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I don't know if this has been mentioned but there's a doc on HBO airing tonight called Reagan. The life and legacy of him.
No, I didn't and thanks for the info. I watched one on the history channel, and the Military Channel yesterday.
I have to admit that compared to today's republican leaders Reagan is missed. As flawed as the real Ronald Reagan was there are no contemporary republicans yet emerged with his appeal. That says a lot more about the lack of quality at the top in the GOP than how good Reagan was. It is the same problem with Bachmann and Palin. All of these people are better suited as characters in a Simpson's cartoon than residents of the White House.
Ronnie's presentation as "the great communicator" is apparently too high a bar for the GOP hopefuls in 2012. They must give him some phony God status as an admittedly and rightfully unachievable standard.
Reagan did have the general appeal of a movie star. Try in your own mind to cast one of the wannabees in national republican politics in some Hollywood hero's role. They all fail. Who would YOU cast as the hero? Some of them might get bit supporting parts as villains or quirky whacky sidekicks but nary a one can wear the white hat. Sadly that was Ronnies only claim to fame. A second rate hero capable of wearing the white hat ...that is until a real hero enters the scene...when Brando or Wayne show up ...someone with appeal and depth...even precious Ronnie must exit the set leaving the hat for a better head.
10 Things Conservatives Dont Want You To Know About Ronald Reagan
Tomorrow will mark the 100th anniversary of President Reagans birth, and all week, conservatives have been trying to outdo each others remembrances of the great conservative icon. Senate Republicans spent much of Thursday singing Reagans praise from the Senate floor, while conservative publications have been running non-stop commemorations. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee and former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich are hoping to make a few bucks off the Gippers centennial.
But Reagan was not the man conservatives claim he was. This image of Reagan as a conservative superhero is myth, created to untie the various factions of the right behind a common leader. In reality, Reagan was no conservative ideologue or flawless commander-in-chief. Reagan regularly strayed from conservative dogma he raised taxes eleven times as president while tripling the deficit and he often ended up on the wrong side of history, like when he vetoed an Anti-Apartheid bill.
ThinkProgress has compiled a list of the top 10 things conservatives rarely mention when talking about President Reagan:
1. Reagan was a serial tax raiser. As governor of California, Reagan signed into law the largest tax increase in the history of any state up till then. Meanwhile, state spending nearly doubled. As president, Reagan raised taxes in seven of his eight years in office, including four times in just two years. As former GOP Senator Alan Simpson, who called Reagan a dear friend, told NPR, Ronald Reagan raised taxes 11 times in his administration I was there. Reagan was never afraid to raise taxes, said historian Douglas Brinkley, who edited Reagans memoir. Reagan the anti-tax zealot is false mythology, Brinkley said.
Reduced to comply with board rules on Copywrite material-Meister
ThinkProgress 10 Things Conservatives Dont Want You To Know About Ronald Reagan
Check the tax rates when Reagan came to office, as opposed to when he left. Reagan did make a deal with the dems were if he raised taxes a little he get twice that amount in spending cuts. He never got the spending cuts he was promised.
Nope because there is ZERO evidence that any oil company received any government benefit from those meetings. They were held sans press coverage so that the participants could speak freely in a brain storming session. The execs were called in to provide training and input for the Administration in advance of developing an energy policy which frankly sucked and none of the oil companies liked.
And you do know that Halliburton is not an oil company yes?
You're kidding right?
During the Bush Administration, Oil Companies, made more profit then any other commercial enterprise at any time during human history..combined.
It's completely ludicrious to come up with the notion there wasn't any connection.
Could it be because the gov't got out of their way for a short while?
Oh, and one more FACT you like to leave out... other businesses made record profits as well.
Look it up... its the truth.
Just sayin'
Reagan's entire Presidential persona was as much a scripted deception as were any of his grade-B movie roles. The man was a professional faker. A highly skilled phony.What a load of steaming liquid shit! 17 times the agreed 40% increase? Ya right! The air traffic controllers were demanding a 628% raise in wages and benefits??? Reagan was a bald faced liar.
Here comes the jerkoff a thon!!!
Why?? Because not everybody agrees with you?? I liked RR as a person and I admired him for being such a good husband. But I think he should have stuck to acting. He was really good. I thought he did a great job in, "Kings Row". As prez?? Not so great.
And I've been wondering why there was a celebration for his 100th birthday. Lots of former presidents are dead and we haven't celebrated their 100th. Kind of weird, I think.
I think you're mistaken. I believe most Presidents have been acknowledged on what would have been their 100th birthday.
See this site:
LBJ100.com | Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Celebration
I have to admit that compared to today's republican leaders Reagan is missed. As flawed as the real Ronald Reagan was there are no contemporary republicans yet emerged with his appeal. That says a lot more about the lack of quality at the top in the GOP than how good Reagan was. It is the same problem with Bachmann and Palin. All of these people are better suited as characters in a Simpson's cartoon than residents of the White House.
