Reagan saw that ‘we are all patriots’
By Barack ObamaRonald Wilson Reagan was a believer. As a husband, a father, an entertainer, a governor and a president, he recognized that each of us has the power — as individuals and as a nation — to shape our own destiny. He had faith in the American promise; in the importance of reaffirming values like hard work and personal responsibility; and in his own unique ability to inspire others to greatness.
No matter what political disagreements you may have had with President Reagan— and I certainly had my share — there is no denying his leadership in the world, or his gift for communicating his vision for America.
Okay campers, here is your assignment:
Find ANYWHERE in Barack Obama’s writings or speeches where he expressed disagreement with Ronald Reagan.
Here is what Obama had to say about Ronald Reagan back in January, 2008:
I don’t want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what’s different are the times. I do think that for example the 1980 was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s and government had grown and grown but there wasn’t much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating. I think people, he just tapped into what people were already feeling, which was we want clarity we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing.
The man was running for the Democratic nomination and he dissed the only Democratic president elected to two full terms since FDR in favor of Bonzo. The mind boggles.
Filed under: Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, Uncategorized Tagged: | Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan
Here is what “She who must not be named” had to say:
WIll the real disciple of St. Ronnie puhlease stand up?
Call me crazy, but I’m not surprised to hear a Republican blowing smoke up Reagan’s ass. It is hearing an alleged Democrat doing it that bothers me.
“alleged” being the key word
Talk about sleeper moles.
I was a Democrat then and I remember those Carter years as really sucking something awful. While I know it wasn’t much Reagan, things did get a little brighter in the 80s and he was kind of an inspiring narrator for the American story.
If I were a Republican I would be trying to bank that myself. WTF for a Democrat to do it though.
Not Carter’s fault. He inherited a big mess from Nixon and Ford, and OPEC. He tried some good stuff (solar panels etc) but then as later, the MSM/Halliburton crowd trashed him.
Part of it was Carter’s fault. His “leadership” style and the sense of pessimism he threw off was palpable. While he inherited almost all the problems, he also didn’t go a long way toward fixing them. It might be more accurate to say he was the unluckiest president I remember.
Carter may have been right on a lot of stuff, but he constantly lectured to and talked AT the people. Right or wrong, you can’t lead that way.
Reagan came along and the contrast was stark, with his optimistic “I believe in you, we can do this.” It would have been nice if he’d followed up with good policy, but there is no denying that he lifted the spirits of the nation that was feeling very depressed at the time. That’s a historical given. I think he believed his own schtick, myself. I just think many of his policies majorly sucked.
“but he constantly lectured to and talked AT the people”
don’t know ANYBODY else like that now do we….
Agreed, Angienc!!
djmm
*crickets*
Well, it’s not really fair to give an impossible task for homework.
Now if you want an example of BO dissing FDR, we can do that.
Ron, Jr’s were the only “negatives” I could find. Leave it to family, huh?
I love research challenges with The Holy Grail being to find a conservative source praising a liberal, and vice versa. It’s what put Hillbuzz on the cyberMap, their apology to GWB.
Like it or not, the two most popular and well-remembered presidents in decades are Ronald Reagan and William Jefferson Clinton. Crazy, I know, but that’s just a fact. Sorry, but it is.
Given that, it makes sense that Palin and other R’s would hearken back to Reagan and try on his mantle. What does NOT make sense is that a Democratic president would do the same, rather than claiming heirship to Bill’s legacy.
Unless, of course, you’re an value-less opportunistic asshole who spent two years relentlessly and gleefully shitting in the Clinton well. Then I guess your only option is to try to fight Palin over the body of zombie Reagan, and pull his hallowed skin over your naked ass before she beats you to it.
Good luck with that.
And BTW, I maintain that Obama, unlike some surmise, is not a closet Republican. He’s not a closet liberal, either. He’s a narcissistic opportunist who will hump the leg of zombie Reagan or zombie Marx in turns – whichever will get him the power and adulation he wants. He doesn’t care which it is. Never has.
LOLing at the zombie images in your comments.
you never fail to make me LAUGH MY ASS OFF!
I’ll bet there will never be a pretend zombie Obama
Yep. But the fact is the Moneycans have always made him the best offers, so Closet Republican is the more predictive term.
Closed-deal Republican? He does seem to stay bought.
So true — Obama worships Obama.
bemused, there is no significant difference in the amount the moneycans give to the D party and what they give to the R party. The impression that they do is a very effective lie promoted by the D party. There’s no difference in lobbyist bucks either.
Saying “gets all that corporate money so must be an R” is bull. The Democrats actually get MORE from the big banking and finance industry than the R’s do, and have for years and years.
The RNC has beat the DNC for decades in small contributions.
