Reagan Documentary on HBO

[kalm]

Watched a decent chunk of it last night. I thought it was pretty fair to the gipper in that it talked about his complexities while also debunking some of the more recent Reagan mythology. They interviewed most of the important players like Norquist, Laffer, Ron jr., Schultz etc. And for those growing up in the 80's it's chuck full of pop culture references and very nostalgic.

It's really well made. You need to watch it.

[Grizalltheway]

Only if there's topless shots of Nancy.

[Bronco]

Great to watch if you like Lib hit pieces
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http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-d ... ought-help" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Matthews, wasted no time in getting Jarecki to slam Reagan's policies, as seen in the following exchange:
(video, audio and transcript after the jump)

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The new documentary Reagan treats its subject in as fair and balanced a way as would seem possible — for a while.
Liberal filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight) shows how a handsome radio broadcaster named Ronald Reagan channeled his ambition into a film career that gave way to a remarkable political run.

But once we see Reagan taking the oath of office, Jarecki’s ability to rein in his ideology collapses. The film lulls conservative viewers into a sense of calm only to trap them into a dishonest account of the 40th president’s legacy.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/hbos-reaga ... page=truee" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chizzang]

It is amazing to the point of almost unbelievable how fans of Reagan have altered history - literally rewritten history to reflect a completely different reality...

It's not like it was the dark ages... jeezus it was only 30 years ago
I got no problems with the guy but that's what makes him such an interesting cult figure - his diehard fan base and their distorted picture and really short memory coupled with the ability to re-draw the lines

[TwinTownBisonFan]

It is amazing to the point of almost unbelievable how fans of Reagan have altered history - literally rewritten history to reflect a completely different reality...

It's not like it was the dark ages... jeezus it was only 30 years ago
I got no problems with the guy but that's what makes him such an interesting cult figure - his diehard fan base and their distorted picture and really short memory coupled with the ability to re-draw the lines

THIS.

When I was in the GOP in the late 90's I noticed this... it's a freaking cult with this guy.

[Wedgebuster]

Repubs have no other heroes.

Nuff said..

[Baldy]

It is amazing to the point of almost unbelievable how fans of Reagan have altered history - literally rewritten history to reflect a completely different reality...

It's not like it was the dark ages... jeezus it was only 30 years ago
I got no problems with the guy but that's what makes him such an interesting cult figure - his diehard fan base and their distorted picture and really short memory coupled with the ability to re-draw the lines

It's no different than the left and it's slobbering love affair with FDR. History has and continues to be rewritten regarding him and his "New Deal".

To each his own.

[Baldy]

Repubs have no other heroes.

Nuff said..

Compared to the heroes of the left like Mao and Stalin, RR is plenty enough.

[CitadelGrad]

Compared to his predecessors going back to the early 60s, Reagan was enormously successful. The Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter presidencies were all horrible failures.

[TwinTownBisonFan]

Compared to his predecessors going back to the early 60s, Reagan was enormously successful. The Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter presidencies were all horrible failures.

get rid of the hippy protesters and Johnson was a pretty damn successful president.

[TwinTownBisonFan]

It is amazing to the point of almost unbelievable how fans of Reagan have altered history - literally rewritten history to reflect a completely different reality...

It's not like it was the dark ages... jeezus it was only 30 years ago
I got no problems with the guy but that's what makes him such an interesting cult figure - his diehard fan base and their distorted picture and really short memory coupled with the ability to re-draw the lines

It's no different than the left and it's slobbering love affair with FDR. History has and continues to be rewritten regarding him and his "New Deal".

To each his own.

of course - FDR only saved America from the Depression, right or left wing revolution, and defeated global fascism... all Reagan did was cut taxes on millionaires and spend billions on weapons systems we neither needed nor used... (and don't even about the cold war... Nixon paved that road by opening up red China)

[dbackjon]

Repubs have no other heroes.

Nuff said..

Compared to the heroes of the left like Mao and Stalin, RR is plenty enough.

[dbackjon]

It's no different than the left and it's slobbering love affair with FDR. History has and continues to be rewritten regarding him and his "New Deal".

To each his own.

of course - FDR only saved America from the Depression, right or left wing revolution, and defeated global fascism... all Reagan did was cut taxes on millionaires and spend billions on weapons systems we neither needed nor used... (and don't even about the cold war... Nixon paved that road by opening up red China)

Exactly.

Once again, right-wing revisionism ignores how close we were to violent revolution in the 30's. FDR stopped all that.

Lessons the right ignores as they barrel towards making the US a third-world country, all in the name of making the wealthy, wealthy

[TwinTownBisonFan]

of course - FDR only saved America from the Depression, right or left wing revolution, and defeated global fascism... all Reagan did was cut taxes on millionaires and spend billions on weapons systems we neither needed nor used... (and don't even about the cold war... Nixon paved that road by opening up red China)

Exactly.

Once again, right-wing revisionism ignores how close we were to violent revolution in the 30's. FDR stopped all that.

Lessons the right ignores as they barrel towards making the US a third-world country, all in the name of making the wealthy, wealthy

William Manchester's "The Glory and the Dream" - it's a narrative history from 29-72... the later chapters aren't so good... but he does a good job of putting you in the 30's... and yeah... violent revolution was a real threat to say the least.

