disgusting how many people voted for that piece of garbage.

[AZ8theist]

14. True, but...

Not nearly as vile as the number of assholes who voted for a TREASONOUS, IMBECILIC PIG.
aka: Doturd.

[Skittles]

59. Reagan led the way

he made greed and ignorance fashionable, and make no mistake, he was a racist POS too

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

56. In my defence, it was ignorance...

..hubby and I graduated in '81, meeting in the Air Force, so we didn't vote for his first term. Just out of school, making more money then we really knew what to do with, we bought the hype when he campaigned on the idea that if you were doing better than under Carter, we should re-elect him. The last election we were poor dumb high school students, so we did.

I was even raised a Democrat, child of a Vietnam vet and union member. Still regret that vote. I also made an unfortunate cartoon making fun of how badly Mondale and Ferraro did in the election.

By the time Poppy Bush was running we realized our mistake, and have voted blue ever since.

[Skittles]

58. ...

I was very young but I could see he was appealing to greed and racism....it was sickening.

[mdbl]

74. Same here

I could also tell there was no substance behind his rhetoric. i was around 21 and still couldn't believe the country was falling for it.

[JudyM]

80. Same here. Reagan was the cause of my political awakening.

His appalling position on AIDS, defunding NIMH escalating homelessness, etc. I had been disinterested in politics before I saw its clear impact under him.

[JudyM]

82. Same here. Reagan was the cause of my political awakening.

His appalling position on AIDS, defunding NIMH escalating homelessness, etc. I had been disinterested in politics before I saw its clear impact under him.

[jimfields33]

2. Still his rank as president isn't that great.

Eight are better and President Obama will most likely pass him next historical rankings. He keeps falling every ranking.

[edhopper]

5. The damage he did to this country

He should be ranked in the bottom half.

[H2O Man]

27. He was a terrible human being.

A bitter, vruel politician.

[Wuddles440]

49. He laid the foundation...

for the nightmare we're now experiencing. He and his loyal minions are the reason that we got Traitor Don and his merry band of seditionist. One of the worst ever!

[burrowowl]

52. He and BushI

both slime bags!

[Upthevibe]

67. edhopper....

The damage he did can NEVER be overstated. And to the right he's still an effing hero...

[wryter2000]

88. Not just to the right

"Mainstream" media still say his name as if he was a God. Racist appeals weren't new with him, but the lying and promotion of ignorance were.

When I first met my longtime coworker, she assumed I was a fan of Reagan because she thought all white people liked him. She had no reason to think otherwise.

[ShazzieB]

16. I predict Biden will pass him up, too.

[localroger]

25. That's because his positives are matters of fading subjective opinion

...while his vast negatives are recorded in solid numbers in the historical record. I think one of the reasons the mainstream / business interest Republicans are so reluctant to try and boot Trump is that they have been trying to re-create the Reagan cult of personality since 1988, and Dotard is the closest they've managed to come.

[Dustlawyer]

43. History will mark his administration as the time America started a long downward slide.

Our politics became polarized under Ronnie Ray Gun and the Republicans started all out attacks on subsequent democratic presidents. He was the oligarch president!

[malaise]

3. he also destroyed small farmers

in the USA and across the globe with his trickle down piss policies

[FSogol]

7. You know he was a piece of crap if they don't even mention, he

Ignored a health crisis that killed 700,000.

[malaise]

24. Indeed they ignore that horrific slaughter of innocents

So true - he must never be forgiven

[Tommymac]

35. Didn't he also end free college education in California when he was governor?

He was a vile person. As bad as TFG but he did have better people skills and a good PR flack.

[Scottie Mom]

38. The first time in the history of the University of California that tuition was charged.

I hated Ronnie Raygun more than any Prez EVER...until Dotard.

[malaise]

39. Yep mostly the PR

[leftieNanner]

4. And as the Governor of California

He completely dismantled the State Mental Health System.

Leaving so many ill people with nowhere to go.

This is one of the reasons the homeless problem is so wide and deep.

[StarryNite]

10. Yup

And far too many people are unaware of what he did.

[EX500rider]

11. "This is one of the reasons the homeless problem is so wide and deep."

I hear him get blamed for that a lot here but he left office in Calif 46 years ago...couldn't successive administrations reversed what he did if they wanted to?

[leftieNanner]

15. I suppose they could

But once you dismantle something completely, I would guess that it's not easy to resurrect.

