Any former Reagan voters here who have since the 1980's turned into progressives?

[NNN0LHI]

Just looking for a little honesty here.

[JVS]

1. Anyone who voted for Reagan was a grade A asshole.

[NNN0LHI]

3. Far as I am concerned anyone who stayed at home and didn't vote was and still is a grade A asshole

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Just to clarify

some of us COULD NOT vote... even if we were of age... as a legal resident I got to watch.. which was the case until 2000... I voted for Gore

[av8rdave]

7. Guess that makes me an A grade asshole

Not for staying home (would never do that) but for voting for Reagan.

I was also 22 years old and in the military. To young military ears, his rhetoric went down easy and sounded so good at the time.

It took a good chunk of the eighties for me to realize that conservatism was a fraud. Bush Sr. converted me to a progressive.

Edited for content.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

9. Welcome, brother. n/t

n/t

[arbusto_baboso]

16. Yes. While I never voted for Reagan, I had similar attitudes to yours.

The problem is, conservatives speak the "language of honor", which is why they attract military voters. But their actions are diametrically opposed to that language. And for some of us, it takes awhile to figure that out.

[Auntie Bush]

22. Another asshole here. Converted by Bush senior too.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LiberalFighter]

17. You forget that people are easily fooled.

Even in the internet age information is not reliable and was even less so back in the 80's.

For me, it was only my 3rd Presidential election and I was not persuadable by my union or any other possible persuaders. Yet, I was not going to vote for Reagan. Not a B movie actor and not with the feeling that the jackass was lying and a crook.

[JVS]

21. You forget that they are short sighted assholes.

I was a kid and even then I knew lots of people that could tell that fucker was bad news.

[laundry_queen]

35. You forget, kids are often brainwashed by their parents

My parents were/are hard core conservatives. My dad's the worst kind - he'll enable and excuse the religious right (while calling them stupid because he hates organized religion) so he can get his tax cuts because he's selfish.

Anyway.

When you grow up with mentally abusive parents and you're taught to question nothing and all you hear day in and day out is 'tree huggers this' and 'hippies that' it takes some time to change your mind once you leave home.

It was a slow process for me from the time I was 18 until I was fully 'converted' at 25.

Thankfully I'm in Canada (not to mention not old enough) so I didn't vote for Reagan. I did vote for some other conservative assholes though. I'm glad I'll never do that again. But I'll say it here: I wasn't dumb, or an idiot or short sighted. I was abused and controlled and needed therapy to learn to think for myself. Not saying everyone was abused, but many people are programmed to follow the crowd. It's in their DNA. It's difficult to overcome. Instead of being pissed at those who DID eventually see the light, you should be congratulating them on their strength of character. Go piss on those who voted for Reagan, THEN voted for George the first AND the second - twice.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JVS]

45. Brainwashed people shouldn't vote. It's not fair to people who think.

[laundry_queen]

46. Then you are ignorant about how brainwashing works.

Anyone can be brainwashed, it has nothing to do with thinking. Even you could be brainwashed. Sounds like you are to some degree if you refuse to even contemplate the other side of the argument. That requires thinking too, you know.

[JVS]

54. I stand behind my statement. A person who is brainwashed isn't thinking...

they're just doing what they were told. It would be better for the general public if they were to refrain from voting.

[laundry_queen]

57. So you believe in restricting voting to only those who agree with you? nt

[JVS]

58. That's not what I said, and you should be able to understand that.

[laundry_queen]

73. Well, I just thought since you were so good at twisting MY words....

You'd enjoy that.

[JVS]

84. Where did I twist your words?

[LanternWaste]

102. I imagine we often refer to people who hold ideas different from our own

I imagine we often refer to people who hold ideas different from our own as 'brainwashed' and 'assholes', and wish they could not legally express themselves through voting or speech.

It's very convenient, it's rather simplistic, and it too requires little to no thought...

[hfojvt]

108. It was my 3rd too, sort of

I was 10 in 1972, but I sorta followed that election. In a childish way. First I was for McGovern because I saw yard signs for him when I was walking home from school. Then I saw him on TV say that the space programs was a waste of money. Well to a 10 year old boy who worshipped NASA, that was a major heresy. So I became a big Nixon fan. Then he resigned, proving that he was a crook and a liar. Still, at 14 I was a fan of Ford, and wanted him to be re-elected. As far as I was concerned, Ford was a good man, and a good President, and he and Dole held their own in the debates. I thought he had shown Carter to be a big hypocrite. Carter was bashing Ford for his vetoes, and then Ford pointed out how many vetoes Carter had cast as Governor of Georgia.

