Ronald Reagan

The wall was torn down and the Evil Empire was taken to economic collapse.

Hopelessly mediocre president, but since we're rating them as "world leaders" here I'll give him an extra star for being a charming entertainer of foreign dignitaries. At least he wasn't unintentionally funny like our current prez. Here's the best joke from Reagan's repertoire, as recorded by Mort Sahl: "So a Russian guy goes to the car dealer and asks to buy an automobile. He completes the purchase and asks when the car will be delivered. 'In ten years,' says the car dealer. Replies the customer: 'In the morning, or in the afternoon?' The dealer chuckles a little, but decides to humor his customer. 'In the morning.' The customer breathes a huge sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness. The plumber's coming in the afternoon.'"

I know some rateitall.com reviewers here will disagree with my assessment about Ronald Reagan (and frankly, I could care less what they think when it comes to this great man), but all I need to know is how my immigrant parents did during the 1980s, the so-called 'Decade of Greed' (which is an absolutely STUPID monicker). My parents, who came from the Philippines during the early 1970s and started off with virtually nothing, prospered during this wonderful era. Never had they been more successful and proud for what they worked so hard to accomplish for themselves. And Ronald Reagan inspired them (and so many others like them) to still believe in the American Dream. But in today's political climate, you will never here about it. In fact, there were many like my parents who succeeded during this era, and they give credit to Ronald Reagan and the economic policies of this era. (And I'm not ashamed to say many like us wept when this great man died in 2004.) As far as his role in fighting Communism, many historians now rightfully give him credit for helping end the Cold War. He believed in what he saw as an 'Evil Empire', and was extremely determined to show how its system could never prevail over ours and the entire rest of the free world. Reagan stood firm on issues. And whether people liked him or not, he did not change to accomodate what he saw as wrong. But, Reagan also was never a man to hold a grudge against his opponents (he and others such as Democratic Representative Tony Coehlo and House Speaker Tip O'Neill were good friends outside of the political wrangling) as he would cross political lines to get bills passed, foregoing partisan politics. Was he a perfect man? No. He made his mistakes (like many other leaders of any era). But Ronald Reagan was, undoubtedly, one of the most influential leaders of the 20th Century. For me, personally, he's been the best during my lifetime thus far.

An actor that was elected president. I wasn't impressed enough to vote for him either time he ran. Great speeches but he afterall was an ACTOR. Iran Contra, deficit speeding, tax cuts for the rich, out of sight defense spending and...wait a minute!... this sounds just like George W. except the Iran Contra thing has been replaced by Iraq. Conservative Republicans just don't get it do they?

Psst. They want to put him on currency for a reason.

Shockingly overrated 80's icon who was quite the friend to more than one third-world dictator.

I choose to remain anonymous, but I must state this. After my Democratic days, I became a Reagan Delegate after a couple tough primaries and I was at the 1976 Kansas City Convention and the 1980 Detroit Convention.

I helped nominate this great man, and I am proud of what little bit I was able to do. I talked with him, although, not for very long, and you can't believe how warm and loveable that he was.

America was lucky to have him, and we sure could use him today!

Like me he was a former Democrat of the FDR stripe. I was too young to know FDR before he died as I was born in the early 1940's but my people were of that ilk.

RR is the great America of the days of yore and we shall never see his likes again, looking at the mopes who want to be President. It is sad!

Lets see... The Iran/Contra scandal, Ketchup as a vegetable, firing the Air Traffic Controllers.....

