Why is Reagan so loved by so many Republicans (and some Democrats)?

Great Debates
81

I agree with Cal.

The thing about Reagan was he was an actor. He was damn good at playing his role, that of being President. I’m not saying that there wasn’t substance behind his actor facade, but I didn’t see much of it at the time. He was seen to be a lightweight on the issues, and the antithesis of a detail man (not unlike the current occupant of the White House). He was somehow seen as a religious man, though he didn’t actually seem to be observant in any manner (see prior parenthetical), and seemed to have no trouble agreeing to policies that were, at best, morally ambiguous (see same). He did, however, have an effective group of advisers/puppetmasters (contra, above), and didn’t muck things up too badly (ditto).

So why is this actor-President so glorified, particularly by Republicans? He made people (them, at least, not me) feel good, and pushed for the policies supported by the current Republican movement. More important, perhaps, is that he is the only 20th Century Republican President that can be used as an icon and glorified. The Democrats have FDR and JFK, but Nixon, Ford or Eisehnower don’t work as icons, forget Hoover, Coolege, Harding and Taft, and TR is just too far back. As such, Reagan was seen as the man embodying all of modern Republican values.

He also had the advantage of becoming incapacitated with Alzheimers shortly after his Presidency (though there are many of us who could be easily convinced that he suffered from it well before he left office, and perhaps before he entered). As such, he could be seen as a sick, old man, and not asked any troubling questions about policies or scandals that occured while he was in office. It would be churlish to attack him while he was suffering and unable to respond, and he had no chance to say something that would fuck up how people saw him.

Since his sainthood has been advocated by Republicans for nearly two decades, it is unsurprising that some Democrats and independents, particularly those who were not politically observant during his term, accept the view that he was universally beloved. I think it was brilliant of Obama to invoke him as an indication of Obama’s interest in bipartisanship and a reminder of the comparason that can be made between the two men’s abilities as inspirational orators.

82

I suppose if your intention is to thread a love-feast and festival of adoration, one might be cautioned by the concept “Great Debates”, implying, as it does, a form of argument. Was the idea to see who could post the most gushing pangyric, who could outdo all others in their sobbing gratitude for Himself. “Reagan could kill Chuck Norris”. “No, Reagan would smile and Chuck Norris would kill himself”.

Rather thin gruel, debate wise, don’t you think? Or don’t you?

83

Out of curiosity did you actually read the OP? If the debate was ‘Was Reagan loved’ or ‘Are the reasons Reagan was loved actually valid’ you would have a point.

Of course, one would actually have to take the time to read the OP to figure all that out. I realize that just seeing the name ‘Reagan’ in the tag line for the OP is like putting a fluttering red cloth in front of a bull (yeah, I know the red part is a myth…but the color is SO appropriate…)…

-XT

84

The idea, as I understand it, was to analyze why Reagan appealed to so many people, including the so-called Reagan Democrats. I was interested in the idea because I find parallels with Obama and his so-called Obamacans — Obama Republicans. I think it is a very interesting question, and I came into the thread hoping to see it explored. If it is of no interest to you, why do you feel compelled to participate? Frankly, it is somewhat ironic to call someone out for thread policing as though you’re the real thread police after all, and are entitled to accuse people of it.

So, we were having a discussion about why Reagan appealed to so many people, and Der Trihs came in to declare that Reagan is the root of all evil. I asked if that meant that people liked him because they’re evil too. And he basically said yes. But it really isn’t a discussion about whether Reagan is good or evil, but why he appealed to so many people. Is that really so hard to understand? Or for that matter, to abide for the sake of those who would like to talk about it?

85

I’ve actually wondered about this too and I’ve done a lot of reading, pondering, and discussing on the topic. To me, it seems to boil down to 2 things:

-He was a good speaker

-“Government is not the solution to your problems; government is the problem.”

I used to agree with the quote but now I believe it gave a whole generation of people an excuse to hate the government without knowing much about it, and they’ve taught their children to do the same.

86

Teach
Your children well…

87

:smiley:

I don’t often laugh out loud around here, but that did the trick. Kudos for a brilliant line.

88

Here’s my very personal story:

I grew up in a Dem household. My parents loved Carter, being as we’re from the South and all. Watergate was the first thing I remember about politics. I was finally old enough to vote in '83. I remembered how things were under Carter. The general attitude of the country sucked. As a kid I thought there was no hope for us. Then I thought about how things were under Reagan. The country’s attitude had definitely improved. We celebrated the greatness of what it is to be an American. Sure we had problems, but instead of beating ourselves up over them, we realized that it was the specialness of America that would allow us to solve them. Reagan did that for us. So for my first presidential election, I voted for Reagan. To this day, I’m still proud that I did.

89

Ronald Reagan spoke about unity, hard work, shared values, and a renaissance of American greatness. He spoke about American virtues and our willingness to defend them, drawing on Abraham Lincoln. He seemed empathetic to the problems Americans faced and wanted to restore prosperity. Reagan was symbolic of simplicity: cowboy movies and backyard picnics.

Obama is using a similar message. He emphasizes unity, bipartisanship, responsibility of government, the American Dream, and a rebirth of America in a new global world. He draws on MLK, JFK, and even former President Clinton. Obama seems empathetic to the daunting problems most Americans deal with everyday. Obama is also symbolic of simplicity: Most Americans don’t want much, just a decent life.

90

Your generosity is an inspiration to us all.

91

Thank you, luci. Does this mean I can count on your support in the upcoming election? :wink: