The American Spectator

Ken (Old Texican)| 9.9.11 @ 4:31PM

George W went to the Ivy league ...

Rick Perry went to A &M... They learn to work there.

Clint | 9.10.11 @ 6:34AM

"EASTON, Md, September 8, 2011 — We have all heard of strong-arm tactics, and during the commercial break at Wednesday night’s GOP Presidential debate at the Reagan Library, Texas Governor Rick Perry was observed doing just that to Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas).

A camera caught the action, but no mikes were on, so this is a perfect example of where actions speak louder than words.

First Perry confronts Paul across the podium of Ambassador Jon Huntsman. Then they stand nose to nose as Perry harangues Paul. Next he shakes his finger in Paul’s face as he grabs his arm. Then he makes one last gesture, perhaps one of giving up in the face of Ron Paul’s stoic, tight-lipped response. "

http://communities.washingtont.....intimidat/

CalMark| 9.9.11 @ 4:58PM

Reagan sent balanced budgets to Congress. Tip O'Neill chortled, "Dead on Arrival!" At the time Democrats held a supermajority in the House.

I'll repeat: Reagan sent balanced budgets to Congress which Democrats refused even to consider.

This is conventional wisdom bashing Reagan to justify Obama. I've had ENOUGH of alleged Conservatives, for reasons known only to themselves, joining liberals with an axe to grind in rewriting history.

Butch| 9.9.11 @ 5:06PM

Yes he did. I am quite tired of hearing the "Reagan increased spending" mantra. He had control of one chamber, the Senate, for two years--his first two years--out of eight. And you're right: some of that stuff is coming from self-styled "conservatives," but I doubt that they are, not really.

C Bowen| 9.9.11 @ 6:02PM

Reagan also increased the debt ceiling--one cannot have it both ways.

Anyway, his budget man, David Stockman, had reported the inside story all along. Reagan consciously chose not to cut spending, which is pretty much how he governed in California (where he also legalized abortion, and liberalized divorce.)

He did some good things in Foreign Policy, as far as controlling the neocons, staying out of boondoggle wars, and using imagery and the intelligence services to peacefully wind down a dated conflict that no longer served a purpose.

SpiralArchitect| 9.9.11 @ 7:54PM

You muse the Cold War as a 'dated conflict that no longer served a purpose'?

C Bowen| 9.9.11 @ 8:08PM

The situation of Europe late 40s and early 50s, (death of Stalin) was different then the 1970s and '80s. Even hardcore Cold Warriors like James Burnham (in the pages of National Review) recognized as much--or hinted as much, or it can be inferred from his theory on the Managerial revolution--take your pick. Mises posited a similar theory, though based on economics, that the Soviet couldn't last forever (and neither could a DC centrally organized economy, let alone globalization). Read some George Kennan--generally recognized as a conservative, an actual diplomat on the ground in 30s Russia. The Real Politik of the 30s was not the 50s and so on.

By the late 70s, after Afghanistan, Carter forced an embargo on food shipments. Do you know who reversed it?

Now why would Reagan have done that, unless his brain did understand the nature of the Game?

Why did the CIA (often led by the neocons like Richard Perle, Eliot Abrams...) constantly over estimate the strength of the USSR? They were so discredited...and yet turned up in the Bush II admin (Abrams was even a felon at the time)?

Why did Ollie North and Richard Perle (Perle again!) suggest giving arms to guys like Osama bin Laden was a good idea in the mid-80s and yet are still embraced by the Right here in 2011? (Insane I know.)

Bob Grant| 9.9.11 @ 11:01PM

Maybe because the United States' nemesis of that 'dated conflict' still had a little fight in them.

Hindsight will always be 20 20 and you can pick apart any administration who does bold things.

Heck, we could start several hundred brand new posts about how our country is paying the price of the FDR legacy.

C Bowen| 9.10.11 @ 8:00AM

Maybe--the Soviet was certainly a rival--but what sort of rival. A traditional nation-state rival or an ideological rival?

Solzhenitsyn who was initially embraced by the American right, eventually was on the outs when he criticized the nature of Western liberal democratic capitalism and its globalism.

There were in addition, plenty of rightwingers who noted that at least the Soviet was pro-natal (where the West encouraged feminism and abortion for it's upper Bell Curve women) and generally speaking, culturally conservative.

This is only the beginning of serious study, but look at the neocons like Kristol who seem to hate the Russians (not the Soviet, but the actual Russians) to the point he has repeatedly supported since the 80s (see Ollie and Rich arming Muslims) Islamists against rivals (Serbia, Chechnya...)

aware| 9.9.11 @ 6:12PM

I was there. Strong supporter of Reagan, even in'76 when the Republican Elite was short shifting him for the usual suspect. Some things never change with parties.