Here are some observations about Reagan, one of my 3 favorite Presidents: (1) He didn't change his opinions to try to win. I remember so well during the '84 election when Mondale's people were running polls and trying to find out what certain groups of people were wanting to hear. You always knew where Reagan stood. (2) While Jimmy Carter was saying to us, "Trust me," Reagan was saying, "I trust you, the people." He had more faith in the grass roots than in a bloated government. (3) While other politicians would seek to divide people and demonize certain segments of society, blaming one group or another for causing inflation, Reagan would simply say that inflation hurts all of us and that all of us can work together to rebuild the economy. (4) He was incredibly upbeat and optimistic, much more than I was, or just about anyone else I knew. (5) He and his wife genuinely loved each other. That used to bug some people to death. Whether you liked Nancy or not, everyone knows that he always did, and she adored him as well. (6) Those who worked closely with him were amazed at his freedom from bitterness. He didn't carry grudges against his critics or seek revenge. (7) He had the courage to stand up to the illegal PATCO strikers, and dismissed them when they continued to break the law. (8) He came across as one of us, instead of just another lawyer from a rich family, which seems to be the common fabric of our national leaders. (9) Look at who his enemies were: all the unruly, anti-American, anti-family, immoral leftist organizations hated him. You can tell a real man by looking at those who oppose him. (10) His spontaneous speech at the '76 Convention, invited unexpectedly by Ford, the nominee, was the most moving political speech I've ever heard. That night, the GOP delegates quickly realized they had made a mistake by choosing Ford instead of Reagan. (11) When reporters were nasty to him, which they always were during press conferences, he responded respectfully and with good humor. (12) He was free from fear, and instilled a feeling of confidence in people across the country at a time when we really needed it. (13) He seemed to love this country more than other leaders - at least any I have observed. (14) He was not only intelligent, but had the soul of a poet, which was appealing aesthetically. (15) He had a deep respect for the Oval Office, refusing even to remove his coat while in the room. Such symbolism may appear silly to some people, but I really missed that sense of respect during all those years that our former Governor Clinton was in office. (16) Every president has the ability to appeal to either the best or the worst that is in us. Some presidents have stirred up animosity among people, or have whetted their appetite for more government handouts. Ronald Reagan appealed to our sense of history, national pride, patriotism, unity, and a belief that we could work together and make this a better country. He was one of my favorite people even long before he became president. I don't expect to ever see a man like him in the White House again.

After four years of Jimmy Carter raping our national defense and trying to co-exist with the Soviet Union, Reagan was a welcome presence. At the time, China had more of an open communism. Cuba? Yeah, they compared to the Soviet Union. Inflation was down, pride was up. A President with charisma that used it for diplomacy instead of bagging chicks. Imagine that.

A strong and courageous,charismatic leader,not a follower like Jimmy Carter was.

Defeated communism, eh? I guess that little island 90 miles off the coast FLORIDA(!) must be a mirage, huh? Oh, and China to! My sources also tell me that Putin would very much like to bring the Family back together as well. All well, it was fun playing pretend for awhile I guess....He gets 2 stars (as opposed to 1) for raising a fine young man, his son, Ron Reagan Jr....If anybody's son was qualified for the presidency, THIS is the guy. Now if you will excuse me I'm gonna go suck down some ketchup packets...I'm a growing boy, need my veggies.

He wasn't even a first rate actor,but as President,he told people what they wanted to hear and they ate it up.

Reagan had a great sense of humor. He also made morality and Christian values look cool! His wisdom shoul dbe commended.

Trees pollute and Ketchup is a vegetable. Gave arms to Iran. Said he would not have giving chrysler the LOAN that Carter save them with and kept 300,000+ american jobs. Today Republicans bail out crooked airlines that have no business staying in business or motive to do better, The government will give you free cash.

Ronald Reagan provided strong, decisive leadership in times of turmoil and chaois. He gave America what it lost during the dreadful Carter years- a reason to love America. Reagans ability to lead the United States so well is what kept it alive during the Cold War. GWB ideology is so intune with Reagans and that is why GWB is going to win another four years in the White House.

Nobody more accurately saw issues in terms of good and evil-and acted on it.

