What, exactly, was a "Reagan Democrat"?

[CatWoman]

I know of at least one DU member who proudly admitted to voting for Ronald Reagan.

Is he considered a "Reagan Democrat"?

[Burning Water]

1. They were

blue collar workers, Catholic ethnics, and Southerners who voted for a Republican for the first time in their lives when Ronald Reagan ran.

[Kierkegaard]

2. Here's what wiki says it is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_Democrat

To me is sounds a little like 'Jews for Jesus.'

[Atman]

3. If he was a dem back then, yes

Reagan Democrats were supposedly the thoughtful democrats who cared so much about their country and disdained Carter so much that they voted for Reagan.

[bunkerbuster1]

4. Suicides.

[dysfunctional press]

5. they were braindead morons who fucked their country over.

that's what.

[Mandate My Ass]

6. IIRC

A Reagan Democrat was a Dem who bought the Repuke/MSM hype that Carter was a wuss (Iranian hostage crisis) and we needed someone with a bigger dick to wag at the Middle East in the WH. So they crossed over and voted for Ronnie Raygun.

Even Iran/Contra, October surprise isn't enough to get some of them to recant that the whole thing was media hype of the worst sort.

[Cleita]

18. In California, those of us who suffered with Reagan when he

was Governor didn't at least most of us didn't.

[KansDem]

32. Remember how (I think it was) ABC News opened its program each night?

Reagan Democrat was a Dem who bought the Repuke/MSM hype that Carter was a wuss (Iranian hostage crisis)...

"Day XYZ: American Held Hostage!"--each evening we were reminded about the hostages. Imagine if the Corporate Media today began each newscast with:
Day XYZ: Bush Still Lying about Iraq!

[serryjw]

41. Can someone Photoshop this for us......

This screams for some art (cheney)


bigger dick

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Suckers.

People who voted for the hollywood actor.

[WilliamPitt]

8. A Reagan Democrat

was someone who was disgusted by the seeming mismanagement of the Carter administration, someone who bought into the "strong national defense" meme put forth by the Reagan folks, and someone who saw the Democratic Party as being under the control of interest groups like unions.

The Democrats were not in great shape in 1980. The Ayatollah had taken Iran, the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan, the hostages were a national humiliation, gas prices were outrageous and the economy overall was in the shitter.

So, a Reagan Democrat was someone who saw these things and thought Reagan could fix them, as opposed to giving Carter another four years to try.

[CatWoman]

12. All I can remember from back then was the birth of "Nightline"

[sandnsea]

14. Don't forget the economy

The people I knew who considered Reagan did it because of the economy. It was miserable, worse than 92. Only time in my life that I literally could not find ANY job, run-away inflation and interest, just awful. That was as important as Iran.

And no, I didn't vote for him.

[CottonBear]

61. I'm sure the Reagan Democrats enjoyed Reagan's recession.

:sarcasm:

[sandnsea]

69. I didn't say Reagan was any better

I said the 1980 vote was as much about the economy as Iran.

[CottonBear]

72. I agree with you. Iran and the economy were the main issues.

I was being sarcastic. I should have added the :sarcasm:

[sandnsea]

73. Ya know

I remember in 1983, asking for a raise. What did I need a raise for, there was no more inflation, economy was booming. We still haven't caught up with the losses from inlation and wage stagnation in that time, and they just keep sticking it to us, every time these Republicans get into office.

[depakid]

17. Carter also had an annoying habit

of smiling at inappropriate times- and made an incredibly HUGE blunder with his "national malaise" theme.

He also used to cite his discussions with Amy about national problems, and claimed to have been attacked by a giant rabbit while out boating. Not exactly confidence building material- expecially when the country had just been through a major gas price shock....

[CatWoman]

20. wonder if the rabbit looked anything like this?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

25. You know, in his defense, if I were out enjoying a boat...

and some wasscily wabbit jumped on board out of nowhere I'd probably take a swing at it too. Thing was probably rabid.

I've got no explanation for the UFO thing though.

