OT President Reagan dies

"Eyeball2002308" wrote

Maybe, but the race hasn't started yet.

Well, this is certainly the most appropriate place to express them. . .

KL

It's always sad when an important leader dies, especially one who was a popular actor. Of course condolences are due to his family.

We went to a home show today. Just as we were parking the news came through that he was on his last leg. The Reagan press secretary stated that there was no truth to the story that he only had hours or days left.

We came out of the home show after three hours to hear that Past-President Reagan had died. If anyone knows the history of this ex-President and ex-California Governor re the press and his press releases and comments you may understand just how totally ironic the announcements are.

Some things never change.

Tom

I agree. I disagreed with his stance during his Presidency, but no one should die by inches as he did. That was puely bad.

I think that I'll move the 20-mule team wagon to one of the next ones "to do".

My condolences to his famly as well.

-- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger

Unless I've misunderstood you that was an uncalled for swipe at a great president. He was widely admired by many Americans as evidenced by his two resounding election victories, especially his 49 state margin over Mondale. I suspect that his political prowess had very little to do with his career as a B movie actor.....

I have to meditate on this---

"George Washington could not tell a lie, Richard Nixon could not tell the truth, and Ronald Reagan could not tell the difference"

Robert Dole, (R) Archer-Daniels Midland

"Recreating" is the correct term. When I was stationed in Hawaii many of the Class AAA Islanders' baseball games were broadcasted that way on KGMB (KGM *Super* Bee!) radio because of the time zone difference with the mainland. Listening to them was quite an experience. Ah, memories........... ;)

"Royabulgaf" wrote

That's interesting. Do you ever make citations like Joe Shmoe, (D) UAW; (D) Trial Lawyers Association; or (D) George Soros?

KL

Ronald Reagan was among the 4-5 best and most effective Presidents in American history. His amazing legacy includes economic resurgence, bringing about the downfall of the Soviet Union, and the destruction of the Berlin Wall and reunification of Germany. He was a great man and did not deserve the cruel fate of the slow demise of Alzheimer's. He will be missed by many but his loss will be deeply felt, especially by yours truly. God's speed, "Gipper."

My home page:

" In walks the village idiot and his face is all aglow; he's been up all night listening to Mohammad's radio" W. Zevon

I hope I misinterpreted that when I read it as well but I took it the same way, Al.

My home page:

" In walks the village idiot and his face is all aglow; he's been up all night listening to Mohammad's radio" W. Zevon

You have that wrong. It was Clinton who could never tell the truth and the American people who couldn't tell the difference. Don't you remember; he was impeached for lying? And he didn't even have the decency to resign.

Ahhhh, how soon the selective memories fail when it's convenient, huh. Have a nice D-Day.

My home page:

" In walks the village idiot and his face is all aglow; he's been up all night listening to Mohammad's radio" W. Zevon

You did misunderstand. Being a popular actor was a major factor in being elected both Governor and, to a lesser extent, President.

Many people either forget or give short shrift to the fact that Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild. That is an honored position and he did a good job there.

He was far from a perfect or even admirable politician in some respects, though. California to this day suffers from the hatchet job he did on the state mental institutions. Releasing the mentally ill to be treated in smaller, private institutions that did not then and do not now exist was a travisty. Among other things it contributed in a huge way to the "homeless" situation that now blights many of our cities.

Reagan ran for Governor on a platform that included reducing taxes, which grew under his leadership, and cutting the budget, ditto. He made up for that as President and certainly was a much better President than he was a Governor.

Others have mentioned that noone deserves to linger on with Alzheiemers. That is a horrible fact. Remember, though, that Reagan fought stem cell research, Alzheimers being one of many horrible diseases that may well be dealt with through stem cell research. Nancy Reagan has quietly come out in favor of the procedure.

No one comented on the irony of his press spokesman stating that he was not dying only to have him die two hours later. This is a repeat of an incident when Reagan was running for President. I was there at the Commonwealth Club in SF when he stormed the mike to yell about how Willy Brown couldn't call hi a racist. Brown had just commented that anyone calling Reagan a racist was a buffoon. The Governor was chatting with the person next to him and all he heard was the word "racist".

