Much as been written lately about the conservative worship of Reagan and how well the Gipper's Gospel narrative fits with reality. As I've posted before, I was once a devout follower of Reaganianity. Now, I have a much more sober view. Beyond the question of what he did or didn't accomplish or how well he would really fit in with the modern Republican party, I have a more basic question:

Was he ever anything more than a figurehead?

Let me preface this with the greatest care. Alzheimer's is a horrid disease to be regarded with sympathy and not ridicule. That said, how much of his entire presidency was spent in the fog while others ran the country?

We know he did have Alzheimer's. In retrospect, we could see signs of its effects in his befuddled performance during the first debate with Mondale in 2004. The later Iran-Contra scandal was a sign that others were making decisions without the nominal president's knowledge.

We probably won't know the truth for some time. Just a thought I had.

No, he was an effective and proactive collaboratueur at the beginning, and remained effective, even if in gradually diminishing degrees, to the end.

I think that, for the last two years of his latter term, he was Howdy Doody for others.

Quote:That said, how much of his entire presidency was spent in the fog while others ran the country?

About 3/4...maybe more.

Its no coincdence that the idea of a figurehead president in the form of Zaphod Beeblebrox was introduced at that time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaphod_Beeblebrox

ooh apparently theres a night club in ottowa called zaphod beelbebrox. Never wanted to go to ottowa before.

While it's not entirely true, I say this about Reagan and Carter, 'cos it's close enough.
Carter understood everything ... except leadership.
Reagan understood nothing ... except leadership.

(June 27, 2011 at 11:37 am)Chuck Wrote: No, he was an effective and proactive collaboratueur at the beginning, and remained effective, even if in gradually diminishing degrees, to the end.

Raegan's tax distribution (trickle down B.S.) was the beginning of a tremendous debt for the U.S. after periods of serious inflation.

Bush continued this, Clinton balanced the budget, Bush II made it even worse along with Obama.
The reason the right loves him so much? Probably for these two main reasons.

More and more high class earners: rich people numbers more than doubled creating massive amounts of national cash flow under Raegan.
Often, he tried to implement his fundamentalist Christian values in policy.

Interestingly, both Reagan and Jesus seem to have been zombies at the end of their terms.

Explains why certain conservative nutjobs treat Reagan with the same reverence as their sky-wizard's child.

(June 28, 2011 at 8:32 pm)Moros Synackaon Wrote: Explains why certain conservative nutjobs treat Reagan with the same reverence as their sky-wizard's child.

And like Jesus, conflicting Gospels accounts are surfacing decades later, none of which is based on actual history.