Without Gorbachev, Reagan would barely be a blip on the radar screen

[mtnsnake]

Ronald Reagan is one of the most, if not THE most, over rated presidents EVER by the repukes and right wing media.

true or false?

[saltpoint]

1. True and true and true.

Reagan was Fruit Loops.

Gorby was a world citizen.

[AP]

2. Reagan was extremely good at what he did. No two ways about it.

He was a great front for a massive, irresponsible transfer of wealth to the wealthiest while saddling future generations of middle class people with the debt he created.

But in the same way that it was a good thing that FDR was president during WW2, it would have been nice if someone like Clinton had been president when Gorbachev was dismantling totalitarianism in the Soviet Union.

[izzybeans]

3. Seconded

I was a bit young to pay attention in a meaningful way but I have distinct memories of my mother and father growling at the television screen. One quote that is most memorable is, "This is not another one of your f-ing war movies Ronnie!" I suppose the phrase star-wars sparked that one.

[glarius]

4. Gorbechev went to England and Thatcher said he was "someone they

could do business with."....He also came to Canada and toured our country to see how democracy works etc....Reagan is given credit for ending communism in the U.S.S.R. when it was actually Gorby.....

[unblock]

5. the cult of personality is insane around this one

especially with regards to the fall of communism.

for seven straight decades, the right wing insisted that communism would inevitably fall under its own weight because capitalism was inherently superior.

then, all of a sudden, when communism falls under its own weight, suddenly it's all reagan's doing, what between spending an insane amount of money on a fantasy weapons system and that one-liner "challenging" gorbachev to "tear down this wall".

what, all of a sudden, capitalism vs. communism had nothing to do with it? we could have ended all this back in eisenhower's days if only we had spent more on fantasy weapons and talked more like a cowboy? does this mean they now think that communism might not have collapsed had it not been for the crazy spending?

[On the Road]

6. Reagan Did One Important Thing Right

He allowed Gorbachev to successfully pursue peace with the US and to pursue what amounted to unilateral disarmament without being attacked. Reagan had to overcome a lot of neocon resistance to do that. Personally, I think Bush would never have allowed it -- he would have made sure hostilities continued.

Having said that, I can't imagine why people still think he was a good president.

[MrScorpio]

7. You want to know why he was overrated?

Here's part of the answer right here. A lot of it was based on a lie.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/video1037.htm

[Old and In the Way]

8. Actually, Gorbachev suceeded in spite of Reagan.

I recall that Reagan's actions probably helped the Soviet hardliners, at least initially. "The bombing starts in 5 minutes" and "evil empire" talk didn't help much and could have provided the ammunition to have Gorbachev done in by the Kremlin reactionaries.

It was Gorbachev that risked everything supporting perostroiyka(sp)....Reagan went along for the ride.

But, hey, what else will Reagan being remembered for? Iran-Contra? Arms for Hostages? Republican trickle down economics? The Republicans are busy rewriting history, rehabilitating Reagan's image.....sorta reminds me of the way the totalitarian societies operated with their Cult of Personality back in the Cold War days.

[kamqute]

9. No, we'd just remember him for his terrible domestic policies