On Reagan, Obama and my favorite hysteric
The Republicans had a decent-to-good night Tuesday, picking up two governor’s offices but losing a longtime GOP congressional seat in New York. But the GOP is so starved for signs of hope under Barack Obama that its leadership and punditocracy immediately started mass sing-a-longs of “ding-dong, the witch is dead.” To hear them tell it, there hadn’t been a thrashing of this magnitude since the Georgia Tech football team beat Cumberland 222-0 back in 1916.
OK, I exaggerate slightly.
My favorite hysteric of the bunch, as usual, is Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post. In his column today, he claims that the “Democratic debacle of 2009″ has thoroughly demolished any claim of an Obama mandate. In fact, he claims, Tuesday’s results provide “definitive confirmation that 2008 was one of the great flukes in American political history.”
To put it kindly, the evidence that Krauthammer assembles in support of his thesis falls way way way short of the conclusion he attempts so valiantly to draw. But desperation will do that to you.
For comparison’s sake, let’s look back at the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the sainted image of all that is good and holy in the modern Republican Party. I feel safe in asserting that Krauthammer and others now celebrating the rejection of Barack Obama also believe that Reagan was a truly transformative president who forever altered the course of the nation.
So what does history tell us?
Well, Reagan was elected in November 1980 with 50.7 percent of the vote (Obama got 52.9). In December 1980, just a month later, the U.S. economy officially went into a deep recession. (Some of the economic “experts” who post on this blog would no doubt attribute that recession to a total lack of confidence in Reagan’s leadership, just as they now blame Obama for our current problems. Or maybe they wouldn’t.)
Anyway, when Reagan took office the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent, and from that point it began to soar. By December 1982, almost two years after Reagan took office, it peaked at 10.8 percent, clear evidence that his economic policies had failed. almost two years after Reagan took office. (Again, I’m just going by the standards used to judge Obama, who has been in office less than 10 months.)
Unemployment rate during Ronald Reagan's first term, 1981-1984. (source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
So, what happened in the off-year election of 1982?
Why, the Republicans under Reagan lost a net of seven governorships and 27 seats in the House. That result clearly demolished any claim that the GOP had a mandate and proved that the election of 1980 had been “one of the great flukes in American political history.”
Right, Mr. Krauthammer?
I mean, if losing two governorships while gaining one congressional seat proves that the American people have rejected Obama, surely the loss of seven governorships and 27 House seats ended Ronald Reagan as a political force.
Right?
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© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
58 comments Add your comment
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
2:57 pm
ooh, headline contest?
How about: “Krauthammer–Still a Willfully Ignorant Wanker”
USinUK
November 6th, 2009
2:59 pm
ooooo … first
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
2:59 pm
Alternate title:
“Was Ronald Reagan re-electable?”
SOUTHERN ATL
November 6th, 2009
2:59 pm
A Day at the Freak Show: A Report From The Heart Of The Tea Party Protest….
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/06/a-day-at-the-freak-show-a_n_348559.html
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
3:02 pm
ooooo … first
feck off, yer.
Jay
November 6th, 2009
3:02 pm
Ooops. Headline added.
Whatever did happen to that Reagan guy anyway?
Mrs. Godzilla
November 6th, 2009
3:03 pm
Aesop’s Fables
The Canterbury Tales
Hans Christian Anderson
The Brothers Grimm
Ronald Reagan
myths…….
4 outa five are worth re-reading
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
3:03 pm
Ok, gotcher headline up. Hey, that’s good too.
And no mention of a flight of stairs–classy.
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
3:05 pm
Whatever did happen to that Reagan guy anyway?
‘84 was a squeaker.
USinUK
November 6th, 2009
3:05 pm
(shaking fist at monitor)
curse you, dB!!
man … this day has beaten me like a rented mule … nothing like the last day in the office before a vacation to make you EARN your holiday … did I miss anything exciting, or was it all muslim=terrorism all the time?
RealityKing
November 6th, 2009
3:07 pm
Jay wants us to equate the repiblican losses after two years of Reaganomics to this weeks embarrassing democrat losses after just one year of Obamanomics?
Hello!?
Bosch
November 6th, 2009
3:07 pm
Good one Mrs. G. !
Mrs. Godzilla
November 6th, 2009
3:08 pm
USinUK
What ya’ doing for your holiday?
Bosch
November 6th, 2009
3:08 pm
USinUK,
“did I miss anything exciting, or was it all muslim=terrorism all the time?”
That was the gist of the wingnuttiest.
Where ya’ going?
Bosch
November 6th, 2009
3:09 pm
“embarrassing democrat losses ”
Yes. Sniff. Those two governorships are so embarrassing. Sniff.