The single-star fleet somehow doesn't accord Reagan credit for the victorious end to the Cold War, but nobody offers any other explanation. Usually, a conflict like this is won by more than luck or circumstance, namely, a strategy for victory. If Reagan was not the person who provided such strategy, who did? And to portray Reagan as somehow to blame for more deaths in the 80's due to AIDS, is to ignore the responsibility of each individual for his/her own health & welfare. Federal funding for research for a cure, as we now know, would take decades. The US government does not have a stellar track record in curing diseases, regardless of the party affiliation of its president. Here is a sad bulletin: Bill Clinton didn't find a cure for AIDS either, but his crocodile tears certainly garnered him the voting loyalty of the Gay/Lesbian voting bloc in two election cycles. I prefer a leader who leads rather than one who sympathizes effectively. Who, on earth, is more responsible for the successful conclusion (with the US still free and the Soviet Union on the ash heap of history) of the Cold War than Ronald Reagan?

I hope no person of influence acts as unfeelingly toward those afflicted with Alzheimer's disease as Reagan did to those dying of AIDS. Public education could have done wonders to diminish the rapidly-spreading AIDS epidemic of the 1980's. Tragically, Reagan's administration undercut federal efforts to meaningfully confront AIDS by keeping dollars away from public service announcements and medical research. Even the Surgeon General was effectively silenced from publicly discussing the AIDS crisis by Reagan's advisors. It was six years into the epidemic before Reagan publicly discussed the outbreak himself. People can glorify Reagan all they want, but trying to bury such a disturbing aspect to his presidency is one more disservice to victims of AIDS. I feel strongly about this because my beautiful cousin David was one such victim. To this day, some Christians-in-name-only will tell you God created AIDS as a means of punishing people who they believe deserve to die. If you believe the Good Lord intended for David and others suffering from the disease to suffer such devastation, ask yourself this: What was God punishing Reagan for by making him suffer so long from Alzheimer's? The truth is, anyone whose livelihood is reduced by Alzheimer's deserves a more dignified and merciful fate. I only wish Reagan had the same humanitarian spirit toward the AIDS crisis.

I'm definetly not an admirer of his policies or methods(During my early years he was the warmongering American leader in the tv) but it's sad to hear of his death.

This one is going straight to HELL!

what happens when you let a TV cowboy run your country??? it gets ROYALLY F**KED!!! he deserves less than one star

A talking empty-head with criminals running his administration.

Once again: people are rating with their emotions rather than their brains. Look at the distribution of ratings--either terrible or great with next to nothing in between. Reagan was neither a great president nor a catastrophically bad one, though I personally didn't like him much. He ran up the deficit to record levels; he allowed horrific scandals to develop; he allowed fanatic, single-issue ideologues to rise to positions of power. While the Soviet Union crumbled during his presidency, it was NOT Reagan that brought them down, though he did play a part, a part which is often overstated, exaggerated and completely misrepresented by his fan club. Calling him the greatest President in our history shows a laughable ignorance of history, just as calling him the moral equivalent of Hitler shows a laughable ignorance of Nazism. Accept that most uncomfortable of ideas, that the man that gets you all worked up one way or the other is just another in a long line of uninteresting 20th century presidents. Oh, and by the way--what's so CONSERVATIVE about running up a deficit? Do you pay off your credit card bills every month? If you DO, that is good conservatism.

He was the greatest President in our history. We were in a horrible recession from Jimmy Carter, and with his trickle down theory, he brought us into some of the best economic years. Poor people do not work for other poor people. In a capitalistic society there will always be rich people and poor people. It's the wealthy business owners that keep the economy strong and keep the American people working, Reagan observed this and acted accordingly. He used Teddy Roosevelt's foreign policies and made us a nation to be reckoned with, unlike the pacifistic baby Jimmy Carter made us. He increased government spending and was the main contributor to the downfall of the Soviet Union, which was the greatest feat in history. So, to ignore what he did for our country, and say he was horrible, would be calling yourself an ignorant idiot. Read up on your facts, and then get a clue. B/c right now, you don't have one, Moosekarloff. Reagan was by far the best President in America's history.

Ronald Reagan is not in the class of FDR, Gandhi, and Churchill. He presided over a huge economic collapse, the Iran-Contra Affair, and bad relations with the Soviet Union. He restored optimism and pride to the American people? He widened the gap between rich and poor, and was a ultra-conservative Republican. Look elsewhere for the greatest 20th century leaders.