Before that, though, I was a Reagan fan. He ran in a primary against Ford and almost won. I am not sure if I was rooting for him then. Also, I remember listening to Reagan on the radio. Reagan had a little 3 minute show or something where he would talk about some issue or some problem. To my little kid mind, with my teenage understanding of history and economics, he made a lot of sense.

From 1976 to 1980, the media spent a lot of time bashing Carter. The people in his administration, like Andy Young, kept saying 'stupid' things and being forced to resign. The Carter administration bashed my home state of South Dakota. After he proposed cutting funding for South Dakota water programs, somebody in his administration said something like "who cares about South Dakota, nobody lives there anyway". That did not sit well with a young man who thought of it as his home.

I watched all the debates and 60 Minutes every week and the 6 o'clock news and read the paper every day. Probably I was reading a lot of rightwing crap without realizing it was either rightwing or crap. How was I supposed to know that? Neither Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent, nor Howard Zinn's People's History of the US had even been written yet not that I would have been encouraged to read them by either parents or teachers. I was about as well informed as possible for a small town boy in the midwest. I was young, and naive and optimistic, and grew up in a very red area.

[leftstreet]

29. If Obama destroys SS & Medicare, will the people who voted for him be grade A assholes?

:popcorn:

Reagan didn't campaign on the evil shit he eventually did

[JVS]

32. Now THAT is an excellent question, and I must admit that have been moments where I've briefly felt..

myself pucker.

But Obama has had the endorsement of the leftist party in American politics. For him to pursue right wing policy is a betrayal that can be laid at his feet.

I find it difficult to believe that Reagan was not expected to pursue right wing policies. Had he not lost to Ford by being more extreme than him?

[fascisthunter]

42. that's a conversation killer

[Ohio Joe]

65. Hi, I'm a grade A asshole

I guess it is better then being a scumbag that can't admit they ever made a mistake... or a piece of shit that holds the mistake of youth against someone for the rest of their life. You know the kind I mean?

[Name removed]

79. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

88. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ohio Joe]

89. No. It is for your holier then thou attitude.

And well deserved.

[Kennah]

2. I'm 44, so I wasn't old enough to vote in '80 or '84

I took a right turn for a while, too long, but had I been of age in '80 or '84, I would have definitely voted for Carter in 1980, and probably would have voted for Mondale in 1984.

[HockeyMom]

4. Not me even as an Independent back then

I voted for Mondale in NY. Maybe Raygun was personally a nice man, but I didn't think he should be President. I always thought something was very "wrong" with him and I don't mean just politically. I guess I was right.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

5. I was too young to vote in those days

But i've voted against every repuliscum who's run since...

[Bucky]

6. I'm in the middle of that big red "29" of yours. But I never voted red in my life.

[JVS]

25. Good going!

[LeftishBrit]

8. Well, I've hated Reagan from afar ever since I was a kid and rejoiced at his losing the Republican

primary against Ford in 1976.

I remember that far better than the Ford/Carter election. I think I perceived a certain similarity to Maggie T., who had just become Tory leader, and whom I already hated. I thought naively that this was a permanent defeat for Reagan, and that now he would never get to be president and 'try to blow the world up'.

But I do know a couple of Americans who voted for Reagan, but were completely anti-Bush and voted for Obama.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. Reagan was a terrible President and those who voted for him

or did not vote are the tumor in our national health.

[Lyric]

11. I was in elementary school during those years.

My Dad voted Dem. I don't think my Mom voted at all.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. I can be agnostic on this for real

I did not vote... I could not vote... so I watched the 1984 returns at home, knowing I had no right to participate in it. Suffice it to say morning in murika struck me as dumb... and sadly today St. Ronnie is way liberal.

[NNN0LHI]

14. today St. Ronnie is way liberal

I don't think I know any liberals who would make jokes about people dying from AIDS.

Even during the 80's I didn't know any who would do that. Did you know any?

Don

[Zywiec]

19. Maybe not jokes about people dying from AIDS

but always a big laugh fest here when a Republican dies. Just today there was the cheering for Cheney talking about his days being numbered.

