The USA, one time bastion of liberty and free speech, is now via the insane religion of political correctness a Totilitarian state. Elections are rigged as only pre-approved candidates controlled by the elite, are ever allowed to win. What the GDR left behind, Obama is steering the USa towards.

Reagan like Ike etc. before him believed in starving people.
http://library.flawlesslogic.com/ike.htm
Reagan armed the bloody conflict in Iran / Iraq and a million died - many more were starved by the conflict.
http://www.democracynow.org/2004/6/9/remembering_the_dead_reagan_armed_iraq
GDR was less imperfect than other states of the era!
S.
S.

Ignorant of history, again! Reagan is regarded by friend and foe alike as one of the greatest presidents ever. If he were in the White House now we would have reason to hope.

As someone who remembers the Reagan presidency well...if you lived in the inner city, Reagan was not your freind, if you're for labor rights then Reagan was not your freind, if you believed in HUMAN RIGHTS, Reagan was not your freind...just Reagan's support of murderous national security states throughout latin america in the 80s is enough to put the man in a proper context. Let's not even go into the cozy relationship enjoyed by the Hussein regime in Iraq and the Reagan administration. Was he likeable and afable? Hell's yea. Even I have a certain soft spot for the Gipper but I chalk that up to 80s nostalgia rather than to genuinely agreeing with what Reagan stood for. To his credit, though, he kept the neo-conservative fringe that would later assert itself during the Bush I and Bush II presidencies (particularly the latter) at bay and kept our foreign adventures to a minimum,

Talk about lefties rewriting history

Of all that I have written, which part would you like proof of?

Certainly not - I was in Reagan's Amerika - the deraliction of the cities, the half starving beggars, the failed education, the hopelessness of the people who had to lie to keep government jobs. Surely the most deceitful and hopeless president. His policies of wanton waste and wholesale corruption were are great part of the downward path Amerika has trodden.
S.

Was Reagan a Great President?
By Christopher Bates


Great presidents are skilled party leaders. Lincoln gave the Republican party its place in American politics; Jefferson and Jackson did the same for the Democratic party. In the 1930s, FDR rebuilt his party by forging a coalition that delivered five straight presidential victories.

Reagan also revived his party, in disarray after the scandals of the Nixon administration. He unified Southerners, laborers, entrepreneurs and religious conservatives into a powerful bloc that swept the Republicans to three victories in the 1980s. So successful was the "Reagan coalition" that party leaders have worked desperately -- and not entirely successfully -- to sustain it since Reagan left office.

Great presidents are also effective communicators. Lincoln was the finest speechmaker in American history. FDR, TR, Wilson and Truman were also dynamic speakers. FDR used radio effectively, and his famous "fireside chats" played a critical role in drumming up support for New Deal legislation.

Reagan, dubbed the "Great Communicator," was an enormously successful speaker. A master of the sound bite, he used TV appearances both to attract voters and to secure support for his programs. He freely acknowledged his debt to television, remarking, "I've often wondered how you could be president, and not be an actor."

Successful presidents must also have a vision for what the government will accomplish under their leadership. Thomas Jefferson hoped to create opportunity for yeoman farmers. Polk was committed to expansion. Lincoln pledged an end to slavery. TR, FDR, and Truman promised social justice. Woodrow Wilson envisioned eternal peace.

Reagan too had a clear vision for his presidency. On the domestic front, he advocated Reaganomics, which called for a reduction in taxes as a means of stimulating the economy. Although Reaganomics was not a complete success -- the national debt soared -- 20 million new jobs were created during the Reagan presidency.

Reagan's vision for his foreign policy centered on the Soviet Union. In 1980, he took a hard line on the Cold War and committed the United States to a military buildup. Over time, however, Reagan's position softened as the Soviet economy crumbled, and he ultimately promised cooperation with his counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev. This led first to a series of summit meetings, then to arms limitation treaties, and ultimately to the end of the Cold War.

It is in Reagan's role in ending the Cold War, the most enduring crisis of the post-World War II era, that his strongest claim to greatness lies. More than any other factor, what separates the great presidents from the rest is their response to national crises. It's no coincidence that most presidents on the list of greats -- Polk, Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, Truman -- led the nation to victory in a war.

And those who were not wartime presidents successfully addressed other crises. Washington established a new government. Jefferson defused tensions with France and England. Jackson quelled South Carolina's attempt to nullify federal law. TR confronted the social ills that had been created by industrialization.

Ronald Reagan thus has much in common with the most respected occupants of the Oval Office. Seemingly the only obstacles to his occupying a seat in the pantheon of presidential greats are the black marks against his record -- his disregard for the environment, his failure to take strong action against South African apartheid and his role in the Iran-contra scandal most prominent among them.

However, most of the other men on the list had serious black marks of their own. Washington, Jefferson, Polk and Jackson were slaveholders. TR played a key role in the subjugation of the Philippines. Wilson segregated the federal government and was arguably the most racist man ever to occupy the White House.

These indiscretions have not proved fatal to historical reputations, however, because on balance the positive accomplishments are judged to outweigh the negatives. It's foreseeable that Reagan will benefit from the same consideration and that his successes will ultimately be judged more important than his shortcomings.

If Ronald Reagan's supporters had had their way, the United States would already have the Reagan dime, the Reagan memorial, and Ronald Reagan university. These things may never come to pass, but it's still safe to say that when the history of the twentieth century is written, the fortieth president will be accorded a place of honor in it.

(Obama will be at the opposite end of the spectrum in four years)

Pity Pirate Preacher man wastes his talents writing or copying out rubbish.
S.

two super lefties getting their data from the grassy knoll or worse Ignorance is bliss... Willi watch out they are both squeelers