Hmmm....He fought terrorism, he was honest, he was humble, and he is a Christian!

I can definately say Ronald Reagan had alot of influence on the rest of the world. That is because all he ever did was pay attention to the rest of the world. He did absolutely nothing for his own country but cause fear and paranoia because of his part in the cold war. I loathe him, and still find it hard to find anything good to say about him.

THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR...What a guy. He ensurred our economy for 18 years until that dip Clinton gave us the two biggest tax increases in history

One of the worst Presidents ever, who squandered opportunities and actually set back our interests in the world. Economically, the "Reagan Miracle" was all illusory smoke and mirrors that the easily-cowed mainstream media bought into, and then mystified the braindead public, who also swallowed it all unquestioningly. The passage of time, however, has not been so kind to R's economic record. During the Reagan years, mostly due to the retarded notion of sharply cutting taxes while engaging in a huge military build-up, federal debt rose from $1.5 to $4.5 trillion. This means that deficit spending increased by 600% over the levels of the Carter years, and 3,500% over historical levels since the founding of the republic. We still haven't paid off this additional $3 trillion in debt: in fact, federal debt service currently amounts to over a couple of hundred billion/year, and as the mismanagement of the R years constitutes over 40% of this amount, the taxpayers are shelling out over $100 billion/year to cover just the interest on R's disasterous experiment with supply side economics, and the principal hasn't been reduced at all in over fifteen years. A. Laffler supposedly first demonstrated the "Laffler Curve" by drawing a picture of it on a paper napkin at some cocktail party: as this concept has since been discredited as wishful thinking/illogical nonsense, it's no wonder he was drunk when he came up with it, and seeing how well it worked, it would have been more appropriate to draw his graph on toilet paper. Yet R made it the centerpiece of his economic policy and the result was rich people/corporations getting massive tax breaks while the little guy/gal got soaked, the federal budget crashed and the government spilled gallons of red ink across the ledger. When you factor the deficit spending of the 1980s out of the economy, as deficit spending is not real growth, the private sector of that time was actually in contraction. On R's watch, business/bank failures and personal bankruptcy hit all-time highs, the stock market experienced its worst crash since 1929, and at the end of his term of office, the percentage of Americans living in poverty reached its highest level in 25 years. R's economic policies turned out to be so lacking in enduring value that soon after the senile fool doddered away, the country became mired in a recession that lasted over five years. In comparison, the economic record of that lightening rod for drooler enmity, Bubba Clinton, far exceeds the fairy tale, trumped-up performance of The Great Fornicator (i.e., remember that R had quite a reputation as one of the biggest whoremasters in Hollywood, a city of whoremasters, and that in her autobiography, Nancy Davis strongly suggested that Ronnie had to get a quickie divorce from Jane Wyman because he knocked up his extramarital slut, the future First Lady). Conservs decry the typical Dem "tax and spend" ethos, yet see nothing wrong with a "borrow and spend" approach that results in onerous consequences to the economy that burdens furture generations. This all started with Ronnie. Yet, droolers disregard this. Despite the mythology that rightwingers have tried to pass off as truth, R's term was also marked by misuse of our military resources. R's administration started a hallowed GOP tradition in trying to solve complex geopolitical problems with simplistic, reductive military "solutions." R's economic policies were essentially a form of military Keynesianism, and when the gravytrain slowed down at the Pentagon in the late 1980s, there were few supporting structures in place to keep the economy buoyant. R also typically used our armed forces as public relations resources to keep those all-essential poll numbers up. At least Clinton was honest in his allegiance to public opinion: the phony and disingenuous rightwing side says "core values" and "convictions" determine its ideology, yet every move made by the R administration was fueled by manipulation of public perceptions and a keen sense of which way the wind is blowing. R, realizing the taxpayers were cheesed about his military spending, staged those elective "spectacle wars" in order to justify the trillions the military was using. Yeah, that upstart Grenada was a real threat to our liberties and Way of Life, all right. The bombing of Libya, serving no true strategic purpose, was another specious show to indicate that R was "getting tough on tyrants." The disaster at the Marine barracks in Beirut, the Gander tragedy, the U.S.S. Stark/Vincennes incidents, the death squads in El Salvador, etc. were all signposts in a pattern of mismanagement that served needs that had nothing to do with national security/furthering our interests: all this was merely to enhance R's political stature and to keep the public attention sufficiently diverted. Rectum, as Commander-In-Chief, one of his favorite roles in a career of Make Believe, had very little to do with the reduced role of Communism in the former USSR: the "Second Russian Revolution" was mostly a product of middle class discontent in those countries that was abetted by a military that felt it would gain by a major regime change. The most critical result of R's mishandling of this situation was that the stage was set for nuclear proliferation: have nuclear devices of the former USSR fallen into the hands of terrorists or regimes that are hostile to the U.S.? R's people made no plans to deal with the Soviet nuclear stockpile, or with the Soviet system in general, once the Iron Curtain supposedly fell, and a considerable amount of nastiness ensued in those countries as a result. Sounds remarkably like the current situation in Iraq. And for all the noise about R bringing the Red Menace to its knees, the Communist ethos still exerts considerable influence in the former USSR, Eastern Bloc countries, Red China, etc. Despite all the time/effort/money wasted by the rightwing trying to manufacture "scandals" in the Clinton Administration, very little turned up that was especially harmful or threatening to our country, yet the Rectum WH was one of the most corrupt political clubhouses in American history. Wedtech/Iran-Contra/Ray Donovan/Michael Deaver/DEP scandals, to name a few. More officials in this administration were indicted/convicted/forced to resign for wrongdoing than in any other. Go look it up. And this geriatric relic was asleep at the switch the entire time, or BSed the public into thinking that was the case. I don't which is worse, but either option is pretty lame and frightening. Instead of holding the "Teflon President" to accountability, the droolers and the rest of the sheep were taken in by this liar's bedtime stories, total fabrications, feelgood advice, denials, red herrings, patriotic sloganeering and grandfatherly posturing.