[WI_DEM]

30. Actually Reagan and Nancy claim they had an encounter with a UFO

Lucille Ball tells the story in the book, "Lucy in the afternoon" tha Ronnie and Nancy were late for a party and then they come in all excited because they had spent the last hour watching a UFO.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

33. I've no doubt, they were pretty screwy.

Makes me wonder if they were into scientology.

[depakid]

29. I actually found the story

Close up of the rabbit. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Carter Library

What a political nightmare that was- just goes to show what a powerful rhetorical device ridicule can be:

http://www.narsil.org/politics/carter/killer_rabbit.html

(actually, it looks like his press secretary first told the story of the killer rabbit- not Carter himself).

[CottonBear]

62. Holy cow! Is that a real rabbit? It's so big! n/t

[CatWoman]

77. yup

and look at these suckers:



http://www.giantrabbitrescue.co.uk/mediac/400_0/media/paul$26amberharrods.jpg

[Catherine Vincent]

82. Now that is frightening.

I don't know why but I don't like rabbits. My brother had one for a pet and the rabbit just made my skin crawl. If I saw a rabbit that big, I'd run away.

[WI_DEM]

28. Carter never mentioned the word "Malaise" in his speech

It was the media who invented that and called it the malaise speech. He actually was talking about setting energy independence goals and trying to rally the nation to sacrifice as a way of uniting us all in this common effort.

[depakid]

36. I remember hearing that speech

and I don't recall whether he actually said the word "malaise" or not- but that's almost irrelevant. The speech was just dripping with it....

I've since heard the story behind that one, too- and all sorts of people warned him against giving that speech. Apparently, he struggled hard (the guy actually did have morals). Too bad he and his cabinet didn't have better political sense.

[WI_DEM]

43. Actually Carter's approval rating went up directly after the speech

it was after the media and Republicans began maligning it that public opinion began to change.

Here is a transcript of the speech:

http://www2.vscc.cc.tn.us/socialscience/FinalDocs/1970s&beyond/malaise.htm

I think it's a strong speech about pursuing a national agenda and how American confidence had eroded after years of Vietnam and Watergate.

If only this nation had followed his proposals, "I propose the creation of an energy security corporation to lead this effort to replace 2.5 million barrels of imported oil per day by 1990...These efforts will cost money, alot of money, and that is why Congress must enact the Windfall Profits Tax without delay..."

Many of his proposals did become law--but Reagan and the Republicans dismantled it when they came to power.

[depakid]

46. Guess that goes to show how perceptions change over time

Reading it again- it makes a lot of sense. 2006 sense though. In 1979, this is malaise:

Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. We always believed that we were part of a great movement of humanity itself called democracy, involved in the search for freedom, and that belief has always strengthened us in our purpose. But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past.

In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.

The symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us. For the first time in the history of our country a majority of our people believe that the next 5 years will be worse than the past 5 years. Two-thirds of our people do not even vote. The productivity of American workers is actually dropping, and the willingness of Americans to save for the future has fallen below that of all other people in the Western world.

As you know, there is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media, and other institutions. This is not a message of happiness or reassurance, but it is the truth and it is a warning.

[RaleighNCDUer]

51. Therein lies the whole story --

"...and that is why Congress must enact the Windfall Profits Tax without delay..."

[WI_DEM]

60. the windfall profits tax on the big oil companies

yep, that is why they tried hard to discredit the speech.

[WilliamPitt]

42. You are correct

Here is the text:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/filmmore/ps_crisis.html

It's actually pretty prophetic, given the current context.

[RaleighNCDUer]

49. Yeah. A huge blunder of telling the truth.

We WERE in a national malaise. The oil embargo and the hostage crisis emphasized that we could not command other nations to our will, which was very disappointing to the chest thumpers. Three Mile Island showed us that our much vaunted technology was failing us. The debt from the Vietnam war was coming due, and undercutting our GDP. After eight years of a Republican whitehouse people were so distrustful of the government that they couldn't believe that his 'simple man' image wasn't just a pose -- so when he spoke from the heart, about his conversations with Amy, about the Playboy interview, about his religious convictions, nobody knew how to take it.

BTW, the rabbit thing was just a little fun in the press thing, like Ford's clumsiness. He never claimed to be afraid of the rabbit - he was a farmer, for god's sake. He knows rabbits. It was the image of the Secret Service man moving to get between him and the rabbit (maybe the guy thought it might be rabid) that kicked it off, but the press ran with it.

