Tomorrow Is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Reagan, and we just passed the thirtieth anniversary of his inauguration as president, so we have already been subjected to hagiographic portrayals of him, his life, and his supposedly classic American virtues.
That makes this an appropriate time to consider some of the truth of Ronald Reagan as an antidote to the lies, half truths, and mythology that we are about to hear. There are many reasons to despise and scorn the memory of Ronald Reagan, so I’ll just concentrate on a few of them.
Racism. It’s impossible to consider Reagan’s presidency without confronting the centrality of his appeals to racism. He opened his presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the city most famous for the murders of civil rights workers Chaney, Schwerner, and Goodman. His speech made an appeal to “states’ rights”, a code word for segregation and racial oppression since the earliest days of the Civil Rigjhts Movement (not to mention the Civil War). His announcement was an explicit message to any who would hear that he would support the aims of the racist South. In this way, Reagan’s presidency can be understood as the culmination of Nixon’s Southern Strategy.
As he ran, so he governed. From his support for the racist policies of Bob Jones University to his references to “big bucks” abusing Food Stamps; from his support for apartheid to the clear understanding of his aide Lee Atwater, who explained how Reagan and Bush used concealed racism to win Southern votes, Reagan’s presidency was suffused with racism, but you won’t hear any of his acolytes discuss it this week.
Support for dictators. If you listen to the Reagan apologists this week you’ll hear endless recitations of claims that he revered and valued democracy and freedom. Of course, the opposite is true. As I mentioned, he supported apartheid and resisted any efforts to attack or dismantle it. His foreign policy is characterized by support for the most vicious dictators, with his support for the incumbent dictator in El Salvador and his creation of the contra mercenaries in Nicaragua to restore the Somoza dictatorship there the most outstanding example.
Bargaining with terrorists. Maybe a smaller point, but remember that part of Reagan’s support for the contras was giving weapons to terrorists to free American hostages.
Corruption. Let’s not forget: Reagan’s administration may have been the most corrupt in our history.
Superstition. It’s a daily event that American presidents engage in superstition and mythology to gain public support. (Hint: when’s the last time you heard a presidential speech that didn’t end with “God bless you and God bless the United States”?) Reagan went beyond this by basing his public decisions on the favorite superstition of the soft-headed, astrology.
Taxes. Even today, every Republican pledges loyalty to Reagan’s anti-tax ideology. We know that after he cut taxes he raised them again, so take it as stipulated that he wasn’t as consistently opposed to taxation as his worshippers claim. Nevertheless, the message stuck. This is what I would say is the worst of the many evils that Ronald Reagan is responsible for: he convinced a wide swath of the American people that they can have all the benefits of our American society and government without paying for it. When the teabaggers claim him as their political and spiritual godfather, this is really what they’re talking about.
Who can forget Jeanne Kirkpatrick trying to persuade us that there was a difference between authoritarian dictators and totalitarian dictators?
Dunno why, but this is the one that chafes my butt the most. Raised ’em 7 times (including for stimulus types stuff like spending on highways) after the economy and employment tanked with his 1st experiment in Voodoo. Only then did things start to turn around.
So now Obama and even Shumlin talk about how we can’t raise taxes at a time like this. What about Snelling…?
I remember my mother saying “Ronald Reagan, in his starring his role as POTUS”.
RR was POTUS during my days in the wilderness of far rightwingery. Those spoonfed by religious right think of him as nearly a saint. Long ago I took a critical look @ him. I discovered him to be a complete phony. Supposed legacy a myth, was in fact merely another acting role for him imo.
I do remember the astrology discovery, patriarchy just blamed it on his wife of course. Sheeple followed suit.
He did not ‘take down the Berlin wall’ nor end communism. It was doomed from day one & fell of its own weight. Globalists accomplished this behind the scenes for their own selfish reasons. He was in the right place @ right time & that is all. Only an egomaniac would have the audacity to make his claim. A mere grandstanding showboat fueled infamous words ‘Mr. Gorbachev, please tear down this wall.’ All just smoke & mirrors.
I do believe he & StarWars bluff played a role. Obama is getting his Reagan on & wearing him as a mere symbol as he moves to the right in desperation of stemming the threating tide.
during his days with the Screen Actors Guild!
I have experienced and witnessed uncannily accurate astrological predictions, and also seen the actions of charlatans. The former being rare and the latter more commonplace.
One accurate prediction I witnessed was when the astrologer (my mom) predicted her own illness, an event that eventually killed her. She had previously done the same for two others in the short time she practiced.
I remember that Nancy Reagan was more outspoken about astrology than the ‘jipper’.
I would not denigrate the predictive science of astrology, but would agree that one looses free will by slavishly following astrological advice. That blind action could fairly be construed as being ‘softheaded’.
I remember that GHWB seemed to take over the WH about 6 months into the first term by having key people in place on staff and as cabinet Secretaries.
A result being the ‘Iran-Contra’ debacle with weapons being flown out and drugs (cocaine) being flown in on CIA planes between Nicaragua and the Mena, Arkansas airfield whose governor at the time was Bill Clinton.
There was a recent mention by one of Reagan’s sons (Ron) that his father had alzheimers while he was president.
My wife and I are disgusted with the reverence and setting up of icons that RR has been getting. He was a man, figurehead and a fair actor who worked well for his monied supporters. Please burn your incense and say your mammon prayers to RR in private, and let the rest of us grieve over the real legacy of his times.
than is belief in any of the world’s many religions. Since we have somehow managed to institutionalize belief in God as a prerequisite for anyone who would aspire to high elected office in this country, there seems little point in being surprised that some of those same individuals embrace astrology.
To me, Reagan’s policy faults and failings, and the legacy of economic dysfunction and corporate corruption he enabled are reason enough to decry his leadership. That he may have also had dodgy spiritual beliefs doesn’t particularly concern me. From my perspective, what President hasn’t?