by Rod Williams, Dec. 31, 2010 - Even conservative icon former President Ronald Reagan could not pass muster today with the faux-conservative populist faction of the Republican party that fashions themselves as the "real Republicans." Reagan would not pass the Party Purity test and would be denounced as a RINO.
Below is a list of Reagan's sins that would get him denounced as a RINO and targeted for purging from the party.
- His background: Reagan was once a liberal Democrat, an admirer of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and active supporter of New Deal policies. He was an ex-Hollywood actor and an ex-labor union leader.
- He would fail the "family values" and religious test: He was divorced, had a poor relationship with his children, had a gay son, and he did not attend church regularly.
- He raised taxes: He signed laws that raised taxes 11 times and the 1982 tax hike was the largest hike in history at that time.
- He supported and Congress passed into law Immigration reform or "amnesty for illegal aliens."
- National debt: Our national debt more than tripled during Reagan’s time in office. We went from a major creditor nation to a leading debtor nation.
- Reagan compromised: He "worked across the aisle", he negotiated, he cut deals. One of his most successful deals was the 1983 agreement extending the Social Security trust fund's solvency for a couple of generations by raising the retirement age and expanding social security to government employees.
- He appointed liberal judges: Judge Vaughn Walker who recently struck down California's proposition 8 which barred gay people from marrying was a Reagan appointee.
- Reagan accomplished arms control: Reagan made bold, some would say radical, proposals for nuclear arms reductions. Reagan proposed the abolition of all nuclear-armed missiles. Reagan and Gorbachev eventually concluded the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement and established the foundation for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) process.
- Reagan advocated playing nice: Regan's 11th Commandment was, "Thou shalt not speak ill of any other republican.” He was civil. He advocated a "big tent" Republican Party. He courted those outside the party. He reached out to “Reagan Democrats." In order to build a majority he campaigned for many people with whom he disagreed.
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So some people just don't like anybody, Eh?
ReplyDeleteRod,
ReplyDeleteWhile I'll enjoy most of your articles, I disagree with your assessment of Reagan being a RINO. Here's why :
1) You said his background of once being a Liberal Democrat and a union leader makes him a RINO. Reagan left the Democrats in the '60s because they had got too Liberal. As for unions, he busted the air traffic controllers union when they went on strike.
2) You said he would fail the family values test because he was divorced and had a gay son. His divorce from Jane Wyman was primarily because she didn't want him to go into politics. However, he felt public service was what he was called to do. If being divorced makes you a RINO, then we've got millions of RINOs running around. Furthermore, as far as Reagan having a gay son, the fact is that both are married. So, I'm not sure where you came up with this. You might want to re-think this line of reasoning.
3) You claim Reagan's a RINO because he didn't go to church regularly. If you read the book "God and Ronald Reagan" you will find out why. After the attempt on his life, he stopped going because he believed there might be another attempt and he didn't want to put his fellow parishioners in the line of fire. Also, by reading that book you will learn how much Reagan loved the Lord and how important his faith was to him.
4) As far as Reagan raising taxes, you didn't mention the HUGE cut in income taxes that he got passed which directly led to the great economic recovery during his presidency.
5) You call him a RINO for raising the national debt and for making an arms deal with the Russians. It was all part of Reagan's plan to bring the USSR to its knees. He accelerated U.S. military spending which forced the Russians to do the same to keep up. This wrecked their economy forcing them to the negotiating table. Reagan's plan worked.
Your reasons for claiming Reagan was a RINO don't make any sense. In my lifetime spanning the presidencies of Nixon to Obama, Reagan is the only really good president we've had. The U.S. enjoyed some of it's best years during the Reagan Presidency. If he was a RINO, then maybe we need MORE RINOs.
The Sheepdog
Reagan was not a RINO for the following reasons :
ReplyDelete1) As far as being a Democrat and sympathetic to unions, he left the Democrats and busted the air traffic controllers union.
2) As far as failing the family values test, his divorce was due to Jane Wyman not wanting him to go into public service. Not Reagan's fault. Plus, both of his sons are married. Not sure where you came up with "the gay son" thing.
3) Reagan passed a HUGE income tax cut which led directly to great economic growth during his tenure.
4) Reagan stopped going to church regularly after the attempt on his life. He was afraid it might happen again and didn't want to put others in danger. You should read "God and Ronald Reagan" to learn more about his faith.
5) He did increase the debt by increasing military spending. It was part of his plan to bring down the USSR because they would have to spend more, too, to keep up. It worked. Their economy was crippled so they had to strike a deal.
Reagan is the only good president we've had in the last 40 years. If he's a RINO, then we need more of them.
Sheepdog, I share your admiration of Ronald Reagan. I think he is one of best Presidents this nation has ever had. He should be on Mount Rushmore. He is at the top of my list of most admired people. He is the conservative icon.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the newly appointed arbiters of who is a “real Republican” and whose mission it is to purge all but the most pure would even find Ronald Reagan wanting.
Whew !! Glad we agree. You had me worried there for a minute.
ReplyDeleteReagan was amazingly superficial. One does not need to recount his insistence that he liberated Nazi concentration camps to see that the man simply did not know how to think. Alzheimers? Probably. Read David Stockman's The Great Deformation to find out about Reagan's childlike wonder whenever a big-spending socialist military man ask for money. Reagan was also just another big-spending Keynesian--no "ideology" there. And folks, why, oh why, DO NONE OF YOU MENTION IRAN-CONTRA? Weeellll, to ask the question is to answer it. Republicans and conservatives have decades of FAILURE behind them, and one good reason for that was the right's love of really dumb politicians. The movement of Robert Nisbet, Milton Friedman, and Richard Weaver became the party of William F Buckley, Reagan, Quayle, Dole, Gingrich, Palin, Dumbya, Rush, and Trump. Goodnight, America.
ReplyDelete