Glen Contrarian
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2013
- Messages
- 17,688
- Reaction score
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- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Progressive
In 1984 Ronald Reagan got the best result in history of the United Staates Of America. The Reaganomics were popular all around the world. Do you think that he was the greatest President of the United States?
I loved Reagan at the time. I still rank him as one of our five best presidents ever, for one reason and one reason only: he won the Cold War without it ever really turning hot. That's huge, and overshadows everything else he did right or wrong. I also give him credit for restoring our national pride...it felt really good at the time, but now I think that kind of attitude played a big part in Bush Jr's decision to lie us into invading Iraq. But that's just unfounded speculation on my part.
Reagan screwed our economy but good. He tripled our national debt. His "trickle-down" Reaganomics was called "voodoo economics" by Bush Sr. for very good reason...because as Al Sharpton (whom I don't like) said, "we got the down, but we never got the trickle". After being adjusted for inflation, thanks to Reaganomics, the rich made out like bandits...but wage growth has stayed pretty much flat since then.
Reagan had to have known about (and approved of) Iran-Contra. If he'd have been a Democratic president involved in the same thing, the Right would not have rested until he was (rightly) impeached. But because he was a Republican president, it was "let's circle the wagons against those Democrats and those reporters!"
I give him credit for winning the Cold War because he was the captain of the Ship of State, and just like the captain of a ship, the one in charge gets all the blame...and all the credit. If not for his victory in the Cold War, Reagan was a truly crappy president. But because he DID win the Cold War - which literally threatened all of human civilization - he rightly deserves to be called one of our five best presidents ever.
The best two (in no particular order) were Washington and Lincoln. The other three (in descending order) were FDR, Reagan...and yes, President Obama. If you'll notice, all five of these presidents share one common thread - they ALL faced and overcame challenges that were greater than any faced by the other unnamed presidents. I know you won't agree, but you asked my opinion, and that's it.