The obligatory Reagan post (yawn)

It won't be objective.  In fact, I stopped attending my then-favorite watering hole when they put a picture of Ronald Reagan on the wall.  Granted, he had just died, so, out of respect for the dead, I kept quiet about it until the funeral was over.  (This was churlish of me, I admit.  After all, President Reagan had once looked down from his helicopter and given a hearty wave to little old me--autumn, 1982, Los Angeles.)  

They said they'd take the picture down, and did, but, alas, the damage had been done.  Just when I was on the verge of getting over it, I spotted John Elway hanging around the place a few times, and thought, "If this is turning into a Republican bar, I'm out of here."

Ronald Reagan didn't cure the economy or bring down communism.  These supposed "achievements" of his are the work of a post-presidential public relations effort by conservatives to elevate his presidency and delude the American people into thinking he was a great president.  (Included in this plan of puffery, incidentally, is the effort to name something after Reagan in all 3000 counties of the United States.  This always struck me as being rather like dogs marking their territory.)

Conservatives just don't have many presidential heroes to cheer.  They couldn't really puff Nixon, but, by golly, they had Reagan--or, perhaps better, they thought they could invent a Reagan to their liking.  The real Ronald Reagan was just not very conservative by today's standards--he wouldn't be able to get the GOP nomination today because he was wa-a-ay too liberal--and Reagan was never as popular as they would have a person think.  

In his first term, his approval rating was in the low-40's during the 1982 recession, rebounded when the economy improved, went back down in the low-40's with Iran-Contra, then rebounded again to just over 50% when he left office--lower than Eisenhower and Clinton when they left office, but ahead of Lyndon Johnson, and both Bushes.  

In 1992, four years after his second term ended, Jimmy Carter was more popular than Reagan.  By a margin of 40-24, the public then said the country was worse off because of Reagan.  More Americans viewed him unfavorably than favorably.

His proponents have had to re-write history to make him a hero.  Reagan didn't end inflation, for example--Jimmy Carter did.  He did it by appointing Paul Volcker Chairman of the Fed who shut down the money supply.  

Nor did Reagan cut taxes--in fact, he raised taxes multiple times.  This is where I side with Reagan against his admirers.  Even Reagan could recognize reality.  Some of his proponents apparently cannot.  Incidentally, it was Bill Clinton who raised taxes on the wealthy, and ushered in the longest era of prosperity in American history.  

They were real torqued about it too.  Some reportedly even had to delay delivery of their new yacht.  Bill Clinton also lowered government expenditures as a percentage of the total economy by 3.2%.  Reagan only did it by 1%.  It's hardly a "conservative revolution" if Bill Clinton was better at it than Ronald Reagan.

Nor did Reagan bring down the Soviet Union.  Nobody claimed this at the time.  A majority of the American people then, over 50%, gave the kudos to Mikhail Gorbachev for setting in motion forces which took on a life of their own and wound up bringing the whole rotten structure down.  Besides, every president since Truman had been a cold warrior, which Reagan continued, but didn't intensify.  In fact, at the time, he was criticized by the right for being too friendly with the Soviets.

"Can't you say something nice about the man?"  Yes.  Credit where credit is due:  He acted the part of President fairly well.  He looked good on the reviewing stand, and could deliver a line.  He once remarked that people think an actor shouldn't be president, but he couldn't see how you could not be an actor and be president.  This carries some truth.

He wasn't a gay-basher either.  He once said, "I don't care what people do as long as they don't do it in public and scare the horses."  This is a line I have used myself on multiple occasions, and am always careful to give the former president credit.  

Plus, I've grown to appreciate Nancy Reagan.  The former First Lady was sometimes a rare voice of sanity in the Reagan White House.  Since her White House years, because of her husband's illness, she has strongly advocated for stem cell research.  Besides, her kids are liberals. 

OK, he was a likable fella--I'll grant that--but he believed things that weren't true while steadfastly insisting, contrary to actual evidence, that they were true.  He gave energy and motion to the idea that you can just make stuff up and believe what you want.  This is his true legacy because, unfortunately, this has had lasting effects.

 

 

Comments

[lillianjane]

I like the "I don't care what people do" line too, John, but I read it pre-Reagan, attributed to some aristocratic woman in the Victorian era. If I manage to locate the source I will pass it along. Oh no I have taken away one thing to give Reagan credit for!

[lillianjane]

Bless wikipedia, or actually "wikiquote":
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mrs_Patrick_Campbell

Here is the story.

[Brother Bartimaeus]

You are right on about the re-writing of history. Recently there was a story on the radio show "This American Life" about how the Reagan Library is indoctrinating kids into a pro-Reagan mindset. Gotta start 'em young!

[Hypatia]

Yes, it was Mrs. Pat's line. Like many of Reagan's quips it was not original to him.

Mrs. Reagan does not seem to be a particularly likable person but as her husband once noted, wives have it tough. Probably the most successful good cop, bad cop routine in history.

Strange, strange man. People like Mike Deaver could wear themselves out in his service and he barely noticed.

[John Petty]

I'm distressed to learn that one of the things I liked about the man really isn't true--not that I'm surprised.

Also, his line at the NH primary debate--"I paid for this microphone"--actually comes from the movie State of the Union and was spoken by Spencer Tracy.

I just don't think there was much to Reagan. Now Nixon, on the other hand--there was one interesting fella.

[Art Binhack]

A very interesting take on all things Reagan:

http://open.salon.com/blog/liberaldose/2011/02/28/borrowing_privileges

- Art Binhack
Milwaukee