RIP Ronald Reagan

[elSicomoro]

I believe that Reagan meant well with his tax cut, and he essentially won the Cold War.

Rest in peace.

[blue]

Don't go there....you a Viking fan?

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by blue
Shut up shithead, the goodwill doesn't apply to you.

*sniff sniff* I think I'll live.

[lumberjim]

Originally posted by sycamore


*sniff sniff* I think I'll live.

....a miserable bitter life and then die alone?

uhm...just kidding.

[vsp]

Nobody deserves to die, and nobody deserves to wither away mentally for twenty-plus years.

He exhaled carbon dioxide, which is beneficial to plant life.

This concludes the list of nice things I can say about Ronald Reagan.

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by lumberjim
....a miserable bitter life and then die alone?

uhm...just kidding.

Okay, I think you've had enough pot for one night.

Originally posted by blue


Bruce doesn't get a free pass, I just noticed you first. "Some peolple loved the man" applies to perhaps millions of people and I thinks yours and bruces posts were in poor taste.

But as usual I let my emotions get the best of me. I'm probably more irreverant than most some days.

I think your opinion and your attitude suck. I think most of what you post is drivel and you and radar would have a good time if you started a place somewhere to argue with each other.

But, I apologize for calling you a bitch. Your posts are as valid as anyone elses here, and I usually try and stay out of the name calling.

My bad, and it was uncalled for, I'll work harder at muzzling my self next time.

Well, millions of people DIDN'T love the man, too. Had it been stated somewhere that this was a solemn memorial post for Mr. Reagan, I wouldn't have posted at all. However, this is The Cellar, remember? No one around here is especially reverent about ANYTHING, and if you were looking for grief counseling, you should have looked elsewhere, face it.

Its pretty hard to accept an apology from someone who has just written that my "opinion and attitude suck" and that most of what I post is "drivel" and then apologizes all in the same breath.

Feel free to hate me without apology. I'm not going to loose any sleep over it, believe me.

By the way, I never paid much attention to you until now. I'm flattered that you seem to have been following my posts with such acrimony. I must have hit a nerve somewhere.

[blue]

RIP Ronald Reagan wouldn't have been your first clue this was a solemn post?

Your opinion and attitude do suck, I'm suppossed to apologize and redefine myself for you?

I don't hate you, I think you're interesting.

But you pissed me off with criticism of someone who's barely cold.

And "never paid much attention to me", you didn't vote did you?

[DanaC]

Reagan's dead.....A few years ago I'd have cheered at that. Now if only Thatcher can maintain her friendship with him and follow him into the beyond I'll be cheerful.
The man delivered a cold creed in a warm voice.

[jaguar]

Good riddance to bad rubbish. I'm with vsp.

[vsp]

Actually, I'll go back on my post and say one more nice thing about Ronnie -- unlike many of his spiritual successors in the modern conservative movement, he was occasionally capable of compromise and negotiation.

<a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0301.green.html">Reagan's Liberal Legacy</a>

If the "with-us-or-against-us" mentality of today's uberconservatives would go into the ground with him, I would throw open my bedroom window and bellow "NOW it's morning in America!"

[Beestie]

Originally posted by jaguar
Good riddance to bad rubbish.

That someone of your political pursuasion thinks so little of him is high praise indeed.

[jaguar]

If you think you've got my political persuasion that well nailed I'd love to her it =)

[richlevy]

Originally posted by vsp
Actually, I'll go back on my post and say one more nice thing about Ronnie -- unlike many of his spiritual successors in the modern conservative movement, he was occasionally capable of compromise and negotiation.

<a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0301.green.html">Reagan's Liberal Legacy</a>

If the "with-us-or-against-us" mentality of today's uberconservatives would go into the ground with him, I would throw open my bedroom window and bellow "NOW it's morning in America!"

Thanks for the link. BTW, for those of you who read the linked article, here is a bonus

Man·i·chae·an or Man·i·che·an ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mn-kn) also Man·i·chee (mn-k)
n.
A believer in Manichaeism.

adj.
Of or relating to Manichaeism; dualistic.

du·al·ism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d-lzm, dy-)
n.
The condition of being double; duality.
Philosophy. The view that the world consists of or is explicable as two fundamental entities, such as mind and matter.
Psychology. The view that the mind and body function separately, without interchange.
Theology.
The concept that the world is ruled by the antagonistic forces of good and evil.
The concept that humans have two basic natures, the physical and the spiritual

So, my thoughts on Ronald Reagan.

First, by all accounts, Ronald Reagan was a nice guy. Sure, many of his policies as president were painful, but by all accounts on a personal level he was a thoughtful and kind person.

Second, Reagan was a great speaker. It might be due to innate talent, a personal sense of conviction, his training as an actor, or some combination, but Ronald Reagan could deliver a message. Clinton, who in my opinion had a lot of personal charisma, could not deliver a speech like Reagan, although he comes the closest. Bush number one never even tried, being more of an adminstrator than a speaker, and Bush number two is a pathetic, Texas Ebonics ridden, mockery of what Reagan could deliver. Whether his words were his own or scripted, or some combination, Reagan would use them like sheet music and bring his own timing and nuances to them. He was a speechwriters dream - someone who could be counted on not just to refrain from mangling words, but deliver them mixing force and subtlety.

Third, Reagan appeared to be a devoted husband. While it is true that Mr. "Family Values" was the only divorced president, it does appear that he was devoted to his wife. In some ways, the fact that he divorced and remained devoted to his wife until death reminds me a little of Johnny Cash and June Carter.

My criticism of Reagan stems from the fact that I consider him a weak president who was led by his advisors instead of commanding them. This might have been due to his Alzheimers, which, contrary to official accounts, I believe began it's onset while he was president.

The best thing that I can say about Reagan, was that even though I disagreed with a lot of his policies, he did acheive a balance and was able to compromise and unite Congress most of the time. In a way, he provided a blueprint which, if the current administration had followed it at all, would have prevented the current White House from becoming an international embarrassment.

While I do not believe that he was the greatest president of the 20th century, as most of these ass-kissing conservative revisionists would have us believe, he did leave behind a respectable legacy and did not screw up the country too badly domestically and, except for minor embarassments like 'Iran-Contra' and Panama, left office with the United States having the respect and goodwill of most of the world.

I disagreed with many of his policies, but, as the story in VSP's link demonstrated, he was able, through compassion or poltical practicality, to compromise on his agenda. And while I think he was led around by his wife and staff on some issues, he was still enough of a leader to get the job done. He was not my pick for president, and did not reflect my personal politics well, but he was suitable for the job, which is in itself a legacy of some kind. I cannot praise him, but I cannot condemn him either. He ran, he won, he left, he died.

requiescat in pace altus proeliator

[Lady Sidhe]

*Agrees with Elspode and smoothmoniker*


Reagan was my favorite president. When I heard that he had alzheimer's, I felt very sad, and sorry for him and his family. I think he did a damned good job, despite the fact that I also believe that his illness was developing during his presidency.

I'm sorry he's dead; at least he acted like a president, not your idiot younger brother that you hide in the closet when company comes over (Clinton). I think he's really the last president we had that brought any dignity to the office, and at least he had convictions.


Pace in Requiescat....


Sidhe