With the definite demise of one disgusting politician and the likely imminent demise of another, perhaps now is as good a time as any to reflect on another dead politician for whom I hold rabid hatred.
I’m not a good enough historian to know how far back some of these ideas really go—and there has been plenty of evil in this country since prior to its founding—but, rightly or wrongly, I blame Reagan for much of what is happening today.
I blame Reagan for encouraging people to feel good about being selfish, for believing that they shouldn’t have to support those in worse conditions, that they deserved every penny they made and that, unlike the “undeserving poor”, they had never benefited from government subsidies or systemic racism.
I blame Reagan for spreading the myth that government is somehow bad, unless it’s about protecting property. (Remember him saying, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.” Here’s Mayor Mamdani’s 28-second take on that: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mEHl-liFzjY) Meanwhile, the national debt under Reagan increased from $994 billion in 1981 to $2.8 trillion in 1989, or nearly 285%.
I blame Reagan for vilifying welfare recipients and encouraging others to indulge in their anti-poor, racist sentiments. All while dramatically increasing the racial wealth gap, an increase that today resulted, in 2022, in the typical African American family having 16 cents on the dollar compared to the typical white family, or about $44,900 versus $285,000. (https://time.com/6334291/racial-wealth-gap-reagan-history/).
Perhaps most of all, I blame Reagan, the B-grade movie star, for convincing people that rather than being serious business that affects our lives, politics is and should be entertaining. He somehow made it acceptable for the most powerful person in the country/world to act like a frigging moron. Remember his comment about trees producing more air pollution than automobiles? Or how about these:
- “Well, I learned a lot... I went down to (Latin America) to find out from them and (learn) their views. You'd be surprised. They're all individual countries.”
- “Facts are stupid things.”
- “All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.”
- “The state of California has no business subsidizing intellectual curiosity.”*
Unbelievably stupid, sure. But also amusing.
I could go on—feel free to keep going where I have left off!
Moral and political rot doesn’t come about overnight. It takes years, even generations, to build. Republicans once supported such “progressive” causes as conservation of natural resources, corporate law reform, and consumer protection. A credible accusation of rape was enough to destroy Graham Platner’s candidacy, but when Anita Hill accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, people failed to take it seriously—and now it’s fine for rapists to be Supreme Court justices and even the president. The dumbifying of America and our politicians, the shocking collapse of any sense of morality and ethics in politics and the rise in obvious corruption—they all have roots in history.
So yeah, Ronald Reagan isn’t the only reason we are here today, any more than are Lindsey Graham’s or Mitch McConnell’s hypocrisy. But Reagan played an important role in our political descent, and it’s important to remember just how toxic horrific politics wrapped in humor and “charm” can be.
* Quotes from https://www.liveabout.com/ronald-reagan-quotes-2733513