Homelessness is such a complex problem. There are no easy solutions.

[edhopper]

17. He dismantled the mental health system

Yes they could have, but it would mean rebuilding from scratch, a costly thing and hard to convince voters. Especially after Reagans war on the safety net.

[KPN]

22. Hear, hear!

Well said, well put, well done.

[Historic NY]

46. Including coverages, and housing in all the other states too

Before Reagan, there were many facilities where people could go for long term or short term treatment. I'm not saying all were good, but NY has replaced that form with group homes. Patients in crisis get or got dumped at hospitals, not adept to handling them. They were then medicated. It became increasingly more the police responsibility to deal with these patients...that is the big answer to what we are seeing now. Back in the day they would have been taken direct to a facility that dealt with mental heath, not the lockup or the jail. They would be evaluated by MH professionals. The local hospital would have 2 Dr's sign off. Somehow this all went away and it was dumped on police depts.

[Mr.Bill]

50. I guess they figured correctional officers

were cheaper than Mental Health professionals. Turned out not to be so true in the long run.

[soldierant]

36. I certainly never voted for himanywhere . and

(only because I never lived in her district) I also never voted for Congresswoman Pat Schroeder either - but she certainly had his numbe. The "Teflon President." And this cartoon perfectly expresses that.

[rickyhall]

6. He was Trump 1.0.

[ShazzieB]

19. Trump 1.0 with a few adjustments.

Reagan was

- less downright ugly
- smarmier, with more fake charm
- not as stupid

But just as thoroughly evil as the 2.0 version!

[Glorfindel]

8. "Of the dead, speak nothing but good."

Reagan is dead. Good.

[Notek]

53. Haha!

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I remember a cartoon I saw during the Reagan era. It showed two older women

sitting on the porch. One says to the other "I know I voted for him, but now I wish he had retired at sixty-five".

[Casady1]

12. He started our path to white supremacy

Philadelphia, MS and welfare queens.

[erpowers]

76. Did Not Start, But Encouraged that Path

I understand what you are saying, but I do not agree. America was already on the path of white supremacy before Ronald Reagan. However, Reagan did encourage, embrace, promote, and support white supremacy.

[andym]

13. Trump is far worse-- because Trumpism is neo-fascist

Last edited Sun Jul 11, 2021, 05:52 PM - Edit history (1)

The problem is that the prosperity under Reagan, the end of the Cold War, and his support for evangelicals made his economic and social policies very popular and gave the GOP too much subsequent sway over American politics, which they retain to this day-- their policies can be reduced to tax cuts, no regulations and regressive social policies.

Trump has added the seeds for a dictatorship in this country: a personal cult, anti-democracy, and flat out lies and propaganda.

[wryter2000]

89. Yes, Trump is far worse

But Reagan made Trump possible.

[andym]

91. Going further: Nixon made Reagan and Trump possible

with his Southern strategy, and his media consultant Ailes is at least as responsible for creating Fox News to ensure future Nixons would never be forced to resign. It's no accident that Fox News strives to metamorphose viewers into Archie Bunkers, the fictional, but very influential Nixon-loving bigot. Credit to Lee Atwater as well, who was one of their most effective propagandists.

Their power lies in focusing on social issues to evoke anger and resentment: Nixon's campus radicals vs the "silent majority," Reagan's "welfare queens", and Trump's "illegals" and caravans.

[wryter2000]

92. Yes, but

Go back a bit farther. George Wallace showed racism could be a useful tool.

[andym]

94. Good point: Wallace was one of many pre-Civil Rights era Southern Democrats who exploited racism

Pointing out the road for the GOP to travel. OTOH, Wallace was but a transitional figure, clearly not as influential as Nixon or Reagan, since Wallace was never elected President. Wallace arose in an era when African Americans were mostly Republicans before the Civil Rights era. LBJ opened the door for Republicans to enroll racists and Nixon and his successors marched in.

In terms of being setting the stage for Trump, I would rank Nixon at least as high if not higher than Reagan, because Nixon also foreshadowed Trump's overreaching for power with his enemies list: attempting to abuse his power to use the government against opponents. I have few doubts that Trump himself used Nixon as a model.

[wryter2000]

96. All true

Wallace didn't last long, but his run for President did get some support.

I was a freshman in college in 1966. George Wallace became the darling of the college lecture circuit for a while. His thinking was considered refreshing and new. He had given up on obvious racism but was putting forth what would later be thought of as "conservative." I'm pretty sure Nixon et. al were watching carefully and realizing there was a whole voting bloc they could get with a "southern strategy."