The most influential president of the second-half of the 20th century. He greatly influenced the conclusion of the Cold War and the downfall of Communism. Whether you liked Reagan or not, voted for him or not, his influence cannot be denied. He truly caused change in this country and the world.

One of my favorite Presidents. He and Nancy have always been classy and great. Solenoid said it all.

This guy had faith in the american people revitalizing our nation and patriotism and in the iron curtain being torn down. He boosted our economy and national security. What more could you ask for in a president?

A leader of men,a man of quality ,depth and substance.Goes down in history as a hero,made decisions despite liberal criticism ,always as a matter of fact.From communism to socialism never backed down .The President of Presidents .

Ronald the great.

What a sad puppet dance into Fascism this idiot led. Whenever we finally clean-up from the mess 25+ years of right-wing fanaticism in this country, this is who history will point the finger at. Isn't he dead yet?

AN 80S VERSION OF GEORGE W. BUSH! ANOTHER IRRESPONSIBLE REPUBLICAN WHO DID NOT KNOW HOW TO STRAIGHTEN OUT HIS PRIORITIES!

Best President ever. True inspirational leadership.

Over rated

I wrote a rather lengthy explanation in the U.S. Presidents category so see that if you want more information. Right now there are only two things I want to say. One I don't remember Ronald Reagan going around the nation, unlocking all the doors in mental institutions so the insane could run amock. Also the way I see it whether Reagan liked homosexuals or not, it's not his fault they got AIDS. Whether you follow the teachings of the Bible or the theories of Darwin you should realize that homosexuals get AIDS for a reason. Etiher God looks down on them or it's survival of the fittest, take your pick. As to why other people get AIDS I don't know but as for the predominant numbers lying in homosexuals and drug users there's your answer.

Give me a break my life sucked during his tenure

See my comments on Reagan in the U. S. Presidents category. (I didn't see the use of repeating myself in the 20th Century Leaders category.)

