# Why is Reagan so loved by so many Republicans (and some Democrats)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 14, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666 "2008-02-14T22:11:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/21 "2008-02-14T23:53:25Z")
[QUOTE=Starving Artist] \*I wish that for just one time You could stand inside my shoes And just for that one moment I could be you Yes, I wish that for just one time You could stand inside my shoes You’d know what a drag it is To see you\* -Bob Dylan [/QUOTE] Still, **Der Trihs** is right for once. What he says is not the **whole** truth about RWR by any means, nor about America; but it is the truth on both counts. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/22 "2008-02-14T23:57:22Z")
Reagan is also remembered fondly because he was such a nice, fatherly guy. And sincere. Not honest, perhaps – sometimes not even capable of distinguishing truth from non-truth – but sincere; you could always tell he really **believed** in all the things he said. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/23 "2008-02-15T00:04:05Z")
Because Der Trihs doesn’t like him (I AM the master of understatement)…isn’t that enough for anyone? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/24 "2008-02-15T00:13:43Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] To be fair, the voice of the left wing was allowed to propagate, too. It just didn’t. [/QUOTE] You are correct. The free market was established, the left wing did not respond. ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/25 "2008-02-15T01:58:23Z")
Reagan and JFK are remembered fondly because they are the quintessential 20th century TV presidents. They’re tall, attractive, well-spoken, and have good hair. Part poet, part motivational speaker, part game-show host, you’re never quite sure what they’re talking about, but it always sounds nice. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/26 "2008-02-15T02:55:03Z")
And the proof? You’ll find it in the strangest place: Republican modesty, the blushing refusal to release the Reagan Papers to adoring historians, eager to bask in the vision of the Shining Citadel on the Hill. But soft! No, no, it is too much for Bush and Co., they steadfastly refuse to allow such a thing, they are but the humble acolytes of St. Ronnie, who taught them…so much, so very much. If you’re going to have a war, pick somebody who cannot fight back, either before or after you kick their ass. Future historians will marvel at the Grenada Campaign, they will seek every detail on how it was done. But not _why_ it was done, that lies outside human understanding. There is only so much that can be known, and Reagan knew everything else. He smiled like sunshine, while the western wind whisteled through the canyons of his mind, gently eroding the facts into rounded, shapeless forms of uncertainty. We deserved him, and the Republican Party gave him to us. Let us never forget. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/27 "2008-02-15T02:56:07Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] To be fair, the voice of the left wing was allowed to propagate, too. [/QUOTE] No, it wasn’t. Espousing anything but the right wing view tends to get you fired. Which is to be expected, as it’s the rich, and therefore mostly right wing, who own the media in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/28 "2008-02-15T03:09:31Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] No, it wasn’t. Espousing anything but the right wing view tends to get you fired. Which is to be expected, as it’s the rich, and therefore mostly right wing, who own the media in the first place. [/QUOTE] Yep, I remember well how Dan Rather was turned out on his ear, what, some time in Reagan’s first term, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/29 "2008-02-15T03:23:55Z")
Don’t confuse him with the facts…he knows what he knows. He probably clearly remembers the purge of all liberals from the US media during Reagan’s reign (he was crowned King, you know?). The pogroms, the shootings, the beatings, the disappearances…I have no doubt they are clear in his mind. Liberals on the run, hiding out in barns or in hidden basements no doubt…perhaps an entire liberal under ground rail road, helping liberals from all walks of life escape to Canada… Asking him for a cite would be the same as asking someone else for a cite that the sky is blue, or water wet. -XT ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/30 "2008-02-15T03:24:52Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] (he was crowned King, you know?). [/QUOTE] Yeh, pretty much. (Unlike W, who put the crown on his own head Napoleon-style.) ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/31 "2008-02-15T03:26:21Z")
