Reagan's Liberal Legacy

[one...two...tree 2,762]

California Republicans will nominate their next gubernatorial candidate today, and by all indications, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman will have little trouble defeating state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. The L.A. Times' George Skelton takes note of a candidate who would have fared poorly in the primary, had he run on his record.

As governor, Reagan was the biggest California spender of the last half century. Under him, state spending leaped 177%. And as president, he spent like the proverbial drunken sailor to expand the Navy and the nuclear missile arsenal while winning the Cold War. He left Washington with a then-record national debt.

His first year as governor, Reagan raised taxes equal to 30% of the state general fund, still a modern record. And as president, he increased taxes several times, although conservatives pretend to remember only the one big tax cut.

As governor, Reagan also helped create the nation's first tailpipe emissions standards, signed an abortion-rights bill, and expanded Medi-Cal, the nation's largest Medicaid program (socialized medicine). Immigration, not surprisingly, has been pretty important in this year's gubernatorial primary, which also makes it worth mentioning that Reagan also backed an amnesty bill in 1986.

As Skelton put it, "Today, Reagan would be branded 'just another liberal politician' by the likes of Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner."

Reagan biographer Lou Cannon conceded, "Reagan would be hard pressed to get nominated today. Today he would not be in the conservative mainstream. He just simply would not be."

Of course, it's not just California Republicans. Newsweek's Andrew Romano recently noted, "[T]he GOP has drifted so far right that it's retroactively disqualified the only Republicans since 1960 who've actually managed to, you know, win national elections." Reagan, Romano added wouldn't "come close to satisfying the Republican base" if he ran today.

Given Reagan's willingness to break with conservative orthodoxy, this seems obviously true. Skelton noted his record as governor, but let's also not forget that, once in the White House, Reagan grew the size of government, tripled the deficit, raised taxes in seven of his eight years in office, supported the Brady Bill gun-control proposal, negotiated with an "evil empire" that had vowed to wipe the U.S. off the map, and cut and ran from Beirut.

Just to be clear, I'm not seriously arguing that Reagan was some kind of centrist, because that's just not what the record shows. He was, for his time, a pretty conservative Republican. The point is that the GOP has shifted so quickly and aggressively to the hard-right that the party has nothing but disdain for Reagan's actual policies. The notion that today's GOP would have the slightest tolerance for a Republican candidate with Reagan's record is practically laughable.

So-called "Reagan Republicans," in other words, should want nothing to do with Reagan.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

Edited June 8, 2010 by El Buscador

[mawilson 2,133]

Reagan grew the size of government, tripled the deficit, raised taxes in seven of his eight years in office, supported the Brady Bill gun-control proposal, negotiated with an "evil empire" that had vowed to wipe the U.S. off the map, and cut and ran from Beirut.

Yep, that about sums it up.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

That was back when there was democrats. The hideous progressives have taken over. Democrats are a thing of the past.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

So now liberals like Reagan also?

[mawilson 2,133]

So now liberals like Reagan also?

When it suits their political agenda.

[alienlovechild 75]

Reagan biographer Lou Cannon conceded, "Reagan would be hard pressed to get nominated today. Today he would not be in the conservative mainstream. He just simply would not be."

Just to be clear, I'm not seriously arguing that Reagan was some kind of centrist, because that's just not what the record shows. He was, for his time, a pretty conservative Republican. The point is that the GOP has shifted so quickly and aggressively to the hard-right that the party has nothing but disdain for Reagan's actual policies. The notion that today's GOP would have the slightest tolerance for a Republican candidate with Reagan's record is practically laughable.

Presidents should be judged by their contemporaries for better context. Reagan was roundly hated by the Left of his day for cutting the rate of growth of government spending, cutting taxes and boosting defense spending during the Cold War. Would Reagan be more conservative 20 years later?

Certainly the moron who wrote this piece of ####### hasn't examined the voting records of GOP members of Congress nor of Bush's spending either claiming they'd never be elected today. Perhaps not but they were elected more recently than Reagan.

McCain had the most liberal voting recod for a member of the GOP Senate, won the nomination his party and still lost despite hearing during the Bush years from liberals wanted a more moderate GOP candidate in the McCain mold. They didn't vote for him so there was no point in going moderate even against a Democratic president who turned out to be the furthest leftwing president in 30 years or maybe ever.