Why are you repeating the RW memes that helped defeat him?

[depakid]

64. Another classic blunder

is not seeing things in historical context- as they were at the time. There wasn't a right wing media like there is today. It was an aggressive Washington Press corps- that the administration repeatedly mishandled.

And there wasn't any sort of "national malaise" so much as people were pissed off at what was going on. Most folks don't understand what THAT means today- we weren't a nation full of sheeple back then.

Carter and his administration defeated themselves- by not dealing effectively with a Democratic Congress- which is one reason why Kennedy ran against Carter in the 1980 primary. Carter tied to micromanage to many things- including the aborted hostage rescue. And when he didn't, he delegated authority to loose cannons who seemingly gave him little respect.

Politcally, Carter was a disaster- and if I have any antipathy for the man, it's because the ineptitude that I saw displayed gave us Reagan- a man who was SO unpopular and far to the right at the time that it was almost inconceivable that he'd be elected. He was joke.

I don't doubt Carter's sincerity- nor do I discount the myriad problems he inherited. However, there's no question that his poor political judgment and management skills are major reasons why the far right gained the foothold that allowed them to create the national nightmare we're in today.

[RaleighNCDUer]

79. I guess we'll just have to disagree on that.

The RW takeover of the press was already beginning - don't forget that the owners of the Washington Post were against the publishing of the Watergate revelations, just as the owners of the NY Times were against the publishing of the Pentagon Papers - by the mid- to late seventies there was a lot of media consolidation and the editors, who had been making the decisions, were beginning to be replaced. After Watergate, they still went for the 'gotcha' stories -- remember Billy Carter and Libya, and Ham Jordan and Studio 54? -- but that stopped almost immediately when Reagan took office. It didn't change with Reagan (the Democratic administration was fair game) -- the change preceded him, helped propel him into office, then treated him with kid gloves.

I also disagree that there was no 'malaise'. If things are peachy, people don't flock to join cults to gain meaning in their lives. Nor do they do so if they're angry. They do so when they are rudderless. That was the time of the Moonies, the Hare Krishnas, the Scientologists, Jim Jones and People's Temple. That's when David Koresh took over the Branch Davidians. And I certainly don't remember the free floating anger in Carter's term that do remember during Reagan. The war had exhausted us. We wanted to back off and relax a little, after the accomplishments of the sixties. What started as a little party turned into self indulgence. Cocaine became the big drug. If you're pissed off, you'd smoke some dope to chill you out, not a drug like coke. People wanted a boost up from where they were, not a calming down.

As for his management style, he did try to carry the more informal state government style into national politics - and that is what had worked to make him one of the most effective governors of his day, turning Georgia from a maligned backwater state into the powerhouse it has become, mostly by the policies that he developed in his administration. If he'd gotten a 2nd term, he would have changed a lot of his style. He's certainly smart enough to have seen what was working and what wasn't.

I may joke that "I don't remember the 70s", but the fact is I remember them very well.

[CottonBear]

57. I call bullshit on your rabbit story.

The president was fishing on a small pond or lake and was startled by a swimming rabbit.
I would have been too. He didn't claim anything. It's a fact that a swimming rabbit starled him. That's all. End of story. I remember when this happened.

[WilliamPitt]

75. It wasn't "his" story

(snip)

The President then evidently shooed the critter away from his boat with a paddle. The scene was captured on film by a White House photographer.

The incident might have died of natural causes but for the fact that Powell himself later passed the story along to the press:

Several months later I was chatting with Brooks Jackson, one of the White House correspondents for the Associated Press, over a cup of tea, as I remember. For reasons that I still do not fully understand, I told him about the President and the rabbit. I was the one who leaked the killer rabbit story.
Although an experienced reporter, Brooks also failed to appreciate the significance of what he had heard. He did not rush to file an "urgent" story. In fact, he continued the conversation for some period of time and several more cups of tea. Not until the next day did he get around to sending this gripping account out over the wires to a waiting public. And even then it was a pleasant, lighthearted piece. Although he may not admit it now, I had the definite impression at the time that Brooks thought it was nothing more than a mildly amusing incident, too.