He was stately, glamorous, attractive (in a grandfatherly way) and _presidential_! One got the sense that a true statesman was in charge when he occupied the White House. He was strong, savvy and, despite his lovable and grandfatherly manner, not one to be trifled with. Foreign leaders knew it and respected him accordingly. He was widely respected as a leader, both here and abroad. He had a deep, deep understanding of both people and the machinery of government. He could outfox Tip O’Neil virtually at will, work effectively with the Democratic congress, and, if that didn’t work, go over their heads directly to the people. He always seemed to know what he was doing and and how to handle whatever came up. He was a tough negotiator. I recall how pissed he was one day in Europe when Gorbachev was being particularly recalcitrant in regard to some aspect of the negotiations they were conducting. Reagan refused to give in and eventually Gorbachev capitulated (sorry, I don’t recall the particulars - only the image of Reagan, as ticked as I’d ever seen him, getting in the limo at the end of the day’s session and determined to prevail). As alluded to before, you always knew what he believed and how he would act based upon those beliefs. He was not guided by polls and focus groups - he did what he thought was best. Put all these together and you get an incredibly effective, inspirational and much beloved leader. We won’t see the likes of him again for a long time, if ever - unless Arnie decides to run, that is 😃 (and overcomes that pesky snag in the Constitution that prevents it). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/32 "2008-02-15T03:27:53Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] No, it wasn’t. Espousing anything but the right wing view tends to get you fired. Which is to be expected, as it’s the rich, and therefore mostly right wing, who own the media in the first place. [/QUOTE] This claim is silly. Name one broadcaster or reporter or pundit who was fired between 1981 ands 1988 for espousing an opinion that was not “right wing.” (And if you claim that there were no such reports or opinions aired in that time period, based on fear of job loss, I will simply laugh at your claim.) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/33 "2008-02-15T03:29:29Z")
**Starving Artist** , if you feel the need to tell another poster you do not enjoy their presence, even poetically, do it in the **Pit**. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/34 "2008-02-15T03:37:31Z")
[QUOTE=JohnnieEnigma] And what Charles Krauthammer said recently: “Reagan changed history. At home, he radically altered both the shape and perception of government. Abroad, he changed the entire structure of the international system by bringing down the Soviet empire, giving birth to a unipolar world of unprecedented American dominance.” [/QUOTE] Demonstrating, once more, that Krauthammer is an idiot who lives in a bubble of his own devising with no contact with the real world. (This is not a shot at Reagan, only at Krauthammer’s ludicrous, one-sided, hyperbolic revision of history.) ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/35 "2008-02-15T03:38:23Z")
You are correct, sir (or ma’am - that **debb** part confuses me). 🙂 I forgot where I was :smack: and I do apologize. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/36 "2008-02-15T03:48:39Z")
[QUOTE=Starving Artist] …I recall how pissed he was one day in Europe when Gorbachev was being particularly recalcitrant in regard to some aspect of the negotiations they were conducting. Reagan refused to give in and eventually Gorbachev capitulated (sorry, I don’t recall the particulars - only the image of Reagan, as ticked as I’d ever seen him, getting in the limo at the end of the day’s session and determined to prevail)… [/QUOTE] Its \*all \* image, **Starv** , that’s why you remember it. You don’t remember the particulars (odds are its Reykavik?), but you understand the image down to its detail, the President is pissed, the President is determined to prevail… How do you know he wasn’t just constipated? From what interpretive science do you derive so much fact from so little substance? Since, as you say, you don’t _recall_ the substance in the first place? Bless your heart, you’ve been had. But good. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/37 "2008-02-15T03:53:56Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] Bless your heart, you’ve been had. But good. [/QUOTE] Well, at least no cigars were involved. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/38 "2008-02-15T04:00:05Z")
[QUOTE=Starving Artist] Well, at least no cigars were involved. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Oh, no? Have your lower colon checked for nicotine residue. You’ll be surprised, shocked, and (best-case scenario) titillated. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/39 "2008-02-15T04:03:22Z")
😃 ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666/40 "2008-02-15T05:53:49Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] Don’t confuse him with the facts…he knows what he knows. He probably clearly remembers the purge of all liberals from the US media during Reagan’s reign (he was crowned King, you know?). The pogroms, the shootings, the beatings, the disappearances…I have no doubt they are clear in his mind. Liberals on the run, hiding out in barns or in hidden basements no doubt…perhaps an entire liberal under ground rail road, helping liberals from all walks of life escape to Canada… Asking him for a cite would be the same as asking someone else for a cite that the sky is blue, or water wet. -XT [/QUOTE] I do remember liberals being hunted during the Reagan years. Granted, it was by Milo’s father in a ‘Bloom County’ strip, but still it _happened_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reagan-so-loved-by-so-many-republicans-and-some-democrats/437666.md?page=3)