I was five years old when Reagan was first elected. I've skipped the television news as well, but have had to reconcile my memories of hating him with my older political sentiments of today.
I read an article on Marketwatch before he died wherein one economist said, "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter." I remain unconvinced. And how long was it before Reagan used the word "AIDS" in public? Etc. etc. etc., and the same arguments you've heard elsewhere, I'm sure. (Although I would argue that Mikhail Gorbachev is probably more to be praised for the fall of the Soviet Union than Reagan.)
But at the same time, he is more than the sum effect of his policies. He's an icon. Carter won't get the love because he committed the gravest of American sins: he lost. Reagan vs. Mondale in '84 made Barry Goldwater look like William the Conqueror. Liberals gnashed their teeth, but couldn't articulate an alternative until Iran/Contra started to go down.
Which is what makes me sigh now, twenty years later -- the lack of a concrete alternative. That "hawkish moral conviction" is more catchy to many voters than the decline of governmental transparency.
But if you believe the market is always efficient, this, then, is the way it should be.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
momijizukamori
Legacies
Date: 2004-06-10 02:18 pm (UTC)I read an article on Marketwatch before he died wherein one economist said, "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter." I remain unconvinced. And how long was it before Reagan used the word "AIDS" in public? Etc. etc. etc., and the same arguments you've heard elsewhere, I'm sure. (Although I would argue that Mikhail Gorbachev is probably more to be praised for the fall of the Soviet Union than Reagan.)
But at the same time, he is more than the sum effect of his policies. He's an icon. Carter won't get the love because he committed the gravest of American sins: he lost. Reagan vs. Mondale in '84 made Barry Goldwater look like William the Conqueror. Liberals gnashed their teeth, but couldn't articulate an alternative until Iran/Contra started to go down.
Which is what makes me sigh now, twenty years later -- the lack of a concrete alternative. That "hawkish moral conviction" is more catchy to many voters than the decline of governmental transparency.
But if you believe the market is always efficient, this, then, is the way it should be.