Can you picture the extreme jubilation here at his death?

The left is not immune from bad karma from grave dancing.

[white_wolf]

28. How many people has Cheney murdered and robbed?

Cheney is a torturer, war criminal,thief, mass murderer, and tyrant. I have no more qualms with people cheering his death than I would if I'd seen people cheering the death of Franco, or Mussolini, or any of the various dictators Cheney supported during his time in the WH.

[Zywiec]

34. Think of all the people in Georgia now waiting to cheer when

Troy Davis is executed. I'll add you to that type of human being.

For me, cheering the death of any person regardless of what they've allegedly done is horrible.

[white_wolf]

36. Bullshit. Completely different.

I don't think Cheney should be executed , he should be imprisoned. The death penalty is nothing more than state sanctioned murder and should be abolished. However, I can certainly understand the hatred of Cheney and everything he has done, but I'm not cheering his death or calling for his execution, I am saying he's scum and I'll shed no tears when he's gone, its just too bad there is no hell for him to go to.

[unapatriciated]

61. There are many here in Georgia who will not be cheering

In fact there are hundreds right now out side of the prison supporting Troy Davis. On an earlier local News report they could find only two people outside of the prison who supported his execution.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. Look at the political system

and how far right is has gone.

Ronnie would not be nominated today.

He was a puss, and for his time he was a conservative... but today, like Lamar Alexander, he'd be purified out.

That is the point I am making.

[RooseveltTruman]

47. I think the "St Ronnie is liberal by today's standards" meme is a little misleading...

...People act like Reagan would govern the same way if he were alive today.

The fact is, there are two reasons he stopped short of being as conservative as candidates are today:

1.)If he had had a larger majority in the Senate and control of the House, I think you would have seen MUCH more radical conservative legislation. Nevermind that he cut taxes for the wealthy in more than half, crusaded against labor unions, deregulated the S&L industry, brought about Iran-Contra, etc--he would've been far worse. The monied interests that owned him are the same ones that own the Republican party (and many Democratic politician) today. Consider the fact that he attempted a Social Security privitization scheme in '82, but it failed quickly due to lack of support. The book "Conservatives in Power" is pretty revealing in this respect.

2.) The climate of the country was still more centrist. This was before conservative think-tanks and language gurus like Frank Luntz mastered their use of language and smear tactics. This was before they managed to frame debates over taxes, government spending, social safety net programs, etc in terms that were favorable to them. Reagan had to deal with the fact that--while many people were disenchanted with government--there were certain bounds they would not cross.

I'll give Reagan some credit for his Cold War dealings. Not the massive spending, but the fact that he met with Gorbachev, talked to them, and agreed to the strongest anti-nuke agreements in the history of this country. A lot of what Ronnie did with Gorbachev deserves praise (and it's typically the only plaudit I'll give Reagan).

[CloakedClock]

48. Good post, RooseveltTruman...

...Dovetails nicely with what I posted at the bottom of the page re: voters' thoughts on government and frustration with Carter.

[JVS]

53. +1

[Hippo_Tron]

78. I'll even defend him slightly on the massive spending

The fact is that the Soviet Union was collapsing internally and there wasn't a chance in hell they could've won the arms race, which made Reagan's massive spending on new weapons completely unnecessary. But that's something we know in hindsight, not something they knew back then. Reagan (or his advisors' at least) strategy of speaking softly while carrying a big stick was probably a smart approach, given what they knew then.

But anybody thinking Reagan would govern today like he governed in the 80's is out of their mind. Reagan would sound just like Rick Perry if he were running for President today.

[izquierdista]

15. I thought he was an asshole then...

...and my opinion has gone down every year since.*


*I did have a head start, I couldn't stand him when he was governor.

[Whiskeytide]

18. Hey, all - some - of you can shove it...

... I was 19 in 1980 and voted for Reagan on simple issues like the price of fucking gas. It was a mistake in hindsight, and by 1984 I had seen the progressive light. I'm now 30 years blue. But to refer to me as a tumor or an asshole for a youthful indiscretion shows that you are, in fact, a pompous phallus. Chill. The arrogance of people like you turn middle of the roaders away from progressive ideals, and that makes you a far more insidious problem than an ill-cast vote 31 years ago. Now - someone who revers and defends Reagan today would deserve your wrath. But lay off a guy who was, at the time, more concerned with getting beer and a naked girl than politics.

