President Bush is starting to remind me a lot of President Reagan

[Alexander's Horse]

Of course many of you wouldn't remember Reagan

Similarities: Lots of bellicose talk, thin on detail. Big picture man. Doesn't work too hard. Building up the military while the economy goes down the tubes. Deficit financing. Star wars. Very popular in the United States but scaring the sh*t out of his allies. Mercurial. Unpredictable. Runs more on emotion than logic. Uses Hollywood Western metaphors.

Reagan and Bush have a lot in common. I would say Dubya has more in common with Reagan than Bush Senior.

Maybe some of the older Oter's might wish to comment?

When Reagan was President I was really afraid start world war III. I'm getting that feeling again now

[Imran Siddiqui]

Damn, I with Bush was like Reagan... unfortunetly he isn't close to the legacy yet (and I don't think he will be, really).

Building up the military while the economy goes down the tubes.

The economy didn't 'go down the tubes', at least not in the US. Compare the 70s with 1989, for instance .

[Imran Siddiqui]

Maybe some of the older Oter's might wish to comment?

Nah... why let them fogey's still the spotlight .

And, also... yeah, of course he's more like Reagan... he's modeled himself after him. After all, he is the hero of the Republican Party. Like FDR was to the Dems.

[yin26]

Regan and Bush Sr. made a laughing stock out of the U.S. with their irresponsible spending. Bush Jr. looks to try to top them both and possibly get us involved in a half dozen pointless wars at once.

[Grrr]

Dubya is lazy, uncaring git, who reminds me of Hitler, and in my opinion WILL start WWIII.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Laughing stock? Carter already did all he could to do that .

Reagan set the US back on track and gained some respect that was lost with the debacles of the 70s.

[Alexander's Horse]

Imran, why do you comment on threads like this? How old were you when Reagan left office? 5?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Actually 9 .

I didn't know this thread had an age limit... is it a... club thread?

But, you know... have to defend Ronnie. You know how it is

[yin26]

Nope, sorry. Look at the national debt before and after they took office. It's irresponsible and pathetic. And what do you think lost the election for Bush Sr.? His stellar economy? Try again...

[Victor Galis]

Scary, no?

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Actually 9 .

I didn't know this thread had an age limit... is it a... club thread?

But, you know... have to defend Ronnie. You know how it is

Yeah, yeah - I'm only cussing you because what I'm interested in is the atmospherics not the history. You needed to have a bit older than 9 to remember that as a voter and taxpayer.

Surely you couldn't have been 9 anyway - when did Reagan leave office? 1988?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Nope, sorry. Look at the national debt before and after they took office. It's irresponsible and pathetic.

Deficit spending is perhaps the best way to raise a nation out from a recession. And it did that... added to that the whole 'spend the USSR into poverty' thing worked extremely well.

And seeing that the GDP of the US is $9 trillion a year, it ain't catastrophic by any means.

If every country tried to avoid debt (ie, the constitutional amendment requiring balanced budgets) you'd see a Depression as bad as the 30s.

And what do you think lost the election for Bush Sr.? His stellar economy?

Raising taxes to cut the deficit which led to a crunch on companies, which cut jobs, leading to a recession. He fell on the sword for what he felt needed to be done.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
Yeah, yeah - I'm only cussing you because what I'm interested in is the atmospherics not the history. You needed to have a bit older than 9 to remember that as a voter and taxpayer.

Well the other conservatives aren't online at this time... have to keep the seat warm

Surely you couldn't have been 9 anyway - when did Reagan leave office? 1988?

'89. The election was in '88, Bush took office January 20th, 1989.

Though I guess you are right. I was thinking of the year, rather than the day. So I was 8.

[Alexander's Horse]

Well all I can say is the kind of things people are saying about Bush now are almost identical to what was said about poor old Ron all those years ago. For me, its like a replay.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Perhaps... but remember they dealt with different things. Reagan came in with a faltering economy, while with Bush, the economy was about to fall into recession but no one knew when. So it is a different case.

However, like I said, Bush's political idol is Reagan (even if he did say Jesus in the debate ).