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why was Reagan such a good President?

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i'm not trying to be condescending, it's just he was Pres while i was too young to really know what politics was all about so i'm a little naive about his policies.

So many people on TV are calling him "the greatest Preseident the US ever had" and i'm just genuinely curious to know why this is.

As far as i can tell, he resurrected a flailing US economy through massive tax cuts but this came at a cost of record annual deficits and a ballooning national debt, and minority groups didn't seem to benefit at all. I know he breathed life back into a then demoralised and flailing US military machine, but this came at a cost of $2 trillion to the tax payer.

His policy of "Just Say No" to drugs didn't work, and the drug problem in the US just escalated to where it is today.

Where he seems to have been great was in his ability to begin nuclear arms reduction with Gorbachev, but he likewise also had to bear the cross of the Iran-Contra affair.

He seems to have been an excellent communicator with the people and made them warm to him, perhaps unlike other presidents had - maybe it's that charisma thing again? Anyway, can someone let me know why people consider he was the best, and if possible relate it to your own personal experiences under Reagan?

Thanks

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

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He was born poor.
Worked his way through school, and supported his parents.

He was a very good speaker. Charismatic as hell, and knew how to work a crowd.

He tried many times to not have party lines....He tried to get both sides to work for the good of America...Something no one has done since.
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/analysis/toons/2004/06/08/lang/index.html

As with anything a person does there are two sides.

He fired the ATC guys...After they went on strike illegally...And after he warned them he would. I applaud him for that.

He did turn the economy around...Yes it had other effects. But I think the economy going south was worse than national debt....If no one has any money to pay the debt who cares how big it is?

He fixed the military....Clinton then destroyed it again.

His "Just say No" program was not perfect, but it was a start...Very few large problems get fixed with the first solution. He at least raised it to a national spot light. Without that program...we would not be as far along as we are...Or more likely we would be in a worse state now.

He did help bankrupt the Soviet Union.....And that meant that our great enemy was gone. (Thats both good and bad).

He took steps to end the cold war...and they worked. We no longer had to live in fear of two giant superpowers destroying the world.

The wall fell.

He was a poor man that worked hard and ended up being the most powerful man in the world...A while there he did good things.

He and Nacy's relationship was amazing. A model to aim for.

He was a man that had a good personal history...A man you could be proud of to have as a leader. Both Bush and Clinton fell short.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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"He took steps to end the cold war...and they worked. We no longer had to live in fear of two giant superpowers destroying the world. "

I think he will be remembered for his part in ending the cold war most of all. For this reason, I think he was perhaps one of the great US leaders, and I'm not a big fan of Republicans.:)
"But look at how it began. When I was asked what I thought of Reagan, I called him a dinosaur. He called me a bonehead Bolshevik!
That's how it all started - a relationship between the furthest right-wing politician and the most left-leaning Bolshevik. But despite our different ideologies, we knew we had to be realistic. You can't do politics any other way... "
Words we can all learn from......;)

Nice link to some of Gorby's memories of the man.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3784009.stm
--------------------

He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

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He took steps to end the cold war...and they worked. We no longer had to live in fear of two giant superpowers destroying the world.



And, he did this by proclamation. "We should build a form of nuclear weapons blanket over our nation to shield us from nuclear threat. And, I think we should share this Star Wars technology with every country including our enemies."

Mr. President, Mr. President, you're saying we should spend billions in developing this Star Wars technology to just give it away?!?!?

Well, Yes. It just makes sense doesn't it? If we can all protect ourselves from the threat of nuclear attack, then there will be no reason for anyone to have nuclear weapons. They would be useless."

Friggin brilliant and in the face of scrutiny!!

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Why was Reagan such a good President?
I have no idea and don't think he was.


But I think the answer to your question is

Because he passed away.

RIP god bless the dead.
I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

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The wall fell.



That's the only one in your list I agree with. But he's not in the ground yet so I'll keep my comments to myself. He was a good president for his time, but definitely not as magnificent as some people would lead you to believe.

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That's the only one in your list I agree with. But he's not in the ground yet so I'll keep my comments to myself. He was a good president for his time, but definitely not as magnificent as some people would lead you to believe.



Oh look you and I don't agree?

Wheres that "No fuck, ya got to be kidding me" icon?

He was better than all since him, and better than quite a few that were before him.

But I of course don't expect you to agree.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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Get ready. I agree completely with that statement.



?!?!?!?!?

Next you are gonna tell me the Devil Rays have a shot at the Wold Series?

Is this "Fuck with Ron's Mind" day?

Help...I'm confused....I fell a sense of warmth and openness. Is the world ending?

Hell, in this new state of openess...I'll give it a shot.

I liked Clintons......
I liked Clintons......

Damn this is hard,

I liked Clintons....Hair....Yeah, he had nice hair.:P

Oh...He was good with women...Got to respect that.

Some of his economic policies were ok.

I have to go...I feel dizzy.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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He was good with women...Got to respect that



Classy women aren't attracted to married men, by and large. My cousin and his wife went to both Clinton inaugurations (he probably went to Bush's, too -- he's a newspaper editor-in-chief in a fairly significant political market). When Clinton put his arm around his wife, she said it gave her the creeps.

