Reagan's Legacy - How will he be remembered?

[joncha]

China bad. Reagan also bad.

Any other questions?

[The Mad Monk]

Yeah -- why do the commies around here think a communist government = no sweatshops?

[Imran Siddiqui]

GePap had a nice little analysis there. I agree that most people will be #2's. The man realized that detente with the commies wasn't the way to go. The way to do things was to challenge them and get in their face. Only then would they respect you. You don't sit back passively, you go after the bastards. He also brought back confidence to America. To many in the late 70s it looked like the American century was over. Reagan brought it all back. He made people love their country and initiated 'Morning in America'. And he didn't **** around. When the airline pilots got all uppity, he slapped them down, even though they endorsed him. He stuck to his guns, no matter what the politics.

Ronnie

[Ted Striker]

Reagan brought the USA! to the USA

USA!

[Jaguar]

I'll just point out that he won 49 states in his re-election bid. I think that really settles the question.

[Urban Ranger]

A lot of the Reagan supporters seem to be ignoring the fact that his term at the helm left a staggering national debt.

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
As opposed to, say, China, which dosen't have sweatshops?

Stop copying my tactics

[Jaguar]

UR, do you happen to know during which administration the US National Debt reached its peak? I'll give you three guesses.

[Imran Siddiqui]

A lot of the Reagan supporters seem to be ignoring the fact that his term at the helm left a staggering national debt.

I guess FDR should be downgraded because of the debt load he put up too? Sorry, but that really doesn't matter to me.

[Ted Striker]

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

A lot of the Reagan supporters seem to be ignoring the fact that his term at the helm left a staggering national debt.

I guess FDR should be downgraded because of the debt load he put up too? Sorry, but that really doesn't matter to me.

FDR freed Western Europe
Reagan freed Eastern Europe

[joncha]

Not originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
The man realized that detente with the Islamic fundamentalists wasn't the way to go. The way to do things was to challenge them and get in their face. Only then would they respect you. You don't sit back passively, you go after the bastards. He also brought back confidence to America. To many in the late 90s it looked like the American century was over. Bush Jr. brought it all back. He made people love their country and initiated 'Morning in America'. And he didn't **** around. When the small-government conservatives got all uppity, he slapped them down, even though they endorsed him. He stuck to his guns, no matter what the politics.

Georgie

[ixnay]

as a NINJA

[Imran Siddiqui]

I supported the war in Iraq and the War on Terror in general, joncha . Curtailing of civil liberties isn't challenging anyone except the ACLU, however .

[johncmcleod]

Yeah -- why do the commies around here think a communist government = no sweatshops?

China is really a merge of capitalism and communism. Under Mao there certainly would be no sweatshops, however, there certainly would be a lot of starving people. I think the Sandistas also would have gotten rid of the sweatshop labor.

The point is Reagan murdered thousands of people through his contras in Nicaragua, against international law. And when the World Court ordered him to pay Nicaragua back reparations, he refused to.

He also backed terrorist wars in Guatemala and El Salvador. Other terrorist organizations he backed include UNITA and Renamo terrorists, who were responsible for the deaths of one and a half million people.

He also supported the coup that put the Baathists into power, supplied and supported Saddam Hussein and allowed US companies to sell him chemicals that enabled him to build chemical weapons.

He also supported the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, probably the worst act of genocide since the holocaust.

And of course there was the whole Iran contras thing.

America needed Reagan though. Americans had normally been proud of America, but then Vietnam happened. For the first time Americans watched as their leaders imperialistic policies ruined millions of lives. It crushed them. It was the first time they'd seen an American leader do something terrible. Americans were feeling down. Then Reagan came in and with his excellent public speaking skills convinced the American people to become nationalistic again and ignore the wrong our leaders had done. Americans again became proud of the country and felt good about being American. And the US was able to help murder thousands, possibly millions without the pesky questioning from the public.

[joncha]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
I supported the war in Iraq and the War on Terror in general, joncha . Curtailing of civil liberties isn't challenging anyone except the ACLU, however .

What about the increased government spending and massive debt-load?