[leftstreet]

23. +1

The funny thing is, Obama loves Reagan!

[Ferretherder]

26. I'm with ya', bro'.

I voted for the piece of shit because my entire family was, and still is, rabidly right wing republican, and I was too lazy to follow politics at the time and was easily persuaded that what he was saying was what America needed at the time. I know, I was an idiot and, as I said, intellectually lazy..........because I was DEFINITELY a liberal, even then! Now, my entire family is still very conservative and I'm a bona-fide tree hugger, and wouldn't vote for a Repug for dog-catcher! So BITE ME!.....then sue me, I guess.

[JVS]

27. Reagan supporters can shove it.

[OwnedByFerrets]

33. Right on!!

[av8rdave]

62. +10

There are some in this thread that give progressives a bad name. Arrogance and hostility are normally associated with the far right.

[laundry_queen]

74. Unfortunately

narcissism knows no party boundaries.

[av8rdave]

76. Sad, but true

[RickFromMN]

30. Is being honest dangerous? I don't like being called names.

I voted for Reagan. A lot of people voted for Reagan.

My parents voted for Mondale. In hindsight, I see they were more astute than I.

My political views have changed. I have grown older...hopefully wiser.

Am I a progressive? I like what Bernie Sanders says. I agree with Bernie Sanders.

Does that make me a progressive? Does that make me a socialist?

Name calling will only alienate me. Can I assume anyone who calls me names is a troll.
I can guarantee anyone who calls me names will be added to my ignore list.

Edited to add, I lived in California when I voted for Reagan. I live in Minnesota now.

[laundry_queen]

49. I agree. Name calling does nothing productive

And I have suspicions about anyone who is more intent on calling Dems in this thread names than in trying to understand how people make the switch. That is useful information. I've 'switched' over a few people. I doubt they'd have switched if I'd have called them a short-sighted idiot.

[OwnedByFerrets]

31. I was in my early twenties. Please understand that

we had NONE of the informational outlets that citizens have now. You had the nightly news and local newspaper. And yes, I liked Grandpa Raygun.
A little information goes a long way. If you want to know things about Raygun, listen to Thom Hartmann.
BTW, I now know Raygun to be the beginning of the end of The American Dream.

[AldebTX]

38. I Voted for Reagan in 1980

It was the first election I could vote in and I was 18. I was also Stupid. By 1990, he made what most would say a screaming liberal out of me. Have never looked back.

[SharonAnn]

72. I voted for Reagan in 1980. After he took office, several of his actions caused me

to stop considering myself a Republican. I considered myself an Independent for several years. Byt the time Clinton came along, I was officially a Democrat.

Because of the abysmal record of the Dixiecrats during the 1950's and 1960' in Civil Right, I didn't want to align with the Democratic Party until Reagan.

As new information came my awareness, I began to realize that Reagan's actions contradicted my most basic beliefs.

Things he did that caused me to wake up and leave the Republican party:

1. Named James Watt to the cabinet and Mr. Watt promptly began planning to sell off national forests and access to national parks, especially with regard to timber harvesting and mineral extraction. See "10 Top Worst Cabinet Members" at http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1858691_1858690_1858648,00.html. He once famaously divided citizens of the United States into "The Reagan appointee once infamously bifurcated the American people into "liberals and Americans."

2. Named Clarence Thomas to head up the EEOC. A quick check on that appointment made me realize that Clarence Thomas was anti-woman and anti-minority. See http://faculty.uml.edu/sgallagher/ClarenceThomas.htm. "At the EEOC, had Thomas worked to end affirmative action and established himself as a fierce opponent of policies that were generally favored by unions and civil rights groups."

3. Led the fight against the ERA and also opposed Title VIII for equal opportunities for girls and women in schools. See http://www.now.org/issues/economic/cea/history.html. "The final Republican Platform officially takes no position on ERA, but candidate Ronald Reagan and newly elected right-wing party officials actively oppose the amendment. "

4. Supported the anti-choice people and policies of the right-wing.

5. Allowed the Right Wing, evangelical "Christians" to have influence in the federal government.

[JVS]

90. Ok. Finally we have a reasonable excuse.

Your profile says you're in TN, and assuming that you are from there I can very well understand and sympathize with your antipathy toward the party, particularly on the local level. Being an independent in such a situation is perfectly reasonable. I can also understand how Carter's moderate Southern Democrat stance could have sat poorly with you.

