What about Reaganton DC.
Not evenfor Ray Charles? He looks pretty classy with that bowtie and sunglasses.
So why not create the Ronald Reagan Memorial Stem Cell Research Center, and do some lasting good against the disease that robs million of Americans of their sunset years? Who could oppose that?
Why not do something new and creative to honor Reagan? It’s not like Rushmore is the only place in the country you could build a monument to someone, or money is the only place you can put a face. Personally, I’m not all that comfortable with anyone younger than Lincoln on our money, and even that is a little silly. Presidents are our servants, not our gods.
Sorry, creativity was cut from the budget. I somehow doubt the NEA is going to focus its creative energies memorializing Reagan.
In his teenage years, in the 1920s, I believe he had a style that was deadly…
Well, yeah, which is why we put them on money, not in our homes. “Render unto Caesar…”
This was brought up on the tube and I forget who responded to the question but I agree with the position that President Reagan would probably not want to be added to Mt. Rushmore. Not his style.
I’m still wondering how Teddy got included on Mt Rushmore. 3 founding fathers and who?
They could put Reagan on a stamp at any time. Not too keen on messing with the lower denomination monies ($1 through $20). No reason but I just don’t want to change those bills. Coins would be the best bet. They’re like little medals.
I thought Nancy already built him a memorial…where he’s being buried. Looks pretty classy to me. I don’t see why we would even consider putting him on Rushmore personally.
I think people who deny that Reagan was popular are pretty much out of touch…he was and is very popular, and with a diverse group of folks too. I’ve seen dyed in the wool Democrats that were fond of the man, even if they didn’t always agree with what he did. Did anyone see the people stopping their cars to watch his motorcade go by on the way to the funeral? Unreal for anyone familiar with California traffic on a friday. It would normally be worth your life to stop your car and get out during rush hour…and not for fear of being hit by another car, but for fear that someone would shoot you like a dog because they were in a hurry to get home for supper. I see Reagan as the Bill Clinton of the Republican party…he was and is pretty damn popular with people on both sides of the fence, and its really a small group of people at the extreme ends of politics that want to really cut the guy up.
As to the OP, I have always said its impossible to judge the events you are living through from a historical perspective. We are simply too close to them, and too emotional about them. Its hard to say how ‘history’ will judge Reagan or any of the other presidents during my lifetime…or the events that transpired during my lifetime.
-XT
Why should average poll numbers be a guide? Why don’t we consider his popularity when he left office, which I believe was higher than any other president. Or the fact that he ran for office exactly four times in his life, and he won all four elections by landslides.
Or the fact that today, 17 years after leaving office, his popularity is higher than it’s ever been, and even at a time when the U.S. isn’t that popular in other areas of the world, Reagan is.
Of course, if you want to use average popularity as the measure of a president, you’ll have to face the fact that George W. Bush has the highest average popularity of any president in history.
Well, you might believe it, but it isn’t true.
That’s what I get for trusting CNN then. They mentioned that today during the funeral coverage.
I’m not sure about that Sam. Polling is a uniquely 20th Century aberration. And it’s quite reasonable to note that in the first 100 years of the United States, a huge number of people would probably have gone through their lives without ever considering too much about the President of “their” era because there was an abscence of media saturation and 24 x 7 TV coverage of the Whitehouse.
Indeed, in Lincoln’s era, it was quite common for news in one part of the country to take up to 14 days to filter through to the other side of the country. Hence, given that popularity is by definition such an intangible, fickle material to quantify, I rather think it’s somewhat unwise to talk about “popularity” in terms of absolutes. It’s a bit like trying to draw a smell, if you know what I mean.
Personally, for mine? I would have thought the most popular President ever was Teddy Roosevelt. I was given to understanding that his bravura ways were quite highly regarded.
George W. Bush and his Christian fundamentalist base?
I agree - it’s a fucking stupid idea. That friggin’ mountain side will end up looking like the cover of Sgt Peppers eventually.
The justification for putting FDR on the dime was the March of DImes which was originated when comedian Eddie Cantor, on his radio show, asked people to send in their loose change to help fund the attempt to help people recover from the effects of poliomyelitis. The dimes drive became the symbol of the effort to combat polio and FDR figured in because he was a victim of the disease. To most people that is a theoretical disease, but in the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s it was real.
As to the Kennedy half-dallar I think that was a kind of hasty and emotional thing IMHO. I was never too impressed with JFK as president. Other than the Cuban Missile affair which was well done although scary, I don’t see that he accomplished a whole lot. Peace Corps maybe and a couple other things.
PS. I think if Reagan’s image is put on currency it should be on a three dollar bill.
The thing that is most wrong about this move to build state monuments to Reagan is that it is most definitely not what Reagan would have wanted. I heard on TV today (so it’s probably wrong…) that the building that has the second largest number of civil servants in the government is named after Ronald Reagan, who championed smaller government. I’m sure he would have been happy with the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, but federal buildings? Nah.
It would be more fitting if a private organization built a huge monument to Reagan.
Actually, I know the best way to Honor Reagan - name the stock market after him. Instead of the Dow Jones average, you could have the Reagan average…