Ronald Reagan seems to be more alive and in the news than when was still alive and in the news. Why won’t some let the flame flicker and die?
Not coincidentally, last week also saw the introduction of a new documentary which attempted (with some success) to unravel the many facets of this complicated man. I believe that the documentary concludes that he is neither the consummate paragon of conservative political thought that many would have him be, nor the ultimate example of political buffoonery that others believe. The truth for Reagan, as for most, lies somewhere in-between. As you will see by reading or, for some of you, rereading the posting I published in the heat of the 2008 elections, my inclination is toward the buffoonery end of the continuum. I remain, however, open to debate.
In one of the recent presidential debates, aspirants for the presidential nomination of the party of the republics, the name of Ronald Reagan was invoked no less than thirty-four times. Alas, this former play-by-play commentator, thespian of moderate talent, state governor and President has been potted since 2004 (although there are many that would attest he was pretty well potted the last several years of his second term), and still they play political football with his legacy. They continue to use his suspicious legacy as a yardstick for all who pretend to power. Invoking his name as if Mount Rushmore would be too lowly a station for this icon of icons of the insanely conservative wing of the party of the GOP.
As we know, seekers of the ultimate power of the presidency have no shame. No less a pandering sycophant than Mitt Romney allowed in his Michigan victory speech, “I draw my inspiration from Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush”. Even Rush (Sourpuss) Limbaugh couldn’t restrain himself (as he evidently couldn’t with his overuse of prescription pain killers) and blurted in stentorian tones while taking the measure of the only real born again preacher in the race, “Mike Huckabee is no Ronald Reagan. There is no Ronald Reagan in this race.”
I say, “thank god for that”. I’m not sure the republic could stand another dose of what one historian somewhat meanly called “that amiable dunce with a gift of gab”. If it weren’t for Iraq, even Bush 42 would look pretty good compared to Ronnie. Let’s look at the record.
Reagan was a self-described man of big ideas. Tax cuts will lead to economic prosperity, big government is bad, and communists states are the evil empire and must be defeated at all costs. That’s it. That’s what formed the agenda of the Reagan years, created Reaganomics, dissed “welfare queens”, alienated blacks from his party, got fourteen of his administration indicted in the Irangate scandal, created the largest public deficit in the history of our country at that time, and dismantled or retarded the effect of years of hard won progress in civil rights. Quite a record, wouldn’t you say? And this is the legacy to which the GOP would have us return. How would you like to be running for President with that CV in your pocket? Are they insane? It appears they are.
RR’s beginnings are exhaustively recorded and relatively well known by all who care as is his pitiful end, having struggled with Alzheimers and various other ailments for far too long. What is contested is the in-between period. Now, don’t get me wrong, I could care less that, as Frank Rich says, “… the GOP is running on empty, with no ideas beyond the incessant repetition of Reagan’s name”. My question is what should one think of when hearing the name of Reagan? Let me propose some choices.
We could think of a President that:
…increased our national debt from $700 million to $3 trillion making us the largest debtor nation in the world.
…fired 11,000 air traffic controls in an unfortunately successful union busting move which endangered the air safety of the nation.
…created out of whole cloth a fictional Chicago “welfare queen” with thirty identities drawing multiple welfare benefits amounting to over $150,000 per year.
…effectively subverted Carter’s efforts to negotiate an end to the Iran hostage crisis to benefit his own election prospects.
…offered continued support to South Africa’s apartheid regime and vetoed sanctions supported by Congress and the American people.
…tried to get a tax exemption for Bob Jones University, then a racially segregated college.
…kicked off his 1980 campaign in Neshoba, Ms., the site of the racially motivated deaths of three civil rights workers by saying how much he supported “states rights”.
…fired members of the Civil Rights Commission that worked too aggressively to support existing Civil Rights legislation and did not support his own policies of weak-kneed enforcement.
…signed a presidential order authorizing sales of arms to Iran that had already been found to be illegal by the World Court and used the money to fund “anti-communist” forces in Nicaragua.
…refused to recognize the peril of AIDS or even to utter the words until after Rock Hudson admitted to the disease.
…authored financial policies which led to the savings and loan crises.
Enough already. You got the idea. This is no legacy, it’s a bill of particulars. OK. To be fair, there was some good stuff.
…He induced the Russians to an arms limitation treaty which somewhat reduced the nuclear arsenals of the respective countries.
…The Berlin Wall came down on his watch
…He watched while the USSR spun apart.
…He cut taxes for rich people. The highest marginal rate went from 74 to 28% during his two terms.
…He taught Momar Gadaffi a lesson by authorizing a bombing which killed one of his kids.
…He was a good cheerleader and raised our morale when our national morale was in the tank.
In toting up the record, a panel of historians who does this kind of thing, reckoned that he was “no better than an average president. He was not as good as Washington, Jefferson or FDR, but better than Harding or Buchanan”. I’d call that being damned by faint praise. You be the judge.
And yet, these GOP wannabes keep trying to get the public to identify them with him. I can only conclude that either they think the public is made up of blithering idiots, or they have never looked at RR’s record very closely, don’t really care, or they are indeed, running on empty.
Go figure.