Really a terrible president. Why people worship this guy is beyond me. He won't be forgiven for his total ignoring of the millions here and all over the world dying of AIDS. He ignored it because it was associated with not exactly the friends of the conservatives: homosexuals and IV drug users. He also seized every opportunity for useless military intervention. Reagan left office with a national debt of over $200 billion and Clinton left office with over a $200 billion surplus. Does that tell you all anything? Reagan's supply side economics just gave so much money to the wealthy and widened the gap between rich and poor. He also was pathetically senile as president. This is proven through his downright unintelligent remark: "Trees cause more pollution than automobiles." The guy was senile. Please, someone, if you can, explain that comment to me! Finally, he aided in the slaughtering of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of innocent civilians in Latin America through his supporting of right-wing dictators in those specific countries.

as far as unions in america,he did the most to hurt them.ask why you are getting such a poor pay for your work see reagan,a classic case of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer

What IS the deal with Ronald Reagan – a guy who hasn’t been in office for 13 years – and why does his name keep popping up in connection to Aids, war mongering, and homophobia? First of all, did I miss something between 1981 and 1989 or was Reagan actually the soul person on the planet in charge of Aids research and funding? I don’t think so. As a matter of fact, I can remember huge amounts of money being raised and massive amounts of media attention being drawn to this frightening new cause during that time. It was such a hot topic for so long it seemed you couldn’t go more than 15 minutes (especially after Rock Hudson’s death) without hearing the word. At a United Way fund raising meeting I attended once back in the early 90’s I distinctly remember one of the speakers saying that even the larger charities – like the American Heart Association and Cancer Society were behind in donations due to people now donating more to Aids. I don’t think Reagan had either a positive or negative effect on these privately raised funds going to research and education. As for him being a homophobe – who knows – it certainly wasn’t common knowledge if he was and I don’t see how it really mattered. Name one president who DIDN’T believe nor do something stupid. Kennedy was a sex addicted womanizer, Johnson picked his dogs up by their ears, and Ford was clumsy enough to trip on the only rock on an other wise smooth surface. As to war mongering – sure there were conflicts in the world then – when hasn’t there been something to involve the military in one way or another? But, there was no declared war during this time. Reagan was far from perfect and I agree he did say some dopey things from time to time. Even so, he seemed to work from the foundation of an actual belief system. And, flawed or not, poorly executed or a little on the screwy side, there was still a kind of basic, honest concern about him. One thing he did not do was look straight into a television camera and lie to our faces.

I would feel so much better if someone scientifically proved that Ronald Reagan was THE DEVIL! Everyone was so for giving Timothy McVeigh the death penalty for killing 168 people, but how about the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of INNOCENT PEOPLE that RONALD REAGAN watched die of AIDS!? We need to all get together to AVENGE the deaths of these poor innocents by RIDICULING RONALD STUPID REAGAN! The AIDS epidemic was a WORLDWIDE TRAGEDY and Ronald Reagan IGNORED it! I can't believe you all like this man! He is a KILLER! I'll make certain he takes 100% OF THE BLAME for what he did to hundreds of thousands of innocet people worldwide IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!!!!

No matter how you phrase it, the concept of promoting greater economic disparity in order to cause wealth to "trickle down" to the desparately poor is mindless, absurd and evil!

I'll give him this-- his tenure as president sure inspired some great punk rock, Bands like JFA(Jody Foster's Army & Reagan Youth). Songs like "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg"(Ramones), F**ked Up Ronnie(D.O.A.), "I Shot Reagan"(Suicidal Tendencies) Punk really hasn't been the same since Ronnie left. Oh, and how could I forget that painting of Ron & Nancy that graced the cover of the Dayglo Abortions LP, Feed US.A Fetus.

Responsible for the booming economy Clinton took credit for. Should have been given three or four more terms. At least then we wouldn't have had to listen drivel about stained dresses and other scandals completely beneath the office of president.

He did not defeat communism. Communism defeated itself, three years after he left office.