USinUK
November 6th, 2009
3:11 pm
actually, we’re doing a staycation for most of it (do a little hanging out in London), then heading to Wales for a wedding in Cardiff …
mostly, it’ll be doing some projects around the house, putting the garden to bed, that kind of thing …
“That was the gist of the wingnuttiest” … s’what I thought … really wasn’t in the mood for it, today, even if I had the time …
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
3:11 pm
the repiblican losses after two years of Reaganomics to this weeks embarrassing democrat losses after just one year of Obamanomics
Sure wish Bablefish offered a Wingnut-to-English option.
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
3:12 pm
“Whatever did happen to that Reagan guy anyway?”
Well…he sure never knew.
Mrs. Godzilla
November 6th, 2009
3:14 pm
Bosch
I wept into my pillow over NJ and VA…..then laughed my butt off over NY23 and CA 10…..then for good measure I did the dance of the openly gay mayors (3 times!)
USinUK
November 6th, 2009
3:17 pm
Mrs. G –
“then for good measure I did the dance of the openly gay mayors (3 times!)”
but … but … but … weren’t we all s’posed to be rending our clothes sitting shiva for the demise of the democratic party ???
Bosch
November 6th, 2009
3:17 pm
Mrs. G.,
“I wept into my pillow over NJ and VA”
Yes, me too – I think that’s how I got that feather lodged behind my ear.
danjonglee
November 6th, 2009
3:18 pm
some men lead better than others…
Mrs. Godzilla
November 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
USinUK
no rending…did a bit a flashing though….
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
“some men lead better than others…”
But most need to lead.
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
3:21 pm
Damn..led..not lead…distracted by Google chat
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
I think I’m starting to get to the age when multi-tasking is typing with both hands.
Doggone/GA
November 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
“Damn..led..not lead”
I think you mean “need to be led” – I was going to word it differently: most would not know which way to go if they didn’t have someone to follow
Angry Black Man
November 6th, 2009
3:28 pm
Hmm, let’s let Obama get 2 yrs in and then we can compare apples to apples. Everyone have fun and be safe. I’ll be in and out sporadically this weekend. The father-in-law is here for the Redskins-Falcons game this weekend. I married into a die hard Redskin family. Even the ABD has a Redskins Onesie jersey. Have fun.
Hey Jay, for the ride home, How about we ride out on the mothership?
Just Say No
November 6th, 2009
3:30 pm
So Bookmans dream is for Obama to turn out like Reagan. In your dreams Bookman .3 years to go.
jconservative
November 6th, 2009
3:34 pm
“Whatever did happen to that Reagan guy anyway?”
Oh, he went on the give Medicare/Medicaid its largest expansion in history. Gave Social Security its largest increase in FICA taxes in history. Raised taxes 3 times on American corporations. Ran home from Lebanon in defeat.
I can go on, but it is Friday PM. Have a nice weekend.
USinUK
November 6th, 2009
3:36 pm
meh … too tired to hang tonight … have a good weekend – I’ll try to pop in over the next couple of weeks … in the meantime, play nice in the sandbox!
Paul
November 6th, 2009
3:38 pm
Historical comparisons are so unpopular.
I’m about to head out to a meeting, but isn’t Reagan the Pres who instituted a massive tax increase and a really, really big tax increase on Social Security? Either he wasn’t a Republican or the party’s gone a long way out….
A bit off topic, but here’s an interesting piece by a conservative columnist saying Bush wasn’t really a conservative and to win Reps need to become true conservatives again.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZWI2NDcyNWVkMjJiYjcyNTVjNDFmNzQ1ZTczMDQxZDU=
I read it and thought, “but he got reelected, didn’t he?”
Paul
November 6th, 2009
3:39 pm
Dang it, that’s “Historical comparisons are so inconvenient.”
Then again, they might be unpopular with some groups, too!
Marsh
November 6th, 2009
3:39 pm
The Ronald Reagan Saga
Iran-Contra. Basically, it involved violating federal law by trading in war materiel with the Iranians and the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
President Reagan ignored the health crisis caused by AIDS.
Reagan spent billions on the boondoggle of
an “anti-missile shield”. Which, incidentally, violated
the ABM treaty, in addition to wasting a lot of money.
Budget deficits grew from about $20B in the late 70s
to about $150B in the mid 80s. Reagan more than tripled
the national debt.
Reagan told Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to produce
a report detailing the long-term physical and emotional trauma a woman
suffered as a result of having an abortion. Koop, an abortion
foe, but a good scientist, discovered that, in fact, a woman
did not suffer long-term physical or emotional trauma as a result
of having an abortion. Reagan suppressed the report.
Reagan provided Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons.
Reagan’s tax restructuring (massive cuts in 1981, followed
by tax increases in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987)
transferred tax burden from corporations and the wealthy to
the middle class and, especially, the working class poor.
When a Marine barracks was blown up by terrorists in Lebanon, Reagan
responded…by pulling American forces out of Lebanon and invading the
small Caribbean island of Grenada.
Reagan’s attorney general was Ed Meese, who was investigated
by three different special prosecutors for involvement in three
different scandals. Over 100 Reagan appointees were convicted
of crimes committed while in office.