We were soon corrected. The Washington Post, exercising the news judgement that we in the White House had come to appreciate so keenly, headed the piece President Attacked by Rabbit and ran it on the front page. The more cautious New York Times boxed it on page A-12. That night, all three networks found time to report the amazing incident. But that was just the beginning.

---

It was a nightmare. The story ran for more than a week. The President was repeatedly asked to explain his behavior at town hall meetings, press conferences, and meetings with editors.

There was talk of a suit under the Freedom of Information Act to force release of the picture showing the President, paddle and rabbit in close proximity.

Shortly after the Reagan administration took office, they stumbled upon a copy of the picture -- apparently while searching for a foreign policy -- and reopened the old wounds by releasing it to the press.

http://www.narsil.org/politics/carter/killer_rabbit.html

[CottonBear]

81. The overblown and useless rabbit non-story was so freaking unfair. n/t

[WilliamPitt]

84. No doubt

but it wasn't "his" story. And it was a factor, fair or not.

[CottonBear]

87. You're right.

I suppose the real blame lies with the idiotic American people who beleived the RW BS and spin of a non-story meant to smear Carter.. :(

[CottonBear]

59. You are repeating what the Republicans said at the time.

The Republicans lied about Carter.

Were you alive during the Carter adminstration? I was in High School then. I loved and respected President Carter. He was a wonderful president. If he'd only had a second term, the world would be so much better now.

[depakid]

80. NO- I'm recounting what I saw and perceived

and if you want to know why Democrats ended up voting for such a reactionary POS like Reagan you might want to think about it. I completely agree that the world would be infinitely better had Carter been re-elected. Hell, I was an undergrad at the time- I knew exactly who and what Reagan was. I feared his type then as much as I loath them today.

I also watched Carter- as did so many other Democrats. They saw what I saw- and a whole lot of them bolted. I should add that some of it had to do with his not being telegenic. Carter (as I alluded to) often had poor delivery. Go back and watch some of his speechs or press conferences. Watch the 1980 debates. That "smiling thing?" We discussed that in forensics. Obviously, that's shallow- it's appearance. But in politics- in persuasion- it counts for something, especially when there are other things that you're opponent can use against you. "There he goes again" was one of Reagan's classic ridicule lines.

Damn how I wish Gore and Kerry had sat down with some coaches and figured out how to play Bush that way.

[CottonBear]

83. I remember the whole nightmare of the hostages and Reagan's election.

It makes me sick just thinking back to that time. I've always admired President Carter.
I know he's wasn't perfect but hell, who is? Much of the things that were blamed on him were not his fault and largely out of his immediate control.
I simply didn't buy the Reagan campaign BS. I knew that no good would come because of him.

[Mr_Spock]

21. I bought into the BS back then

I was a liberal kid looking to start a career and the hyper-inflation, oil crisis and unemployment made me nervous about my career prospects as I headed off to college. Much of this was not Carters fault, of course, but I did not think that he projected a strong image for the future - he seemed too passive to me. Fool me once, shame on you. I was not fooled again after that. I became an extreme Reagan hater the day he fired the air-traffic controllers. I voted for Mondale in '84 and at this point in my life I don't forsee voting for a Republican for the rest of my life. Fool me twice, shame on me - I won't be fooled again.

[CatWoman]

27. plus

you've lived long and prospered!!

:hi:

[Zorra]

71. Here are some dictionary definitions:

1. somebody who is regarded as lacking good sense or judgment

2. somebody who looks or is made to appear ridiculous, or who behaves in a ridiculous way

3. somebody who behaves in a disloyal or treacherous manner

[mrcheerful]

9. they were the fence sitting dems that bought into the whole repuke

lie. They blamed all of americas woes on the poor and welfare mothers. They bought rayguns lies hook ,line and sinker. They believed raygun was going to do everything for the poor and working class, most of them still believe in the raygun myth.

[Ganja Ninja]

10. Here's a photo of what one looks like.

[gatorboy]

24. Heh!

Did you know that Mondale had 40% of the popular vote (37,577,352), but only won 13 electorals? Jimmy Carter won 41% yet only carried 49 electorals. How does that happen???

