Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General "Reagan Principles"

Trust me. Being a Conservative is a Lifestyle Choice.

When I first started this thread, I had in mind, all along, this post that you Ranters are now reading. I simply wanted to wait and see what you Ranters came up with using the idea of Reagan Principles.

In 1964, three black men from the upper Westside of Manhattan went down to Neshoba County Mississippi to encourage local blacks to register and vote.

Just days prior to the arrival of these three men, a black church was firebombed and its worshippers were beaten.

The three men from New York disappeared shortly after their arrival into the county. Their bodies found months later, bullet riddled.

Ronald Reagan very first stop in 1980, after winning the Republican nomination for president, was Neshaba County. Mr. Reagan was a man that understood symbolism and very apt at using symbolism. (Evil Empire from Star Wars).

Going to Neshaba County for his very first campaign stop and using the term, States' Rights to the all white crowd which effectively said, "when it comes to you and the blacks, Washington D.C. will be right behind you."

...and Reagan meant every word.

As President, Mr. Reagan opposed a national holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. He tried to eliminate a federal ban of tax exemption for private schools that practiced racial discrimination. In 1988, he vetoed a bill to broaden the federal civil rights act. Mr. Reagan voted sanctions against apartied South Africa at the time. (...and we all know Mr. Reagan's position on AIDS research and monies devoted to finding a cause.)

It is my hope that you Ranters can now see the very first appearance of Mr. Reagan as the Republican nominee in 1980 in Neshoba County in it's proper context - Mr. Reagan was a vile, repugnant human being and it amazes me that in 2007, the Republican Party wants a return to the "Reagan Principles."

Senator, I have enthusiastically embraced Conservatism, but must draw the line at denying undeniable recent history. Sorry, buddy, I like the ad hominem argument as much as the next guy, but your attack on recorded history is just kind of blatant revisionism that gives holocaust deniers a bad name.
In this case, I think it is better to just let the facts be ignored - the only people who care about them are already Reagan haters. There's nothing to be gained by risking the spread of this vicious truth to those who worship the gipper. We should just stop bringing it up.

In the context of our present Administration, Mr. Reagan was a saint!

I fear you misconstrue, Rick. The "Principle" they wish to return to, IMHO, is that even the most vile, repugnant human being can appear to be a "gipper", a "Great Communicator", indeed a Kindly Old Man.

Witness Fred Thompson.

Oh, I get it - "appearances" are everything, real intentions are another. Ergo selecting a Hollywood star as president - Hollywood the land of make believe.

On a more serious note, how can Republican even fathom a return to "principles" of a man whose prejudges lay just below the surface?

What does that say about Republicans in the year 2007? To me, it says: Twenty years of stunted emotional growth and simply do what feels comfortable.

As we all know, emotional growth and growing as a person is uncomfortable.

Here is one of the primary reasons that I detest Ronald Reagan (and yes I will admit my revulsion): He was responsible for making unconscionable things "acceptable" to the mainstream.

The tent got bigger under Reagan, but it was by sweeping in the dregs of humanity - and not the downtrodden ones. The racists, the homophobes, the supremacists, the jew-baiters, the nutjobs, all found a home in the Republican party. He tried to put a pretty face on some of the most meanspirited, anti-American and anti-human policies and made them out as patriotic gestures. He made greed a virtue and constraint a vice. He set the pattern in a very bad way. He was personally deceitful, but worse, made deceit a national policy goal.

The most ardent defenders of Ronald Reagan and his presidency like to ignore those aspects of his "leadership." Iran-Contra was not a mistake, in their view. Withdrawing from Beirut was "reasonable" but getting involved in Kosovo was "irresponsible." The "southern strategy" was good politics, not divisive. Debilitating the government was good policy. Corruption was reasonable. Reagan administration scandals - Wikipedia

Worst, he made it possible for the likes of Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, George Bush, Karl Rove, Lee Atwater, Roger Ailes, Tom Delay to take over the party and promote party over governance in the likes of Karen Hughes, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales, etc., etc. ad nauseum. Now, I know he was only one in the line, but he was the first after Nixon and set the tone for others to practice the highest forms of deceit: "Compassionate Conservatism" and other bald-faced lies.

Why is it liberals never cared how much of a deficit this country was in when the money was spent on social programs?
BTW, there is no such word as "debting".

bait, but no switch

back to raising Reagan from the dead

You know, Senator, that statement has no basis, don't you?