[Peikko 1,575]

Obama is not left wing, not even in the American context. Apart from that, the OP post is pointless. I think Meg Whitman could prove to be a good governor - but we shall see.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

"When Ronald Reagan was elected president [in 1980] he was the foul pole in right field. Today he'd be in center field," says former Republican legislative leader Jim Brulte, now a consultant and chairman of Poizner's gubernatorial campaign.

"The Republican Party is much more conservative today. And the Democratic Party is more liberal."

That's because, Brulte points out, moderates have been abandoning both parties and becoming independents, or "decline to state." Ideologues are left to dominate the parties.

When Reagan was first elected governor in 1966, independents amounted to only 3% of the electorate. By 1980 they had risen to roughly 8%. Now they account for 20%.

Meanwhile in that 44-year span, Republicans have dropped to 31% of the electorate from 40%, and Democrats have fallen to 44.5% from 57%.

Nonpartisan polls show how much Republicans have veered right and Democrats left.

The Public Policy Institute of California has found that over the last decade, Republicans have become less willing — and Democrats more willing — to fight global warming.

Dramatically more Republicans have become convinced that immigrants are a burden. Slightly fewer Democrats are.

Compared to 1992, the Field Poll reports, significantly more Republicans now call themselves "strongly" conservative. More Democrats consider themselves strongly liberal.

"Reagan would be hard pressed to get nominated today," says biographer Lou Cannon, who has written several books about his governorship and presidency. "Today he would not be in the conservative mainstream. He just simply would not be.

"Reagan was practical. He had principles, but he wanted to succeed in office. That's what is missing today in government. A lot of these birds, they don't seem to care that much about whether the state does well."

http://www.latimes.c...me-cap-20100607,0,5338024.column?page=2

[_Simpson_ 250]

Obama is not left wing, not even in the American context. Apart from that, the OP post is pointless. I think Meg Whitman could prove to be a good governor - but we shall see.

[Ban Hammer 12,866]

Obama is not left wing, not even in the American context. Apart from that, the OP post is pointless. I think Meg Whitman could prove to be a good governor - but we shall see.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Move over :rofl: :rofl:

Reagan was even more hated by the Left than Bush is now. If he was as baad as that article makes him sound, he wouldn't be the conservative hero he is today.

[Peikko 1,575]

You are politically off kilter if you think Obama is left wing. What exactly has he done that persuades you that he is left wing? Health care reform? As I said, even in the weird context of American politics Obama is a long way short of left wing.

[alienlovechild 75]

You are politically off kilter if you think Obama is left wing. What exactly has he done that persuades you that he is left wing? Health care reform? As I said, even in the weird context of American politics Obama is a long way short of left wing.

Evetyone is laughing at you because we're talking about the U.S. political spectrum not North Korea's.

Give me the name of a U.S. president to the left of Obama if you can. Even Obama's Senate record was never moderate even within the Democratic Party.

I do find this the humor in now claiming that the health reform is no big deal yet it's supposed to cover 23 million more people and the biggest expansion of entitlement programs in 40 years.

[Peikko 1,575]

Evetyone is laughing at you because we're talking about the U.S. political spectrum not North Korea's.

Give me the name of a U.S. president to the left of Obama if you can. Even Obama's Senate record was never moderate even within the Democratic Party.

I do find this the humor in now claiming that the health reform is no big deal yet it's supposed to cover 23 million more people and the biggest expansion of entitlement programs in 40 years.

There is nothing socialist about the health care reform, and nothing socialist about Obama. Whether or not he's the most 'left leaning president ever'? I highly doubt that one as well - but even if he was, that would not necessarily tilt him to the left either. American politics isn't really open to everyone, you have to have a mountain of the green stuff to get elected these days, which leaves America being ruled by a wealthy political elite - nothing socialist about that

As to who is laughing 'at' me, I care because? That's right, I don't because they are not noted for any political acumen.

[alienlovechild 75]

American politics isn't really open to everyone, you have to have a mountain of the green stuff to get elected these days, which leaves America being ruled by a wealthy political elite - nothing socialist about that

Voting is open to most people but only about half of them choose to vote. If you don't like it call up ACORN and mobilize the masses.

So wealthy people cannot be leftists? Ever heard of George Soros or most of the big Hollywood types, Google, Goldman Sachs or the majority of healthcare insurance companies that backed Obama?