While he hastened greatly the demise of the Reds and that part of his promise is solid gold, the other promise of a smaller, constitutional government clearly failed by any measure you pick. So pass forgeign policy, fail domestic, the State undeniably spent more, took more, did more, etc. at the end of his 8 years than at the start. And please don't use that old "but it would have been so much worse otherwise" saw. While true, it just says better to go over at 75 MPH than 90MPH. We are at the cliff, speed is now irrelavant. It now is a question of momentum and direction. Neither of those are on our side.

And even the forgeign policy has been negated since even with the demise of the Empire, our soldiers didn't come home. In fact we are in even more places now. And spend 3 times as much on "defense". And the Laviathan is now a proportion unimaginable in those happier times.

The Progressives obsess over "fairness" and neo cons have "security". But in the end it doesn't come down to ideology, it comes down to simple math. There just isn't enough wealth in existance to support the government we currently have, no matter who adds it up. Not just Federalistas, but every level down to county commission.

When realization sets in on this it will be ugly, REAL ugly.

C Bowen| 9.9.11 @ 6:20PM

"75 MPH than 90MPH"

Thanks to Elizabeth Dole, working in the Reagan Administration--you could not do more then 55.

irish19| 9.9.11 @ 11:33PM

/cue rimshot.

Ken (Old Texican)| 9.9.11 @ 7:26PM

Uh, CBowen, that was Carter's 55 mph.

Aware,
I was "there" too. I ran an international construction company in those years. Mr. Reagan watched after my men.
He also presided over watching oil plummet so that we all went broke...but the country did well with inexpensive gas.
Finally, Mr. Reagan was FOR America and for freedom. We forgave him.

C Bowen| 9.9.11 @ 7:48PM

No, no that was Dole who tied it to highway funding.

She is the one who threatened to withhold highway funds if a State did not comply.

Wait--you were the one who was scared of Saddam right? LOL

Ken (Old Texican)| 9.9.11 @ 8:33PM

Cbowen, you are mistaken. 55 was a Carter deal.
Prove me wrong.

...and yes, I was afraid of Saddam. I looked him in the eye over a couple of hundred million dollars of contracts he owed us for....(never paid until I had to be mean.)
That man was a tool of Satan.

C Bowen| 9.10.11 @ 8:08AM

I am sure that BCCI money keeps you on the team, Ken.

Dole was Transporation Secretary and as the rep for the deregulating party/administration, she codified it as the policy of the administration. She stood against Congressional attempts to raise the speed limit--how can this be? I thought this was a time of deregulation?

She also nationalized "drunk driving" which I have to believe, no serious conservative believes is part of the enumerated powers.

She also mandated air bags that killed drivers and passengers a like, as noted by the American Spectator back in the day.

Clint | 9.9.11 @ 9:50PM

Reagan Was Reagan

" HOW GREAT WAS RONALD REAGAN?

" But history will remember Reagan as the first Cold War president to preside over eight years of unbroken peace, the first to reach an arms reduction accord with the Soviets, and the American president who helped make it possible for Mikhail Gorbachev to begin the process of restructuring Soviet society.

Historians will also stress the gap between Reagan's domestic goals and his accomplishments. Most obvious is the deficit; what he promised to eliminate he has allowed to swell beyond comprehension. On the social agenda, abortion remains legal, prayer in the schools illegal. Reagan's failure in the war against drugs and related crime activities is so great that drugs were the number one issue in the 1988 presidential campaign."

Timothy L. Pennell| 9.10.11 @ 7:27AM

Let's not forget the bag of SH*T he was handed, from his predecessor, the "Former" worst President we ever had. America was a Paper Tiger. (Like now) America had decimated her Armed Forces. (Like now) America was no longer RESPECTED by her Allies (Like now) or, more importantly, FEARED by her ENEMIES. (Like now)
He had to restore America's Economy (Which he did) Get us back to work (Which he did) End the MALAISE (Which he did) Return our Armed Forces in to a Fighting Force, to be FEARED, once again. (WHICH HE DID) He gave us a 600 Ship NAVY.
ALL of these things have been DESTROYED, in less than 3 years.
Hussein's sycophants like to compare him to Lincoln, and Kennedy.
Wouldn't that be nice.
SIC SEMPER TYRANNUS!

yisong| 10.27.11 @ 2:17AM

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