The Death of a Mediocre President
Jun. 6th, 2004 05:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sdelmonteKind of surprised that few have posted about this yet. But I am still a political beast, and one who will spned the next week cringing at the coverage of Reagan's death, so here are some (edited) thoughts I composed for another board...
I do offer sincere condolences to RR's family, who have suffered for many years as they watched a man they care for decline and essentially vanish. I also offer condolences to those who admired the man.
That said, while compared to Dubya RR seems a lot better, I consider him a mediocre (if successful) president who gets credit for keeping most of his promises and for helping to end to Cold War, but who for the most part stood for all the wrong things. He ended the New Deal era of social welfare, increased the deficit greatly, turned his back on the cities, dealt a blow to the labor unions, and paved the way for the excesses of the curent regime. He presided over the sometimes absurd, sometimes dangerous Iran-Contra mess, confused reality with the movies, surrounded himself with increasingly corrupt aides, and left this nation in worse shape than he found it in, though few seemed to notice.
Never mind that I never understood why he was called the Great Communicator. (Give me Bill Clinton's speechifying any day.)
I say all this now simply because it will be whitewsahed away till the funeral. I remember the utter crap we got when Nixon died. It was as if Wategate never happened. Dead celebrities get free rides, even dead disgraced politicians. I do not want to stop the millions who disagree with my assessment of Reagan from mourning him. I just don't want to see the media's iconography.
(Of course, I would bet than when Jimmy Carter passes on, he doesn't get the same Get Out of Jail card, even though I have long admired and respected him far more than any other ex-president.)
Between RR and the almost-sacred tones that the anniversary of D-Day is now receiving, I think I will skip the news today.
I do offer sincere condolences to RR's family, who have suffered for many years as they watched a man they care for decline and essentially vanish. I also offer condolences to those who admired the man.
That said, while compared to Dubya RR seems a lot better, I consider him a mediocre (if successful) president who gets credit for keeping most of his promises and for helping to end to Cold War, but who for the most part stood for all the wrong things. He ended the New Deal era of social welfare, increased the deficit greatly, turned his back on the cities, dealt a blow to the labor unions, and paved the way for the excesses of the curent regime. He presided over the sometimes absurd, sometimes dangerous Iran-Contra mess, confused reality with the movies, surrounded himself with increasingly corrupt aides, and left this nation in worse shape than he found it in, though few seemed to notice.
Never mind that I never understood why he was called the Great Communicator. (Give me Bill Clinton's speechifying any day.)
I say all this now simply because it will be whitewsahed away till the funeral. I remember the utter crap we got when Nixon died. It was as if Wategate never happened. Dead celebrities get free rides, even dead disgraced politicians. I do not want to stop the millions who disagree with my assessment of Reagan from mourning him. I just don't want to see the media's iconography.
(Of course, I would bet than when Jimmy Carter passes on, he doesn't get the same Get Out of Jail card, even though I have long admired and respected him far more than any other ex-president.)
Between RR and the almost-sacred tones that the anniversary of D-Day is now receiving, I think I will skip the news today.