[MarianJack]

39. In 1980 I was 25,...

...and a pissed off "Kennedy 80" Democrat. I was pissed off at Jimmy Carter after the primary campaign and the convention. I voted for reagan in 1980 to thumb my nose at the Carter administration, certainly not for any belief in his issues.

I mistakenly thought that reagan would be too old to run for a second term and we'd be able to take the white house back in 84 with someone I'd consider to be a "real Democrat".

I was wrong and the lesson of this to me was that division within the party will finish us EVERY TIME!

Since 1980, I wouldn't even consider voting for a rethug presidential candidate.

Anyone that considers somebody to be an asshole today for a 31 year old mistake is, to say the least, shortsighted. I can only hope to achieve their level of perfection someday :sarcasm: .

PEACE!

[JVS]

41. After describing your course of action, you call me shortsighted?

:rofl: That's a good one.

[MarianJack]

51. If you missed the parts about...

...25, mistake and 31 years ago, and if you consider to be an asshole someone who voted for reagan in 1980 but voted and volunteered for every democrat since then, yes I do consider it shortsighted.

I do, however, aspire to reach your level of perfection.

PEACE!

[JVS]

55. I saw those parts. Of course it is a mistake, that's re-stating the obvious.

I don't see youth or the amount of time passed since then as valid excuses for being stupid enough to vote for Reagan because Carter was too conservative. That's jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire and it's just as stupid at 25 as it is at 80.

[MarianJack]

60. Once again,...

...I aspire to your level of perfection and wisdom.

PEACE!

[JVS]

63. As you should.

[MarianJack]

64. Please wake me up...

...when you have something to say other than put downs to people you don't know about admitted 30+ year old mistakes.

This asshole anticipates a long nap.

PEACE!

[JVS]

70. I've got other things to say.

It doesn't change the truth of my observations though.

[MarianJack]

77. At this point...

...I'm simply tired of "talking" to you.

I guess you're just too damned far above me!

PEACE!

[JVS]

83. You'll just have to trust your judgement.

[MarianJack]

95. It's Sure As Hell Better Than Yours.

According to your self-righteous perfection and wisdom, I, whom you don't know, am an asshole for an thought out and unrepeated mistake from more than half a lifetime ago.

My first political campaign was stuffing envelopes for Bobby Kennedy shortly before my 13th birthday in 1968.
I worked for George McGovern in 5 states in 1972.
I volunteered for and voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976.
I made a mistake in 1980.
As a result of a little thing called LEARNING FROM MY MISTAKE, I volunteered and voted for Mondale in 1984, Clinton in 1992 & 1996, Gore in 2000, Kerry in 2004 and First Hillary Clinton and then President Obama in 2008, as I will in 2012.

By your standard, I'M AN ASSHOLE.

as I stated in my previous response, I'm tired of you being judgmental from your high perch of ideological purity.

Congratulations. In my 8+ years on this website, YOU are going to be the very first person to go on my ignore list.

AMF! A stands for adios. Figure out the rest.

[JVS]

96. You call me self-righteous and then boast about all the things you've done.

That's hypocritical.

Voting for Reagan was still dumb.

[av8rdave]

99. You put it so much better than I. Thank you.

I am also an 8 year DU member, just now having to learn how to use ignore.

[BzaDem]

66. Does your logic similarly apply to anyone that chooses to enable the inauguration of Perry? n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

82. Did you honestly not do any stupid shit when you were 25?

Personally I'm not even quite 25 and I know that odds are good that I'm probably doing some stupid shit right now that I will regret later on in life. Yes, I've been a Democrat since I was 16. I got that part right from an early age. But there's plenty of shit I didn't get right at 16 that other people did. Doesn't make me any better or worse than them. It's just the way it is.

[JVS]

86. Not really, and I don't recall having ever having made a mistake and then looking back...

in a self-congratulatory manner for having pulled my head out of my ass. Peoples' heads were never supposed to be up their asses in the first place, just like Ronald Reagan was not to be trusted in the first place.

[laundry_queen]

93. No mistakes huh? Gee where have I heard THAT one before???

:hurts:

[JVS]

94. Do you want me to say that it was a mistake to vote for Democrats when I was 25?

Because that isn't happening. Of course, I must be wrong for not fucking up so badly.