And of course, being in the media and teaching, they are both liberals.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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"Get ready. I agree completely with that statement."

I sense a disturbance in the Force.
B|
--------------------

He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

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See, now you had to ruin it and I have to disagree with you again.



Well come on, it could not last forever....It would have been a sure sign of the end of the world.

We will always have Jun 11, 2004, 7:11 AM.

Quote

Did you see the pigs he was tagging?



Yes, some were ugly, but he had QUANTITY if not QUALITY.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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Here are my reasons:

1) He said what he meant, and nobody ever thought Reagan was bullshitting. When the ATC's went on strike, he said they'd be fired if they didn't return in 48 hours. Then he fired those who didn't return in 48 hours. I think it was six months into his presidency. Nobody (including the Soviets) ever called a Reagan bluff again.

2) He was "presidential." Sam DOnaldson said that when Clinton walks into a room, it might as well be a golfing buddy. When Reagan walked into a room, just his presence alone was commanding. Foreign heads of state felt the same way.

3) He was a consensus builder. Reagan didn't fix the economy or the military alone. He needed COngress' help. He was able to get a Democratic Congress to do much of what he wanted by making deals and taking it to the people. Read "SHowdown at Gucci Gulch" for a perfect example of the dealing.

4) He was more pragmatic than he's given credit for. He was vocally anti-abortion, but signed laws alowing it. He was anti-taxes, but got the largest tax-increase ever. HE was anti-government, but, dayum, it grew under him.

5) He was a man who was respected on both sides. While a deal maker, the Democrats HAD to spew about how bad he was to have a chance at the White House. The Republicans HAD to tolerate his dealmaking. Noother President has been respected so much by those that villified him.


My wife is hotter than your wife.

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Here are my reasons:

1) He said what he meant, and nobody ever thought Reagan was bullshitting. When the ATC's went on strike, he said they'd be fired if they didn't return in 48 hours. Then he fired those who didn't return in 48 hours. I think it was six months into his presidency. Nobody (including the Soviets) ever called a Reagan bluff again.
.....

4) He was more pragmatic than he's given credit for. He was vocally anti-abortion, but signed laws alowing it. He was anti-taxes, but got the largest tax-increase ever. HE was anti-government, but, dayum, it grew under him.

reply]

Explain how (1) is not contradicted by (4).

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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I'm anxiously awaiting his burial, so people will stop making Reagan seem like a god...Waiting for the media to move onto their next obscenity...



Do'nt worry; you can stop holding your water in less than twelve hours.

I was in the military(USAF-30351 Air Traffic Control Radar Repairman) during the Carter Presidency. Gas lines, run away inflation, hostages, malaise, '80 Olympics that weren't, communists in the americas, taxes, disco, and rampant anarcy.
When the President Reagan prayed on during his first speech; I said 'look at this hoakie fool'. Then the hostages came home, he fired PATCO(Air traffic controllers are the only assholes bigger than pilots), the military became cool again (and got money), taxes came down, inflation went away, and people had rediscovered patriotism. It was morning in America.
During this time the whiners were howling, kind of like today.
-Bob-

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I'm anxiously awaiting his burial, so people will stop making Reagan seem like a god...Waiting for the media to move onto their next obscenity...



Do'nt worry; you can stop holding your water in less than twelve hours.

I was in the military(USAF-30351 Air Traffic Control Radar Repairman) during the Carter Presidency. Gas lines, run away inflation, hostages, malaise, '80 Olympics that weren't, communists in the americas, taxes, disco, and rampant anarcy.
When the President Reagan prayed on during his first speech; I said 'look at this hoakie fool'. Then the hostages came home, he fired PATCO(Air traffic controllers are the only assholes bigger than pilots), the military became cool again (and got money), taxes came down, inflation went away, and people had rediscovered patriotism. It was morning in America.
During this time the whiners were howling, kind of like today.
-Bob-



Yes, it's easy to feel good when living on borrowed money.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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Reagan was good at a lot of things that I don't necessarily value. I'm not necessarily right in not valuing them, but I'm not necessarily wrong, either.

He made the country more comfortable for a lot of people. He did raise up the estimation of the US in the eyes of people who respect force first, and who don't consider speech to be a real form of push-back in negotiation.

He did not serve everyone. And the fact that the people who weren't well-served (many, many poor and marginalized people) don't necessarily vote or speak out in the venues that we see means that it's easy to see the good and ignore the bad. Because "those people" are wrong anyway. Or something like that. "Those people" are still Americans, and citizens, and have the same rights, friends, families, and desire to live lives that we do.

Large deficit spending is ruinous in the long run. It's a short-term solution sometimes, but short-term solutions shouldn't be used on long-term problems.

But he had a lot of talents, and he used them mostly well and wisely, and no one is universally talented.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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During this time the whiners were howling, kind of like today.



Hark! What's that I hear?



I was agreeing with you that living on borrowed money and not having to worry about paying it back made America under Reagan feel good. Do you have a comprehension problem or something?
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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