Reagan's Legacy - How will he be remembered?

[Drogue]

Taking Imran's idea, partly to stop people spoiling the moment of silence thread for Reagan's passing, and partly because I was wondering, in light of recent events and his death, how he'll be remembered.

Will he be remembered as a great president who caused an economic boom, showing capitalism working; or an evil mass murderer who precided over someone else's hard won growth? What will textbooks in 20 years time say about him?

[laurentius]

A bit of both I guess

[PLATO]

Re: Reagan's Legacy - How will he be remembered?

Originally posted by Drogue
What will textbooks in 20 years time say about him?

It will say that he was one of the best Presidents ever. And, IMO, they will be right.

(Thanks Drogue )

[chequita guevara]

Both ways. Those who only like to wave a flag and be proud that their team is doing well will continue to idolize the man and reject all criticism of him

I for one, do not miss going to sleep, wondering if tomorrow will be the day the world ends. I don't miss the endless lay-offs and the destruction of what is today called the rust belt. I don't miss our secret wars. I don't miss us propping up murderous dictatorships which spilled the blood of millions.

[Drogue]

Personally I think it depends who writes them. I think people will realise that the boom was not his making, but that said, he still kept it going, if possibly overheating it. However whether or not he's seen as a good president depends what the world things of the UN and WTO in the future. The US did breach trade rules under him, and whether or not that's thought of as serious is a matter for history. I don't agree with what he did, and I think he short changed many other nations.

He could even be seen as the epitome of the celebrity cult, even if he pre-empted it.

[GePap]

I see five lines of thought:

1. St. Reagan the Holy: The Reagan personality Cultists who want to put him on the dolar bill and rename the capitol for him: According to this line of though, Reagan single-handedly wipped the communists, won the culture war, cured Cancer, whatever. This view is held exclusively by the far right.

2. The Gipper: People with a positive view of Reagan. "He brought back confidence", "He was a nice guy", "He stood for what he believed" will be the common phrases you will hear. These people might not credit him with saving the world and the puppies and the kitties and making the sun rise each day, but they liked him, and think he did a good job. This will be the sigularly largest single group opinion in the US.

3. Meh. Some people won't remember Reagan at all, some won;t crae since they are divorced from politics period. Other remember Reagan, where ambivalent about him, but never hated him either. They just won;t care that much. I think this position comes in second in popularity.

4. He did some Bad: this will be the main line of thought among his detractors. While I think few people will paint him as actively evil, and most will agree that in the end, we can;t fault his personal intentions, they will fault his 8 years in office for multiple problems andf policies. This is my personal position.

5. HItler.20: The smallest position, held by the smallest group, views him as a monster and good ridance.

[chequita guevara]

Reagan was a member of that right-wing Christian movement that believes that armageddon was/is imminient. They believed that the U.S. was God's instrument on Earth to destroy communism, that the United States would launch a nuclear war, and that all true Christians would be raised to heaven in the rapture.

I really wish George Schultz hadn't stepped in to stop the agreement on a total scrapping on all nuclear weapons. If Reagan had followed through, I'd be raising a pint and remembering him fondly.

As it is, he was a war monger, a mass murderer, a race baiter, a subverter of the Constitution, and he allowed the US to be pilfered on a massive scale. We still have not completely recovered from the damage the Reagan era did.

[Harry Tuttle]

Considering he is the one President who is regarded as finally taking down Soviet Russia, reinstilling faith in the U.S. after long years of brow beating over Vietnam, cutting taxes, remaining a statesman, and creating a new basis for a major political party, I'd say he was the greatest President since FDR died. Bar all this "he was a fascist" crap prepetuated by some lonely people on this board, he was the president who wooed over Congress and united a country.

In 20 years time he will be regarded as a man who was a great diplomat, allowed intelligent people in his adminstration to do their job, and did what a president is supposed to do: Lead where others could not.

Screw Iran/Contra. The man stuck to his guns, didn't take a goddamn poll to decide his actions, and put America first.

[GePap]

As I said, I fall squarely on number 4. I was not and am not very impressed by his admin nor his policies.

As for that canard of him winning the Cold War-NK shows us that you can only outspend a regime if that regime cares to play the game. The soviets did not need to keep up with the US-Reagan could never have invalidated the fact the soviets could wipe the US of the map. The Soviet Union feel from internal dynamics that begun to be set in motion under Brezhnev in the 70's-increasing corruption and economic mismangement
at the top-this was never addressed even as Gorbachev tried political refomrs, but sans economic reforms. there was nothing he could have done. The Chinese communist got the lessons much earlier-they rfomred first and, just when the SU was voluntarilly letting go of Eastern Europe and refusing to back crackdowns, the Chinese let the tanks loose, and it worked for the Chinese.

[Sandman]

The Soviet Union would have rotted away regardless of Reagan's actions. It's like claiming credit for the sun rising.

[chequita guevara]

He broke the law and the Constitution. Sticking to your guns when you are doing the previous is not something that should be glorified.

But it's typical of the right, if their guys undermine the Constitution and the rule of law, then it must be a good thing.

[Unspeakable Horror]

Screw Iran/Contra. The man stuck to his guns, didn't take a goddamn poll to decide his actions, and put America first.

Screw everyone else, USA is ok and that´s all that matters, Harry Tuttle?
And then you wonder "why rest of the world hate us?"
Good thing that not everyone there thinks like you

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by GePap
I see five lines of thought:

1. St. Reagan the Holy: The Reagan personality Cultists who want to put him on the dolar bill and rename the capitol for him: According to this line of though, Reagan single-handedly wipped the communists, won the culture war, cured Cancer, whatever. This view is held exclusively by the far right.

2. The Gipper: People with a positive view of Reagan. "He brought back confidence", "He was a nice guy", "He stood for what he believed" will be the common phrases you will hear. These people might not credit him with saving the world and the puppies and the kitties and making the sun rise each day, but they liked him, and think he did a good job. This will be the sigularly largest single group opinion in the US.

3. Meh. Some people won't remember Reagan at all, some won;t crae since they are divorced from politics period. Other remember Reagan, where ambivalent about him, but never hated him either. They just won;t care that much. I think this position comes in second in popularity.

4. He did some Bad: this will be the main line of thought among his detractors. While I think few people will paint him as actively evil, and most will agree that in the end, we can;t fault his personal intentions, they will fault his 8 years in office for multiple problems andf policies. This is my personal position.

5. HItler.20: The smallest position, held by the smallest group, views him as a monster and good ridance.

Good analysis.

I'm in group 2.

[chequita guevara]

I was a Reagan Republican in my youth. Why? Because of America getting *****-slapped by Iran. Reagan made me feel proud to be American.

When he fired the air traffic controllers, I didn't get it yet. When he created the Contras to "interdict materials going from Nicaragua to El Salvador," I didn't get it yet.

I got it in 1985, when I realized he was lying about things which I cared deeply about, supporting democracy abroad, helping the American economy, etc. I got it when he was trying to force religion into our schools. I got it when I tried to find work for more than minimum wage.

Reagan was a really bad president if you believe America is more than just a slogan and our "team."

[Bereta_Eder]

Ok so now i know the why about that

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=116292