[GannonFan]

Gee, blind-to-anything-contrary-to-their-established-beliefs and sure-that-their-party-represents-everything-good-while-the-opposing-party-represents-everything-bad partisans bemoaning the idea that partisans from the other party hero worship past Presidents from their preferred party while amazingly hero worshipping their own past Presidents. You guys are a hoot. You'd be hysterically funny if you weren't so earnestly serious in your denunciations of the other side while blissfully supportive of your own side. Luckily neither side has a monopoly on rewriting history or we'd have the most made up, white washed revisions that bear no resemblance to what actually happened. But hey, at least you guys are real earnest in your efforts!

[CitadelGrad]

of course - FDR only saved America from the Depression, right or left wing revolution, and defeated global fascism... all Reagan did was cut taxes on millionaires and spend billions on weapons systems we neither needed nor used... (and don't even about the cold war... Nixon paved that road by opening up red China)

Exactly.

Once again, right-wing revisionism ignores how close we were to violent revolution in the 30's. FDR stopped all that.

Lessons the right ignores as they barrel towards making the US a third-world country, all in the name of making the wealthy, wealthy

I don't think I've encountered anyone as delusional and fucktarded as you two.

[dbackjon]

Exactly.

Once again, right-wing revisionism ignores how close we were to violent revolution in the 30's. FDR stopped all that.

Lessons the right ignores as they barrel towards making the US a third-world country, all in the name of making the wealthy, wealthy

I don't think I've encountered anyone as delusional and fucktarded as you two.

Look in the mirror, asswipe. that citadel "education" has really fucked you over. You don't have a clue about life.

Talk about fucktarded - you are exhibit A.

[Skjellyfetti]

Look in the mirror, asswipe. that citadel "education" has really **** you over. You don't have a clue about life.

Talk about **** - you are exhibit A.

[houndawg]

It's on here right now. Guy never reduced government by one iota.

[CitadelGrad]

I don't think I've encountered anyone as delusional and fucktarded as you two.

Look in the mirror, asswipe. that citadel "education" has really fucked you over. You don't have a clue about life.

Talk about fucktarded - you are exhibit A.

I apologize. I am wrong. I forgot to include jellybelly for the trifecta.

[D1B]

Look in the mirror, asswipe. that citadel "education" has really fucked you over. You don't have a clue about life.

Talk about fucktarded - you are exhibit A.

I apologize. I am wrong. I forgot to include jellybelly for the trifecta.

Citadel Grads

[youngterrier]

Eisenhower=best president ever

[D1B]

Eisenhower=best president ever

Yeah, guys like Ike don't make it past the first round these days. Sad.

[Baldy]

It's no different than the left and it's slobbering love affair with FDR. History has and continues to be rewritten regarding him and his "New Deal".

To each his own.

of course - FDR only saved America from the Depression, right or left wing revolution, and defeated global fascism... all Reagan did was cut taxes on millionaires and spend billions on weapons systems we neither needed nor used... (and don't even about the cold war... Nixon paved that road by opening up red China)

Not quite. Most countries were able to pull themselves out of the depression much quicker than the US. Because of FDR's policies and the way those policies acted like a anchor chained to the legs of industry, innovation, and entrepreneurship, we languished for years and years in the depression before WWII finally pulled us out.

Revolution in the 1930's? In the United States? There was plenty of subversive activity, but nothing even remotely close to becoming a revolutionary movement.

FDR might have defeated fascism, but he sure laid the groundwork for global Communism to run rampant.

Reagan saved us from "stagflation", the "misery index", 21% interest rates, and freed the hostages held in Iran. Nixon opened up a path (not a paved road) to China, but Reagan crushed the Eastern Bloc and opened the Iron Curtain.

[CID1990]

Reagan, like every President, had his foibles. There are just as many people today who will demonize him as there are that look back to his presidency as a bright time in our history.

I just have a couple comments.

First, it is interesting to me that today, opinions about Reagan are split almost directly on party lines. We have settled so deep into our own camps that any admission that maybe the other side had a real moment becomes a gotcha moment. Second, given opinions of Reagan today, it is interesting that Reagan in his time at least inspired some bipartisan support. I cannot recall "Republicans for Clinton" or "Democrats for Bush" but I certainly recall "Democrats for Reagan." An interesting topic for debate would be what the cause of the change is. Is it simply that we have become so polarized, or is it because time has made it possible for us to look at the man more retrospectively?

One of the biggest things I remember about Reagan was his ability to inspire at times, and comfort at other times. His address after the Challenger disaster is one of my most acute memories of his ability to say exactly what needs to be said to the country at a given time. Reagan also had a direct influence in the Berlin speech. The hand wringers wanted him to take out the challenge to Gorbachev, but Reagan insisted on leaving it in. It became one of the touchstone quotes of the 20th century.

To me, Reagan was a national leader. I think that leadership ability is one of the first and foremost attributes that makes a good President. If our executive branch held dictatorial powers, then the ability to make financial, tactical and strategic decisions would be more important. I think Reagan was an inspiring leader first, and to me that was the kernel of what made him one of our best Presidents. I think we lose sight of things like that when we expect our executive to be able to solve differential equations and reliably predict the future as prerequisites for office.

Just my two cents.