[laundry_queen]

97. Yes, that's what everyone's asking.

:eyes: Deliberately obtuse much?

You were asked if you EVER did any stupid shit when you were young. Ever. Not talking about your pristine voting record. You were asked if you had any mistakes at all, in your life, when you were young. You're saying you can't recall ever having made a mistake (and then go on to denigrate those that realize they have, admit to it and change their ways). That says it all.

[JVS]

98. There's nothing wrong with not doing horrendously stupid shit.

In fact, it's better not to.

[CloakedClock]

40. It's important to remember...

...That a lot of progressives/Democrats were very disillusioned in 1980. The economy was bad, unemployment was up, inflation was high, and Jimmy Carter was not that great of a president/leader. He was honest, which I appreciate, but his leadership skills/relationship with congress (which was Democratic in both houses!) was TERRIBLE, and in fact (though you'd never know it listening to Republicans, many of his policy prescriptions were conservative (he proposed tax cuts before Reagan did).

In addition to the bad economy/unemployment/inflation (a triple threat which typically sinks a sitting president no matter WHAT), it hurt Carter that he was in the "party of government" at a time when trust in government was at an all time low. The Kennedy assassinations, Vietnam, Watergate, the Hostage crisis, etc had weakened trust in government significantly. As a result, Reagan's "government IS the problem!" shtick suddenly seemed fresh, honest, and bold, where in 1964 it would have seemed radical and dangerous. People liked the idea of a confident, strong leader who would stand against perceived incompetencies and failures in government. Even my parents--staunch Democrats--voted for Reagan in '80.

That said, I could have NEVER voted for his ass. Anyone who was half-paying attention in the late-'60s and '70s knew he was hardcore conservative as could be, and was completely owned by corporate, monied interests. Maybe I would've stayed home or voted for Anderson, but no way in hell for him.

Just facts to consider.

[JVS]

44. Informative post.

I can understand frustration with Carter. But ultimately, your way of thinking was the rational one, and the people who voted for Reagan were fucked up.

Anderson voters, I can understand their POV. Disgruntled Dems for Reagan, no that is stupid just as you noticed way back then.

[blue neen]

85. Self-righteousness doesn't exactly make one a Mensa member.

:)

[JVS]

87. If you've met many Mensa members, you'll know that it isn't a disqualification either.

You know what keeps people from being Mensa members? Fucking up on the test.

In the broader sense, voting for Ronald Reagan is a badly botched question on the test of life. And voting for politicians who are less supportive of your views than the other candidates is really fucking stupid. I don't think it is helpful to pretend that doing that isn't really fucking stupid.

[blue neen]

91. It is nice to know that we have God here in our midsts at DU.

You've got it all: Intelligence, compassion, and the divine right to judge other people's actions and lives.

We all stand humbled before you.

Have a good time.

:toast:

[JVS]

92. Don't hate me for keeping it real.

[Major Nikon]

71. It's also important to remember that most of the smears against Carter are complete BS

1) The right wing smear and lie machine was going full force in 1980. Wolfowitz and the rest of the Team B neocon assholes were leaking classified information to the press. These leaks painted Carter as soft on the Soviets and claimed the USSR had a 1st strike strategy and were violating arms treaties (both claims later turned out to be complete BS).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_b

2) Reagan built his 1980 campaign on states' rights (which was right wing code speak for fuck you ni**er). Reagan fully embraced the 4 star asshole Atwater's southern strategy. In other words, Reagan used racism as a political tool (as many other Republicans did and still do), and would never have won the election without it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_strategy

3) Carter suffered because of economic problems, namely stagflation which was created by the failed monetary policies of the Nixon and Ford administrations. Carter wisely appointed Volcker who was not only responsible for ending stagflation, but paved the way for the large economic gains of the 1980s, even though many Republicans erroneously think Reagan deserved the credit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagflation

4) Carter's leadership created the Department of Energy, the first national energy policy, peace between Egypt and Israel that lasts to this day, Superfund, and FEMA, just to name a few of his accomplishments.

5) Carter proposed an overhaul of the tax system which was badly needed and it's very misleading to say he proposed tax cuts. Carter proposed ending tax loopholes which enabled people like Nixon to pay almost no taxes despite earning millions.