Interesting conversation. Thanks.

[Cyrano]

18. Been trying to forget him. It's like trying to forget cancer.

[peppertree]

20. Made the S&L and Junk Bond crises possible - but knew the value of a penny!

[Mr.Bill]

21. Decades from now,

history will show him as the president that brought us the prosperity of borrowed money, which may eventually be our demise.

[erpowers]

75. Joy-Ann Reid

Well, if you believe Joy-Ann Reid, and I am not saying she is wrong, if Republicans get their way history will not say that about Ronald Reagan. Reid's twitter feed has recently been filled with news articles along with her saying "read it while you can". So, I assume Reid would argue that Republicans will attempt to prevent any negative facts from being stated about Ronald Reagan.

[SergeStorms]

23. Yeah, that's exactly how I remember him.....

when I think of him at all. I usually keep those memories buried deeply, somewhere below the sinking of the Lusitania and the Black Plague.

[oldsoftie]

26. But Reagan would've gotten the vaccine on TV.

And told everyone else to get it
I firmly believe THAT.
So would HW & W. Romney, McCain etc.
Trump is a misfit toy

[Arkansas Granny]

28. I believe you are right about Reagan and others. If tfg had been vaccinated

in public or had encouraged his cult to get vaccinated, we would be in a much better position right now in regards to Covid.

[oldsoftie]

37. And NONE of them would've questioned him!!

They would've ALL fallen in line & anyone suggesting the shit they do NOW would be called a traitor to trump. And they'd all rush out to get the shot. And accuse Democrats of trying to STOP or delay them from getting it!!

[snowybirdie]

29. One more

The year I received my Masters in Sociology, he slashed social services and defunded mental health facilities. . No jobs anywhere!

[edhopper]

31. And the mentally ill

Left to roam the streets.

[CTyankee]

93. My husband who is 80 always says he was "reaganized" out of his job. Like you, he was in social

services through a long career at the state and city level. Republicans would call such dedicated people "losers," because they weren't getting rich. My mother loved Ronnie because he had been one of her favorite actors, sigh...

[NullTuples]

30. We're still living with "trickle down" economics

in various forms & guises, all these years later.

[lastlib]

45. Also killed the Supercollider program.

Two of the 5000 reason I hate his ass with a fire.

Not to mention that he killed my financial aid, thus preventing me from going to law school.

[Blue Owl]

33. That Gipper sure was chipper...

Seems to be all that mattered...

[Faux pas]

34. Kickin'

[MsLeopard]

40. He was such a disgust POS

The damage he did to our nation by committing treason by bargaining with Iran to eff Jimmy Carter’s peace process, will go down in history as one of the most treasonous acts our nation has ever endured. I hope he and all his cronies are burning in hell.

[jalan48]

41. He was an actor that was good at delivering his lines.

[MarcA]

61. A useful tool for his Oligarchic owners

to whom he sold out, with much assistance from Nancy, for fame and fortune.

[jalan48]

66. He was the spokesman for General Electric before he got into politics. He did indeed represent

Oligarchs and the corporate state. That’s why he was chosen to be President.

[mountain grammy]

42. When he was shot I felt bad..

I really didn't want him to die. In retrospect, he should have. Maybe we wouldn't have lost so many to AIDS.

[Nululu]

44. Reagan paved the way for Trump w/ the neocon movement

Few comics spoke out against Reagan. Only Whoopi, Williams, and a few others did.

[Historic NY]

47. I remember he was flying bombing missions over Germany.......

wait.....he never left home.

[AllaN01Bear]

48. he ruined screen actors guild trying to make it into a elitest group

rather than representative for all. ( according to a sis who was in the biz) also ruined california and took us 30 years to recover .

[eppur_se_muova]

64. He violated SAG rules by being a producer (i.e. Management) while SAG President ...

... and used his position to sell out all the older movie actors when SAG negotiated with the TV networks to collect larger royalties when their movies were run on TV. That's why local TV used to show old Bob Hope and Marx Bros. movies almost every night -- they cost almost nothing to run, since the actors in them made almost nothing in royalties. Without Reagan, they would have lived their declining years reasonably well-off. Groucho died rich because he had a live TV show, and Bob Hope got rich off of CA real estate investments going back decades. But none of them made much at all off of old films running on TV.