[aaronnyc]

34. John Anderson

Anderson was the independent candidate in 1980, and he got about 7% of the vote for himself. So, Reagan won easily in 1980 despite getting just over 50% of the popular vote. When Reagan won in 1984 (where there was no prominent 3rd Party candidate) he had just under 60% of the popular vote.

[vireo]

86. I saw an old episode of Family Feud yesterday

with the question "Who would you like to see elected President in 1980?" Ted Kennedy came in first with, I think, 36% and Reagan at only 14%.

If Kennedy had been the nominee, I suspect he could have defeated Reagan.

[Deep13]

11. They felt alienated by the intellectual, liberal elite that seemed...

...to be more concerned with pet social projects than with the plight or the values of the rank and file. Plus, even if they agreed with him, they thought Carter was doing a bad job managing the country and wanted a change.

[Lexingtonian]

53. "seemed" and "thought" are the operative words

because neither one was actually true. Resentment/internalized conservatism/bigotry, economic frustration, and nationalistic egotism were the real drivers of the election result.

[Deep13]

88. Sure, no campaign ever blames the voters.

Americans think that as a people we can never be wrong. Our leaders may fail, but the public is always right. Obviously that cannot possibly be true. On the other hand, even admirers of President Carter have to conceded that he was a poor manager. His ideas were brilliant, but playing a non-brilliant Capitol Hill or media game is another matter.

[WI_DEM]

13. Reagan democrats were ethnic/catholic blue collar usually men

some union members who were disatisfied with the economy and felt the US was declining as a world power.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. Those that believed in "welfare queens" and the "evil empire".

They are now the beloved of the DLC.

[etherealtruth]

16. Sadly, the area I grew up in became (in)famous for this ...

... Macomb County Michigan (just North of Detroit) voted heavily for Reagan ... despite a long history of voting for the Dem. candidates.

The area was heavily populated by blue collar workers (and as an earlier poster mentioned) and had a large number of Roman Catholic voters ... It was astounding to see people voting against their self interest and worse ... they seemed to adore Reagan.

I turned 18 the year Reagan ran (I voted for Jimmy Carter:loveya:); it was very disheartening.

Some simply returned to the Dem's after the Reagan era, but the area was never the Dem stronghold it once was.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

19. An idiot.

Plain and simple. That was my first presidential election, and even as a 20 year-old twerp I knew that Reagan was all form and no substance.

[newportdadde]

22. My father voted for Reagan the first time.

First and only time he has ever voted for a Republican. He was paying 18% interest on a combine with runaway inflation for the farm and that coupled with Carter's grain embargo he just got so frustrated he went for Reagan. Looking back he takes it as a huge mistake, the air controllers were his what did I do moment.

In 2004 he went and got a HUGE Kerry sign to hang up on the family farm to be seen from the road(first time he has ever had up any kind of sign).

Its really amazing but he is so well informed even without use of the internet. I think his interest has really grown since had 3 granchildren.

[DUHandle]

56. The Carter Administration

was a great time to have money in the bank.

[newportdadde]

76. Very true, my father knew of a neighbor who locked in long term CDs

At something like 15% interest, not sure how long but it was several years at a minimum.

[FarLeftRage]

23. IMHO....

They were a bunch of f***ing a**h***s who sold out to the worst elements of American politics.

[ripple]

26. Some of it may have been from the Iran hostage situation

Carter took an enormous battering for that and Reagan came in to 'save the day'. Not so very different than Shrub's spike in approval following 911. I'm guessing that a number of the 'Reagan Democrats' didn't vote for Reagan the first time, but voted to reelect him.

BTW, I heard a long time ago that Carter's attempted hostage rescue was thwarted when his political enemies leaked the plans.

[Southsideirish]

37. Amazing how things just seem to "happen" to put them in power, isn't it?

The freeing of the hostages in Iran ("October surprise") and 911 and VOILA - repuglicans are in power for several terms, even.
Really amazing...

[jrw14125]

31. Suckers for a B-movie actor's b.s.

[gatorboy]

35. Same group of suckers

that more recently fell for an action star's b.s.