That night on the news they ran an interview of the Governor stating that the incident never happened followed by a tape of the incident happening. Years later he and Brown were on the same platform and discussed the incident, laughing about the absurdities that sometimes make political races unintentionally hilarious.

While I did not like Reagan as a polititician I respect the man as both Governor and President. He was one of the most interesting people since Teddy to hold the office of President.

Tom

If you were severe right wing.Which I'm not. I didn't admire him at all.It was a great day when he got out of office.Our economy finally got headed in the right direction.Sadly we are back to heading the wrong way with another Republican in officeIi guess from the polls we won't have to suffer much longer.He won't be appointed again.Everyone is entilted to his to his own opinion. My brain is like lightning......One big flash and it's gone

Oh, you mean like (D) working people? Kim M

"Royabulgaf" wrote

Yeah - if there really was one.

KL

"Mike Maze" wrote > > He was widely admired by many Americans

"Sen John F. Kerry of Massachusetts said Reagan's example 'reminds us that we must move forward with optimism and resolve. He was our oldest president, but he made America young again.' Kerry also praised Reagan for a quality he's has found lacking in Bush - a willingness to work harmoniously with Democrats."

- (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

"Statement of Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Death of Former President Reagan "Hillary and I will always remember President Ronald Reagan for the way he personified the indomitable optimism of the American people, and for keeping America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere. It is fitting that a piece of the Berlin Wall adorns the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.

"President Reagan demonstrated his strength and resolve after leaving office when he shared his struggle with Alzheimer's Disease with the world. We will always remember his tremendous capacity to inspire and comfort us in times of tragedy, as he did after the loss of the space shuttle Challenger. Now he, too, has "slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God," and we can rest assured that, as joyous a place as Heaven is, his wit and sunny disposition are making it an even brighter place to be.

"Hillary and I send our prayers to Nancy, their children and their many friends and family, as well as our gratitude for the life of a true American original."

-

John Kerry. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Bill Clinton. What a bunch of right-wing wackos.

KL

In article , snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Maiesm72) wrote:

Ronald Reagan was a complex man, but not as complex as his fawning fans would have it. He was good at overcoming adversity, smiling and saying the right thing at the right time (and not getting blamed for saying the wrong things all the time). He was also profoundly sophisticated at providing simple answers to complex problems. And when it didn't work (or when others balked at letting his simple answer be implemented), his operatives made sure someone else got the blame for the entire problem. Good PR will trump real public policy every time.

He got the Cold War right, and that alone puts him in the top 25% of all presidents. He also set the stage as governor for a run-down of California infrastructure that has proceeded right up to the present. We have twenty years of deferred maintenance on our roads, thirty or more years on some of our water delivery systems, on average ten years for school districts, thirty years for levee work (including the Sacramento Delta islands, whose imminent collapse will wipe out access to about half of L.A.'s water), and I suspect this isn't all that's hurting. We have all this stuff that needs to get fixed, but guess what--there's no money. Taxes ceased to be a civic obligation, grudgingly paid because of the common need, and instead became anathema. Taxes have been cut and cut and cut again, until it's come to the point where Schwartzenegger is playing the same old game as Gray Davis before him--sweet-talking the Indians out of $$$ by making promises to them on casinos, tying cuts for major unions or municipalities this year to increases for funding next year, breaking the guarantee to qualified high school students (not the proverbial minority student with a 2.0 and minimal test scores, but 4.0 students) that they can go to a UC campus, and so on. He may balance the budget in some vaguely kosher manner without raising taxes, at the expense of deficits so big next year that even a 40% increase in the economy won't pay for it. I don't blame Arnold--he's caught in the same political dilemma as those before him. All of this started with Reagan, on Reagan's watch, and with his full support.

I'm not happy Reagan died, though it was probably a mercy under the circumstances. I never cared for his policies, and I really doubt I ever will.

Mark Schynert

And me. I served in the Army under his watch for eight years and I was never more proud to be an American Soldier.

From the tone of the rest of your post I don't think so, even though the slur might have been unintentional or unconscious.

Actually, it was probably mostly the severe left wing that

*didn't* vote for him. It's easy enough to look up his margins of victory online if you've forgotten how huge they both were.