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2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: I am younger. Please help me understand,Is this how it felt when they elected actor "Ronald Reagan?" [View all]whathehell
(29,803 posts)18. No, this is much worse..
Reagan at least had SOME experience in public service as governor of California...He was also "civil" and "pleasant"...He did not act like a thuggish insult king...He was conservative, but not extreme to the point of threatenimg social security or medicare, or for fuck's sake, the public school system.. Unlike Trump, he appeared to be a basically "normal" person.
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I am younger. Please help me understand,Is this how it felt when they elected actor "Ronald Reagan?" [View all]
vrguy
Nov 2016
OP
NO. This was more of a complete slap in the face in what you think the country stood for.
boston bean
Nov 2016
#1
Reagan was an actor and I always felt his entire presidency was an act, hence "The entire election
RKP5637
Nov 2016
#9
Agreed-he was good at reading cue cards-he was literally,"The Acting President".
jalan48
Nov 2016
#11
Yep, Reagan was not crude and rude. I did not like his polices, but he was not a monster like
RKP5637
Nov 2016
#13
Yeap, my understanding is RayGun tried to keep his racism under wraps but DPutin is normalizing his
uponit7771
Nov 2016
#112
And as a result, RR had to have a fleet of competent people behind him, making
LuckyLib
Nov 2016
#61
This is worse. At least Regan was experienced and not openly hostile to so many people and the press
bettyellen
Nov 2016
#27
No, Reagan didn't spend 18 months of an election cycle insulting basic decency and individual rights
Trust Buster
Nov 2016
#31
NO. i was too young to remember but Bush elections were closer but even they were nothing
JI7
Nov 2016
#34
Reagan was a cheap B-List actor, but he at least had political experience.
Drunken Irishman
Nov 2016
#47
No, unchartered terrortory here. I was NEVER afraid of his eagerness to use nukes.
onecaliberal
Nov 2016
#48
One huge difference - the Democratic Party had a lot more power left in 1980 than they do today.
Midwestern Democrat
Nov 2016
#66
Correction: Republicans hated Carter. They villified him everyhwere. Reagan, Bob Hope & Charlton
TeamPooka
Nov 2016
#100
I've wondered whether it was because of republican defensiveness due to Nixon being
no_hypocrisy
Nov 2016
#106
Nixon resigning is what drove the GOP over the edge. Because a Republican was the most
TeamPooka
Nov 2016
#111
Reagan's policies were noxious but he didn't use Trump's naked appeals to barbarism.
Eugene
Nov 2016
#72
Regan was good for Punk Rock and rap music. Gave you something to rebel against.
zonkers
Nov 2016
#73
Unlike now, Democrats still controlled the House comfortably when Reagan was elected.
LonePirate
Nov 2016
#80
I'm not a historian, but Trump could possibly be the worst president ever
LastLiberal in PalmSprings
Nov 2016
#91
Yes. He basically ran away from all his extreme positions in the debate with Carter
andym
Nov 2016
#95
In my opinion, it is exaclty the same. The country made a wrong turn because they'd rather eat
FSogol
Nov 2016
#96
As bad as his policies were Reagan had put in time serving others: as head of SAG and as Gov of CA
TeamPooka
Nov 2016
#99
No. Even in the 60s, on the Get Smart TV series, they made jokes about Reagan becoming President.
randome
Nov 2016
#109
Reagan used racism but he used dog whistles the media could easily ignore.
KittyWampus
Nov 2016
#110