Which just proves my point that as much as the Right loves to bitch about "liberal Hollywood", they'll still fall over one another to run a celebrity on the Republican ticket...

[HughBeaumont]

38. Blue Collar Carter Haters who Konsumed The Koolaid in Droves.

Alliteration aside, they were hornswaggled by Spook 41 and his Dream Team that pretty much ran things while Reagan sold their message and took an 8 year nap . . . just like he did as a GE Shill.

And just like Lancelot Link is doing now. . .

The less things change . . .

[tjwash]

39. They were also called "yellow dog democrats" as well.

I call them traitors to the Democratic party. They are not unlike the freepers that come on to our boards here, that claim to be "Conservative Democrats."

Set the way back machine to the seventies, and remember what was happening. There was the Iranian hostages, and the Ayatollah, oil boycotts, the Soviets in Afghanistan, and the cold war.

In other words, pretty much business as usual in the middle east, in Russia.

The difference was, Reagan, Rummy, Cheney and the rest of the fledgling neo-cons were able to use all of that, to whip up fear of brown people, and of the "red menace" and they played on the U.S. national self esteem being so low. In other words, 1980 was a landslide for Reagan, because he had convinced a huge yellow dog constituency that their dicks were real small, and that if they voted for him, they would get REAL big and girthy. Sounds funny, but it worked like a dream for them.

[nonconformist]

74. Actually, "yellow dog democrats"

are democrats that would vote for a yellow dog before they'd vote for a republican.

[Alamom]

78. Thank you. Love that term ! Haven't heard it in a while.....

Last week, my 73 year old (ailing) Mother proudly proclaimed she and my Dad (dec) had been Yellow Dog Dems through it all when we were discussing the mess this country is in.







edit :spelling

[RaleighNCDUer]

40. The first round of victims of Bushco's lies. nt

[Vinnie From Indy]

44. Reagan merely used the age old tactics of racism and intolerance

and rode into the White House. The civil rights era lost the Dems the South. Many Reagan "Democrats" bought into the stereotypes of the "welfare queen" and voted accordingly.

[KG]

45. could they be the same as the 'bush democrats'?

you know, like the ones in FL that helped tip the 2000 election?

[tjwash]

50. Like these people?

Gay Bush Supporters

[CatWoman]

52. speaking of which

http://www.lonestaricon.com/2006/CurrentIssue/16/news08.htm

:hi:

[kentuck]

47. They were Democrats who bought the bullshit of Reagan and the Repubs...

they had no firm belief in anything and went for Reagan because he was a good actor, in my opinion..

[lumberjack_jeff]

48. "Chickens for Col. Sanders" n/t

[NNN0LHI]

54. The kind of Dem who bought into Reagan's "Welfare Queen" line n/t

[GreenArrow]

55. nowadays, they call them "moderates"

.

[WI_DEM]

58. well, I think they are still basically conservative democrats

Clinton brought a lot of the so called Reagan Democrats back in ethnic/blue collar areas.

[devilgrrl]

63. Archie Bunker

:shrug:

[WI_DEM]

66. good!

though Archie was a Republican on the show--but yes, that is the stereotype of the "Reagan Democrat".

[devilgrrl]

67. Reagan Democrat=Blue Collar Racist/Sexist/Homophobe

They like voting against their best interests because they'll afraid of queers. :eyes:

[LaPera]

65. SELLOUTS TO DEMOCRATIC IDEOLOGY AND VALUES-ROOSEVELT

NEW DEAL SELLOUTS---FOR THEIR OWN SELFISH GREED!!!!

[Left Is Write]

68. I have never heard of such an animal, but quite clearly

they exist or did exist. He won the 1984 election by taking every state except Minnesota and the District of Columbia. Many of those voters were obviously Democrats.

[raysr]

70. a person with dementia.

[Malikshah]

85. Ex hippies who made some dough and lost their souls.

eom

[mdmc]

89. Raygun Dems were registered Dems that supported Raygun

they have all been outsourced now.

[SoCalDem]

90. Starstruck idiots who actually thought his scripted words were valid

These are the same type of people who voted for Arnold..

Some people mistake celebrity for intelligence:(