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Showing Original Post only (View all)Why do Republicans worship Ronald Reagan ?? [View all]
I remember the Reagan years very well. They were some of the toughest years of my life trying to find a job. I have looked and looked for his greatness and I do not find it.
However, when Republicans talk about him now, they speak of him like he was a god. They say he restored the spirit of America. He didn't restore my spirit. In my opinion, he was one of the worst Presidents ever for the common working man.
But, for whatever reason, Republicans speak in awe of the man. I have little doubt but that if any other President makes it on Mount Rushmore, it will likely be Ronald Wilson Reagan.
I have tried to understand why they worship the man? After all, the Democrats have their FDR and JFK, why shouldn't the Republicans have their own hero? He defeated Jimmy Carter and busted the PATCO union and made people believe there was a "shining city on the hill". He was instrumental in the collapse of the Soviet Union, although some may think he overthrew them single-handedly?
In the final analysis, I think he made them feel like "winners". They had been in the wilderness for decades, playing second fiddle to the Democratic majority. Reagan pulled them up out of their doldrums and told them that government was bad, that taxes were bad, and the ten worst words in the English language were, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you".
In reality, he was a doddering and feeble old man that depended on others to tell him where to stand and what he might want to say. Being a professional actor of many years, he was good at delivering his lines.
But it didn't stop the Republicans from building up his legacy. He is not known as much for his great deeds as much as for the great transformation of the Republican Party. He was the county fair, with laughter and cotton candy.
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I pretty sure I remember some CIA analyst that wrote a book saying that the real turning point
brewens
Jul 2012
#53
No idea. They always seem to forget him giving millions of illegal aliens blanket immunity..
truebrit71
Jul 2012
#4
Great, now you can do your own research and learn that the invasion and barracks had no connection
braddy
Jul 2012
#119
He's dead so they can create their own Reagan reality without anybody to answer to....
cbdo2007
Jul 2012
#10
Saint Ronnie must be deified by the true believers: after all, he was the architect of the mountain
indepat
Jul 2012
#14
Why would any human "worship" another human? I've lived long enough to learn even the greatest among
jody
Jul 2012
#28
And every air traffic controller in the US still calls that airport "National."
The Velveteen Ocelot
Jul 2012
#35
Hell, I still call it "National". You can't get more fucked up than that place.
HopeHoops
Jul 2012
#36
I can think of about a thousand DUers who have never posted a critical word about him in ten years
NNN0LHI
Jul 2012
#38
He let the modern Republican Party be the openly racist party they always yearned to be.
Ikonoklast
Jul 2012
#40
The Gipper was chipper--probably because he was losing his mind even early on--perfect for Repugs.
diane in sf
Jul 2012
#48
cause compared to the bushes, ford and nixon, he looks like a fucking genius...i guess
spanone
Jul 2012
#49
Because Nixon resigned, Ford didn't win election, Bush didn't win in '92, Eisenhower was too
craigmatic
Jul 2012
#51
I guess they admired his business savvy, trading guns for hostages and cocaine ...
struggle4progress
Jul 2012
#52
Much of what we believe is a product of the propaganda at the time, in my opinion...
kentuck
Jul 2012
#60
Because he was a 2 termer who left office with his public perception dignity in tact.
phleshdef
Jul 2012
#63
Thanks for that interesting link...i didn't think I could despise him more than I already did...
truebrit71
Jul 2012
#97
No one discussing Ronald Reagan should be allowed to forget the Salvadoran Baby Skulls
LongTomH
Jul 2012
#67
So they waited until Bush Sr was President before they picked up their hammers...
kentuck
Jul 2012
#75
Tell your GOP friends this one - that Reagan would never have endorsed free trade with China.
reformist2
Jul 2012
#86
I can't believe some poster hasn't claimed Reagan put the first man on the moon yet
NNN0LHI
Jul 2012
#88
Indeed, he did have the IQ requirement dropped that included the mentally handicapped.
kentuck
Jul 2012
#109
Because they had been trying to sell their crazy-ass "trickle-down" economics and racists BS
maxrandb
Jul 2012
#107