[Raine]

51. There is absolutely no President I dispise more

then Raygun, we're still dealing with the damage he did to this country. I truly believe if there'd been no Raygun there would have been no Trump.

[KentuckyWoman]

54. Reagan was a fucking dumbass who played the role.

The decisions weren't his. He wasn't smart enough for any of that. The Republican Machine brought us the pile of mess that is just continuing to putrify.

If there is any justice in eternity, some horrifying fate is now being bestowed upon Rummy ...

[dsc]

55. Wow no mention of AIDS

just like Reagan.

[Skittles]

60. excellent observation

you know it

[FakeNoose]

57. It's obvious to me that Reagan was the beginning of the end

We might have survived Nixon, but Reagan came in just in time to twist the knife in our gut.

Baby Boomer here, so allow me a little leeway. I was born in 1951 just before Ike was elected. As we all know, Ike was the last good Republican President. He wasn't all that good, but my God he was the Angel Gabriel compared to the evil Repukes who came after him.

[orangecrush]

62. One word

AIDS

[MarcA]

63. Remember his literal record on opposing creation of Medicare. n/t

[LudwigPastorius]

65. He refused to even utter the term "AIDS" in public for years as thousands died, but...

he made a movie with a cute monkey!

[mvd]

71. Yep, another way he was similar to Trump

Both ignored outbreaks of disease. Reagan started it all: his ignorance, racism and crookedness now just has the addition of neo-fascism and insane conspiracy theories.

[Wolf Frankula]

68. Hey, Unleash the dogs of a Grade-B Movie Star governor's war.

That's the first mention of Ronzo in popular music.

Wolf

[3auld6phart]

69. Urge.

Bozo the clown and a crappy actor to boot.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

70. He was a puppet and trial run for TFG....ug not good

by any standard.

White people loved him and he was a total disaster for out country

[erpowers]

77. TFG?

What is TFG?

[edhopper]

84. The Former Guy

So we don't have to say that name.

[Rhiannon12866]

72. And he launched his 1980 campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi,

Site of the 1964 murders of the 3 civil rights workers, signaling his support for states' rights, causing Jimmy Carter to lose the South.

[ExTex]

73. Evangelicals never seemed to notice:

Ronald
6

Wilson
6

Reagan
6

I noticed and made the mistake of mentioning it to my Adult Bible Study Class. Haven't been back to church since.

[MissMillie]

78. Today's GOP doesn't remember Reagan

Reagan wouldn't be welcome to run for dog catcher--today's RNC would call him a RINO

[Major Nikon]

79. Throughout his 2nd term and a good part of the first he was ate up with the brain rot

He was pretty much oblivious to what was going on in his own administration. His handlers kept him pretty much away from the press except for scripted presentations. He couldn't even recognize his only black cabinet member.

[JCMach1]

81. Only with a shovel...

[czarjak]

83. Hollywood is full of Commie, Pinko fags? Except for trusted verification.

[Old Okie]

85. Reagan

To me he was the beginning of the end for the American experiment, he started the long slide downhill with cutting taxes and benefits and supporting corporate domination of workers. I doubt he was more than a puppet as was Trump but the powers behind him were and are the same.

[hunter]

86. That nasty empty headed fool would do or say anything for a blow job.

Every republican president after Nixon has been a meat puppet.

After Nixon the owners of the republican party decided that presidents they could not control were a liability.

The Reagan years were a time of intense trauma in my life and that venal asshole Reagan was making everything worse.

The "Reagan Revolution" has damn near turned the U.S.A. into a sniveling racist cowardly "can't do" nation, a failed state.

We were lucky this last Presidential election that enough voters rejected Trump.

Luck is not enough.

[nwliberalkiwi]

87. Kill a lot of people

He killed a lot of people in Central America. 112 children murdered in Guatamala by a dictator supported be Reagan. Rot in hell you bastard!!!

[BeckyDem]

90. +1. Reagan is why GOP voters hate government. Government was great as long as it meant

fueling an economy for the rich, triple down was truly voodoo logic. Reagan was a racist beyond words, but he was polite about it.
Reagan helped usher in Trump, and the GOP is now aligned with a cult. The Greed is good crowd wants to hold on to power so bad they will obstruct Biden's agenda, they know if citizens get relief they will likely lose seats in 2022.

[BaronChocula]

95. He continually stereotyped blacks as welfare cheats,

but he never lost his folksy charm.