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Reagan
vs Reality
by Bob Herbert
What we get with Reagan are a
series of disconnects and contradictions that have led us
to a situation in which a president widely hailed as a hero of the
working class set in motion
policies that have been mind-bogglingly beneficial to the wealthy and
devastating to working
people and the poor.
“It is important that we stop idolizing our public figures, lionizing
them,” said Mr. Jarecki,
in an interview. He views Reagan as a gifted individual and does not
give short shrift in the
film to Reagan’s successes in his dealings with the Soviet Union and
other elements of what
Mr. Jarecki called “the positive side of Ronald Reagan.”
The film also has interviews with
many Reagan stalwarts, including James Baker and George Shultz.
But when all is said and done, it is the economic revolution that
gained steam during the Reagan
years and is still squeezing the life out of the middle class and the
poor that is Reagan’s most
significant legacy. A phony version of that legacy is relentlessly
promoted by right-wingers who
shamelessly pursue the interests of the very rich while invoking the
Reagan brand to give the
impression that they are in fact the champions of ordinary people.
When they tell you about his "greatness," it's always something that can't be measured.
"He made America great again."
"He made us feel proud about our country again."
"He showed us the Shining City on top of the Hill."
Then they tell you Reagan freed Europe.
Yeah, just like he freed Egypt.
The other big lie is "Reagan had the longest sustained growth ever,"
which is only true if you fail to mention the Great Reagan Depression.
It's like a car on the Interstate highway. You can tell your friends,
"I made the car go seven times faster," which sounds good if you fail to
mention that you slowed the car to ten miles per hour, then started measuring.
Bottom Line:
Reagan made a deal with terrorists to get elected, then once in office,
he armed the same terrorists that he promised he'd "go John Wayne" on.
Reagan INSISTED that the Marines sleep on land, instead of on
their ships where the terrorists would need a flying truck to kill them.
Why were there no barricades erected to prevent a suicide truck?
"It's like when you order new cabinets for your kitchen.
They never arrive on time like you want them to."
So the very next fucking day, Reagan invaded Grenada to
get his
214-dead debacle off the front pages and our whore media complied.
But when they suspected
Clinton might have
a girlfriend,
our whore media wouldn't run any other story for two long years.