6) Carter proposed comprehensive health care reform and was the first US President to talk about gay rights. Carter was a very progressive president. Calling him "conservative" is simply asinine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Jimmy_Carter

Carter was a great president. The best in my lifetime. Repeating right wing misinformation does not change the "facts".

[tsuki]

43. No. Daddy was a yellow dog. So am I. nt

[cordelia]

50. Hell, no. I hated that fucking imbecile then

and I hate that fucking imbecile now.

I am proud to say I voted against that piece of shit.

[JVS]

52. +1

[xmas74]

56. The ex voted for Reagan in '84.

He voted for Bush in '88 and '92, voted for Dole in '96, and I know he voted for Bush in '00 and probably in '04 too. (We were over by then but he thought Bush was a "good old boy".)

I was eligible in '96. I'd like to think that my votes cancel his out.

[unapatriciated]

59. My ex also voted for Reagan

and with great joy I canceled out his vote

[xmas74]

110. '84 was his first election.

I wasn't old enough to vote so I didn't begin cancelling votes until '96, even though we didn't begin dating until '98.

[valerief]

67. Not me. Carter and Mondale. Always left. nt

[Blue_In_AK]

68. I couldn't stand Reagan.

I lived in California when he was governor. I would never vote for him in a million years.

[marlakay]

69. I did the first time

Was not into politics then and going through a major religious phase..I don't even believe now..but back then went to a very right wing type church, told me to vote for him because of abortion...

Only time I ever voted republican for pres in whole life. My first vote was for Carter.

I look back and cringe knowing what I know now about Reagan.

I had lunch yesterday with republican cousin who was going on and on about how great he was, I bit my lip only because my mom, older aunt and daughter was there and they don't like to talk politics or argue.

[blue neen]

75. You posted an interesting question.

You asked for honesty and people provided it. I'm just sorry to see certain posters taunt them for being "stupid" for their choice back then.

People make mistakes. Sometimes big ones. They point is, they learned from it. It is possible that Reagan was so bad, that people became progressives because of his ridiculous and damaging two terms.

That beats the hell out of becoming Karl Rove.

:dem:

[MadHound]

80. Never a Reagan voter

Though I'm proud to say that I did flip him and Nancy off one time, and I know Ronny boy saw me:evilgrin:

[Iggo]

81. Yep.

My first Presidential election, and I had no idea what I was doing. Just voted for the most famous guy.

I got better, quick.

[Zorra]

100. Reagan was the absolute total complete opposite of me. He changed though,

and became a much more aware and compassionate person after he died.

[LanternWaste]

101. Reagan was my first presidential ballot cast...

Reagan was my first presidential ballot cast during his 1984 run my senior year in high school.

I was quite the little 'Alex P Keaton' in my day. :P

[lumberjack_jeff]

103. Anyone who holds progressive values and voted for Reagan had an infirm grasp of the days events.

I get that people's values can shift over time, but I question what it means to be progressive in that context.



See that blue speck in the upper left hand corner? That's me.

[NNN0LHI]

104. That little blue speck in Illinois at the bottom tip of Lake Michigan

That is me.

Don

[hifiguy]

105. I was never prouder to be a Minnesotan than

after the '84 election. For a year afterwards I wore a button on my backpack reading "Don't blame me, I voted for Mondale!"

The only time I voted for a non-Democrat for POTUS was 1980. I voted for John Anderson. Cast my first vote in a presidential election in 1976 for Carter.

[RatinaCage]

106. I hope that those that voted for RR

Are suffering…
Have lost jobs..
Lost homes…
Lost their saving…
Lost medical coverage
Lost everything…

Why you many ask?
Because they got EXACTLY what they voted for.
Those that voted for RR and are complaining now about losing any of the above need to STFU and pull yourself up by your OWN bootstraps.

Just for the record…. I will hold those that voted for him 100% responsible for the destruction of America for time eternal. No amount of mea culpa’s can undo what YOU unleashed up this country and the world.

[Blue_Tires]

107. In '84, my second grade had a mock election and i voted for him not knowing any better..

:yoiks:

[AsahinaKimi]

109. My Mom and Dad voted for Mondale..

They were always Democrats.. had I been old enough..I probably would have followed them. But, yeah I was born in 1974..so it would be hard for me to vote in 1972. (oh crap, I just gave away my age!) LOL!