JFK is probably considerd somewhat of an idealistic model Democrat when talking about presidents to Democrats, even most Republicans don't critisie his presidency to any large degree. Ronald Reagan is viewed as the model Republican by the right today (I think they even want him on a coin), the main difference is many Democrats still hate him with a passion. They will call him authoritarian, a war monger, a fascist, and things of that nature.
How different are these two Presidents. JFK in his time distanced himself from the civil rights movement, wire taped many people, destroyed civil liberties with the steel industry (though to be fair democrats may not care about that), had more military action than Reagen, and he also had that anti-communist ferver that most left wingers like to make fun of.
Really how different were these two presidents, can one actually be called "better than the other" when looked at objectionaly?
Let us look then and see, how they manage their concerns- they for whose cause we are to labor, devote ourselves, and grow enthusiastic
-Max Stirner, The Ego and His Own
Though I am not a fan of Reagan, I far prefer him to Kennedy.
I am becoming a Burkean Whig.
- F.A. Hayek
I am no fan either, but what are the main fundamental differences between the two? Is there really any reason to glorify one over the other? Am I missing something?
Big bad reagan! It was kennedy who dropped marginal income taxes on the wealthy by like a billion percent! Rumor has it he even had plans to executive order the FED out of existence. And this is the man that the left adores?
Seriously JFK=R.R. especially with all the national greatness, Ask not what your country can do for you...
the same could be said of obama -he is bush.
^Yeah I saw somewhere, that JFK was set on ending the Fed. (and conspiracy theories escalate from there) It would be nice to believe, but I do not know for sure.
I think I might make a shirt that says "Anti-Communist" w/ a screen print of JFK above it. (similar to the che shirts)
fakename:It was kennedy who dropped marginal income taxes on the wealthy by like a billion percent!
Keep in mind the reason why Kennedy did this: it was not any belief that those high taxes were wrong, but because the government could make a higher revenue with lower taxes.
Dondoolee: Really how different were these two presidents, can one actually be called "better than the other" when looked at objectionaly?
JFK was assassinated. That is why he doesn't get insults from the right.
Where I come from, the women don't glow, but the men definitely plunder.
laminustacitus: fakename:It was kennedy who dropped marginal income taxes on the wealthy by like a billion percent! Keep in mind the reason why Kennedy did this: it was not any belief that those high taxes were wrong, but because the government could make a higher revenue with lower taxes.
I'm not sure lefties, and academics really love JFK as much as you may believe. Many lefties love him in that, he was a likeable guy, and was a Hobbesian caricature of a democratic statesman. But, I've never seen substantial adoration from the left of JFK's domestic or foreign policy. FDR, is the man leftists and academics love, not to distract from the essence of your post.
The left's hatred of Reagan, is for every possible reason, insane and parially sane. I think Ronald Reagan might have been slightly better, but i tend to think they are about the same in Awfullness.
do we get free cheezeburger in socielism?
I didn't want to start a new thread about this so I'll just ask here.
What do you guys think of Reagan's Foreign Policy? I was having a chat with my neo-con friend, whom was disgusted with Obama's wanting to "talk" with Syria, Iran etc..I asked isn't that what Reagan (his hero) did with Gorbi? He explained yeah, but more or less with up front threats of nuclear disaster. He says he will bring me Reagans book. This is also a guy who believes terrorists really hate us because of our "freedom" and not because of us policing their backyards.
Curious to what you guys think.
Justin D: ^Yeah I saw somewhere, that JFK was set on ending the Fed. (and conspiracy theories escalate from there) It would be nice to believe, but I do not know for sure.
Executive Order 11110 allowed for the Dept of the Treasury to issue silver certificates, which would compete alongside FRNs and royally tick off the Fed.
Justin D: I didn't want to start a new thread about this so I'll just ask here. What do you guys think of Reagan's Foreign Policy? I was having a chat with my neo-con friend, whom was disgusted with Obama's wanting to "talk" with Syria, Iran etc..I asked isn't that what Reagan (his hero) did with Gorbi? He explained yeah, but more or less with up front threats of nuclear disaster. He says he will bring me Reagans book. This is also a guy who believes terrorists really hate us because of our "freedom" and not because of us policing their backyards. Curious to what you guys think.
Compared with presidents scince Roosevelt he wasn't as bad as FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Or either Bush, and I think Obama is on hiw way to be worse but it is still too early to call I think. So while it's not good it wasn't as bloody as most (still evil and awful though, I am no Reagen apologist).
What I do find odd is the lefts hatred of the whole "star wars" thing. I mean, while I don't approve, if the govt is going to be spending billions on armed forces it may as well build us something to shoot down nuclear weapons.
So was Reagan's foreign policy decent? Especially in regards to the Soviets.
Decent is too good a word to use on him. I would just say not a awful as most of his precedessors. Honestly how many people died from violence directly because of his actions? I don't know off the top of my head, but less than most modern presidents I think.
Lebanon, Grenada, Central American meddling, Mid East meddeling, raising the military budget and escalating the cold war are a far cry from "decent" I think just when compared to the president's since FDR he was less of a mass mureder and meddeler than most. Ford, Carter, and maybe Clinton may be tho only presidents "more peaceful" than Reagen. Obama may Killed more than Reagan already.
Interesting. While I'm not familiar with the details of Reagan I know Clinton landed troops on foreign soil I think around 40 times. In regards to the cold war,, Reagan's understanding of mutual destruction as a tool of leverage is rather striking. He made Gorbi well aware of the defense and offense at his disposal. While not "peaceful", obviously no violence occurred, even with the airdrops of supplies to East Berliners.
You know even if you go all the way back to Mckinley (if you look at context) I think the only Presidents that would have had a better foreign policy would be maybe Taft, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Ford, Carter, and maybe Clinton. Looking at that list, you could immediatly drop Hoover for being destructive to the world via the depression.
I refuse to add TR to the list on the grounds of him being an asshole (also probably the man who set us philisophicaly on imperialism)
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