Ronnie's presentation as "the great communicator" is apparently too high a bar for the GOP hopefuls in 2012. They must give him some phony God status as an admittedly and rightfully unachievable standard.
Reagan did have the general appeal of a movie star. Try in your own mind to cast one of the wannabees in national republican politics in some Hollywood hero's role. They all fail. Who would YOU cast as the hero? Some of them might get bit supporting parts as villains or quirky whacky sidekicks but nary a one can wear the white hat. Sadly that was Ronnies only claim to fame. A second rate hero capable of wearing the white hat ...that is until a real hero enters the scene...when Brando or Wayne show up ...someone with appeal and depth...even precious Ronnie must exit the set leaving the hat for a better head.
I don't think it is a 'God status' at all. Most of us who appreciated Reagan know all the flaws and foibles and mistakes that are part and parcel of his Administration. But one does not have to assign godlike status to a person to appreciate qualities that we admire. And Reagan had them. It is what he stood for, what he believed in, what he helped us to believe in ourselves, and the fact that it was largely due to his conviction that hundreds of millions of people should not have to live under totalitarian communism, that we admire him for. If he wasn't perfect.....well, nobody is.
There's a flip side too. There are those who can't stand for anyone to admire those qualities that at least some of us admire in Reagan--they have so little charity they can't allow somebody like him to be commemorated on what would have been his 100th birthday--so they presume to tear him down in the ugliest and most hateful manner.
So what's worse? Idolizing a man a little despite imperfections? Or demonizing all that he was/is?
I've really never heard of any other big blowouts like this one. And I think what creeped me out the most was that they got him a birthday cake. The man is dead!!!
This cake cost $1000. It was 5 layers and had 400 pounds of chocolate and jelly beans. And the eagle on top of the cake was made from 50 pounds of chocolate.
Sorry, but that is just plain weird. A little remembrance is fine. But this was like a birthday party for someone that is deceased. Never saw that before ever.
Disgust and resentment are not hate.You lefties can't let one damn thread go without coming in and spewing all your hate all over it.
It was a thread saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY for crying out loud.
I have to admit that compared to today's republican leaders Reagan is missed. As flawed as the real Ronald Reagan was there are no contemporary republicans yet emerged with his appeal. That says a lot more about the lack of quality at the top in the GOP than how good Reagan was. It is the same problem with Bachmann and Palin. All of these people are better suited as characters in a Simpson's cartoon than residents of the White House.
Ronnie's presentation as "the great communicator" is apparently too high a bar for the GOP hopefuls in 2012. They must give him some phony God status as an admittedly and rightfully unachievable standard.
Reagan did have the general appeal of a movie star. Try in your own mind to cast one of the wannabees in national republican politics in some Hollywood hero's role. They all fail. Who would YOU cast as the hero? Some of them might get bit supporting parts as villains or quirky whacky sidekicks but nary a one can wear the white hat. Sadly that was Ronnies only claim to fame. A second rate hero capable of wearing the white hat ...that is until a real hero enters the scene...when Brando or Wayne show up ...someone with appeal and depth...even precious Ronnie must exit the set leaving the hat for a better head.
I don't think it is a 'God status' at all. Most of us who appreciated Reagan know all the flaws and foibles and mistakes that are part and parcel of his Administration. But one does not have to assign godlike status to a person to appreciate qualities that we admire. And Reagan had them. It is what he stood for, what he believed in, what he helped us to believe in ourselves, and the fact that it was largely due to his conviction that hundreds of millions of people should not have to live under totalitarian communism, that we admire him for. If he wasn't perfect.....well, nobody is.
There's a flip side too. There are those who can't stand for anyone to admire those qualities that at least some of us admire in Reagan--they have so little charity they can't allow somebody like him to be commemorated on what would have been his 100th birthday--so they presume to tear him down in the ugliest and most hateful manner.
So what's worse? Idolizing a man a little despite imperfections? Or demonizing all that he was/is?
I've really never heard of any other big blowouts like this one. And I think what creeped me out the most was that they got him a birthday cake. The man is dead!!!
This cake cost $1000. It was 5 layers and had 400 pounds of chocolate and jelly beans. And the eagle on top of the cake was made from 50 pounds of chocolate.
Sorry, but that is just plain weird. A little remembrance is fine. But this was like a birthday party for someone that is deceased. Never saw that before ever.
So I guess the Welstone memorial creeped you out too?
Or the memorial service for those killed in Tuscon masacre?
You lefties can't let one damn thread go without coming in and spewing all your hate all over it.
It was a thread saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY for crying out loud.