Yup, ralph. I may not like a lot of what the R “little guys” promote, but the idea that “They are all corporate, and we’re all little guys” is a pure lie.
Ding ding ding! Saw an article the other day proving there are more corporate millionaires in the Dem Party than the Repub Party.
I’ll see if I can find it again.
But you’re right….the Dems got more from banksters and financiers and Wall Street than Repubs. ESPECIALLY Schumer.
oooh–that’s good!!
Oh, and looky here, the lapdog media is going to fall all over themselves to help him push the meme that “Obama is really more like Reagan than Palin is”
That’s the strategery. You watch. And all the journolisters will join in, and you’ll start seeing lots of references to Obama as the new Reagan, just coincidentally cropping up all over the place..
Headline of this article on the Tucson speech? Obama Speech Recalls Reagan.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47595.html#ixzz1B2LInTxe
a 900 page biography?
I may barf
His next book will be Rumsfeld’s 700 page memoir which will be released in a couple of weeks titledKnown and Unknown.
LMAO! Yep, the meme has been distributed, and is busily making the rounds:
Here’s another from yesterday’s LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-heilbrunn-reagan-20110123,0,204786.story
Heeey, crawdad, spammy’s got me!
Obama is more like Reagan. They’re both window dressing puppet tools of corporatism. Palin is a real wonk and populist (TIDAGWH).
Obligatory Though I Don’t Agree With Her.
I gotta say — Reagan was much better at acting like he cared about the little guy than Obama is.
I don’t know if I would say SP is a “wonk” – but that is just semantics.
She is super good at understanding what real people deal with on a daily basis and can deliver motivating messages for those real people.
I was pretty young when Reagan was prez – but it seems like he was able to set a direction using clear language. He also beat up on congress and pushed for specific programs and solutions – I honestly haven’t seen obama take a clear stand on much of anything. I guess they can paint that as never losing in the marketing brochures.
She wonked in Alaska.
oooh – that sounds like I LURVES me some Reagan…
Nah, I just think he was able to get stuff done in the way he wanted, not this mushy BS with no specific goals or steps. Obama is not like Reagan – he is like Jimmy Carter without principles or a moral compass.
I understand what you meant JT — sad, but true — even Reagan was a better POTUS than Obama because at least he had a POV, unlike Obama — who as WMCB so eloquently described — would hump Marx or Reagan to get elected.
I posted with a couple more links of articles just now noticing, “Gee, ya know, Obama really is a lot like Reagan…” but spammy ate it.
Yup. That’s the new journolist meme. They didn’t all start talking about this al at the same time by accident. They got their marching orders.
Let’s all wait and see who Nancy endorses
Maybe that’s what the debate Denise linked to is for — picking Nancy’s fave.
Ding, ding, ding! Sing it, sister. It sucks when the coordination is so obvious, which it is so often is these days.
Reagan was just a guy, just like Obama, and his presidency, like Reagan’s, has its up sides and down sides. Unfortunately the down side for both of them was more for those that have, less for those who don’t. Say what you will about Carter, but we were all in the shithole back then.
Yup. That’s to bring in the Independents and moderates (last called Reagan Democrats).
Right out of Pflouffe’s re-election strategery.
Yup, in fact one could call his speech tomorrow night the SOTU for Independents who still don’t like me.
Kevin Drum:
Oh, of course. Even thought it’s obvious that several of them plan to run and the Iowa caucuses are over a year away.
Could be because we’re only about 3 months past the last election. Unless the Main St economy improves, Obama is not a shoo-in for 2012. The Journolistors tend to hallucinate that way,
He and other MSM are just reflecting what the big boys are telling them, Obama is wall streets choice. Sometimes voters don’t listen though.
…..but the first “debate” is this spring !?
http://www.mediaite.com/online/so-it-begins-reagan-library-to-host-first-gop-presidential-debate-in-spring-2011/
Everyone wants Nancy’s endorsement. Maybe even BO will show up. lol.
I had something but then a moose ate my homework.
I hate homework. Please don’t make me do homework, especially rilly, rilly HARD homework.
Trying this again: Two more examples of the new “Obama is like Reagan!” meme.
And another from yesterday’s LA Times:
And then of course the Politico story I quoted above. This is coordinated.
Yes. Plouffe/Axelrod team has been very, very busy laying out strategery and sending the talking points.
This is looking like a case of the set up before the speech. It’s so they can look back after the SOTU and say, “See how like Reagan he is?” and there will be plenty of linky goodness to use when all those articles come out. And it will resonate like the echo it will be.
Yup. They got the pre-speech talking points and the post-speech talking points, all in the same memo. It’s sooooo obvious.
Barf.
But…but…I thought BO was like JFK…no, wait…like FDR…I mean, Lincoln…
Actually, BO is like the character in Woody Allen’s ZELLIG.
Lets see Nancy had $200,00.00 dishes while many were unemployed.
Meechelle takes long and expensive vacations while many are unemployed.
Reagan shut down many mental hospitals in California, increasing the homeless population.
Backtrack has increased the homeless population with his economic policies
I will keep looking and thinking for more
WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS
PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE CHATTERING PEOPLE RULE
Wikipedia:
I seem to recall something about her raising the money from private donors. But there had been no new china bought for the WH since the Johnson administration.
To refurbish the White House, Nancy encouraged private donations, which eventually exceeded $800,000 and included $200,000 for new china.
http://www.britannica.com/presidents/article-9104744
Helen, as I recall, the cllosing down of the mental hospitals was a result of the ACLU et al…..distinctly not right wing……calling for their release because they had rights, and keeping them in was inhumane.
The consequences of that was that now, those same mentally ill are homeless or in jail. A large part of our prison population increasing (not all, of course) is because of the mentally ill who can not afford treatment.
I have a cousin working in a GED program inside a prison……she sees them every day.
I’ve worked with the mentally ill, Mary, and for the life of me, I can’t tell you what we ought to do to fix it. People have to have civil rights, we don’t want people hospitalized in acts of revenge or harmless people forced into institutions, but we also don’t want this revolving door of homelessness, jail, and hospitals for those who truly need help.
It’s a tough situation and a balance has to be found. Not long ago we were putting women into institutions for wanting the right to vote, which wasn’t good either. There’s all sorts of atrocities that happened when we made it easy to put people away. Today there are all sorts of atrocities because it’s not easy to put people away.
Along the same lines – with a Reagan nod as well.
Ben Stein did a segment on Obama and trying to recruit him to the Republican nomination on CBS Sunday.
The article with link to the video.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/23/sunday/main7274480.shtml
Video
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7274877n&tag=related;photovideo
Wow. I guess since Obama’s turning back to corporations (intends to lower their tax rates), the Ben Steins are pushing him, too.
That means, of course, that the corporate media heads will do same.
Obama needs that $1 billion campaign cash, you know.
Main street? They’ll get marketing, but nothing else.
BO really is becoming the leader of the establishment Republicans. GOP party activists on facebook have very noticeably stopped complaining about BO in recent weeks. It’s like the GOP leadership said to him, you become one of us and we’ll take care of the tea party. If I were a main street conservative, I’d be pissed off too. Fauxgressive activists on the other hand just seem confused these days.
Did anybody read Mitt Romney’s tribute to Reagan? It’s actually a tribute to Obama for his tribute to Reagan.
I kid you not, Romney and Obama are two faces of the same coin. Seriously, they both scare the crap out of me. I wish people were more concerned about Romney than Palin, because he really is downright creepy. I swear, Palin is to left of both of them.
Anyway, I can’t believe the meme today is that Obama loves Reagan more than Palin does. That meme by the way, is coming from both the left and the right, which is just bizarre.
I can’t believe the meme today is that Obama loves Reagan more than Palin does.
HA! Of course, Obama is BETTER than Palin IN EVERYTHING!! It’s the magic penis — only the one with the penis can love Reagan right.
It’s bizarre and may also be true. Palin seems like too much of a populist to properly worship Reagan.
You know what the strangest part of Obama’s article was?? When he said,
“But perhaps even more important than any single accomplishment was the sense of confidence and optimism President Reagan never failed to communicate to the American people.”
I certainly don’t think Reagan was the worst president or even a bad one, but what I remember most is hiding under my desk for nuclear attack drills. We were supposed to put our heads between our knees and kiss our behinds goodbye. I remember films and videos of radiation poisoning, of nuclear bombs, fear of the cold war. I remember being scared to death of this new disease called AIDS that some people thought humankind deserved. I remember the crack epidemic and the street violence.
After reading Obama’s words, I’m like, dude, where the heck were you during Reagan’s presidency? Those were some hard times and I sure don’t remember the confidence and optimism!
Things were humming for the investor class by Reagan’s second term, which is the only class BO is really serving today.
If anyone hasn’t figured it out yet, Reagan has long been Obama’s “secret” idol. Not that he really made it a secret, it’s just that his fawning supporters never paid attention. People like Anglachel and Paul Krugman noticed it back in 2008. Obama is not a Reaganite per se or else he would be a lot more effective in using his political power. But he has always admired Reagan’s abilities as a politician as well as his dynamism and entrepreneurship. Some people will call him a Reaganite while others compare him to Hoover. I think he is somewhere in between, lost in political world in which he honestly has little interest in other than to become rich, famous, and adored. I am also guessing that from his days at UChicago, some of his beliefs are aligned with libertarian philosophy. Anglachel wrote about Obama’s libertarian paternalism back in 2008.
I’m in moderation.