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
3:42 pm
Doggone/GA,
” think you mean “need to be led” ”
Yes…but actually my original post mostly meant “I need some caffiene.” I had a glass of wine with lunch…big mistake.
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
3:43 pm
Have fun, U-in-U.
Hey, since she’s running off to Wales, does that make her a Welsher?
@@
November 6th, 2009
3:44 pm
Haven’t you heard, jay?
So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that’s better, and kinder, and more just.
And so it must be for us.
America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the [present] emphasis mine. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.
AMEN!
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
3:45 pm
“The Ronald Reagan Saga”
He never remembered it, but our children will.
getalife
November 6th, 2009
3:50 pm
“From our standpoint, we picked up votes last night,” a cheerful Pelosi said, “one in California and one in New York.
Ouch.
@@
November 6th, 2009
3:54 pm
I’m lovin’ this one:
Radio Free Europe — GM’s About-Face On Opel Provokes Anger In Germany, Russia
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was just finishing her successful trip to Washington when the bombshell dropped.
General Motors (GM), which emerged from bankruptcy just four months ago following a reorganization overseen by the U.S. government, said it had decided to keep its German Opel brand, and not sell it to a consortium consisting of the Canadian auto-parts supplier Magna, and Russia’s Sberbank.
Considering the political capital Merkel has invested in clinching the Magna-Sberbank deal, GM’s about-face dealt a heavy blow.
She told reporters flying home with her that she hoped President Barack Obama knew nothing of GM’s intentions when they met at the White House on November 2. If he did know, and said nothing, she would consider that as having an impact on bilateral relations.
He knew Angela…you can bet your sweet a$$ he knew. He owns GM.
Warning strikes were beginning on November 5 at all four German Opel plants, where workers are angry at the prospect of heavier job losses in Germany under GM’s restructuring than would have been the case under Magna.
Union leader Klaus Franz said stoppages will spread from there to the company’s plants across the whole of Europe.
In Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said GM’s last-minute change of mind highlighted the “scornful” approach of U.S. businesses when dealing with their partners.
Putin said GM’s “refusal to complete this deal does not harm our interests, but it shows that U.S. businesses have a rather peculiar culture of dealing with their partners.”
On November 4, Putin called the decision “astonishing,” and said the consortium must go to court to test its legality.
Obama’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” (”I am a Beginner”)
snicker
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
3:59 pm
Thanks Jay for the info above.
Bosch
November 6th, 2009
4:03 pm
Travelin’ music upstairs y’all.
N-GA
November 6th, 2009
4:11 pm
Somehow @@ managed to tie GM’s business decision to back out of the Opel sale to President Obama.
It must be a defect in the DNA…..no doubt!
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
4:13 pm
“He owns GM.”
No…WE own GM.
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
4:14 pm
Or at least 60%
Pogo
November 6th, 2009
4:17 pm
Krauthammer is right. Just because you don’t like it Jay doesn’t make it not so. Why is Pelosi putting off the healthcare vote Jay? Hmmmm. The tide is turning and only the blind can’t see it.
Hard Right Hook
November 6th, 2009
4:40 pm
jewcowboy
November 6th, 2009
3:12 pm
“Whatever did happen to that Reagan guy anyway?”
“Well…he sure never knew.”
What an arrogantly vile & contemptuous statement. You are pathetic.
Midori
November 6th, 2009
4:48 pm
@@ –
just wtf are you talking about?
josef nix
November 6th, 2009
4:54 pm
Good evening..lots of fun comments here. Enjoying them. Thanks for the uplift!
getalife
November 6th, 2009
5:10 pm
“Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) can be counted on as a “yes” in this weekend’s expected vote on the House Democrats’ health care bill, announcing his support in a press release.”
Obama said he will not run GM.
@@ has been reaching desperately like most of the cons.
Tom
November 6th, 2009
5:11 pm
Krauthammer, in every way, spent most of his life being beaten by – an “Ugly Stick.” His mindset is refective of that punishment. Thereby does he make an excellent Repug. Anger, bitterness, self-hatred.
Hard Right Hook
November 6th, 2009
5:26 pm
Tom, Dr. Charles Krauthammer is a Harvard trained psychiatrist, paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair.
Since you have nothing of intelligence to say, you resort to the time-honored MoveOn.Org response: change the subject to his looks, and try and assassinate his character, of which you know nothing.
Nice try. I wonder what his analysis of you would say.
TW
November 6th, 2009
6:40 pm
Oh, the irony…were it not for the stimulus, Kraphammer’d be writing obits in Fla right about now.
Wow, an ungrateful rightwinger…amazing
TGT
November 6th, 2009
7:02 pm
The most resounding political message from Tuesday evening came out of Maine:
31 for 31. Now that Maine voters have rejected gay marriage, every state that has put gay marriage before its electorate—31 states now—has seen it rejected. At an average rate of 67.5%, voters in the 31 states have, at the very least, banned same-sex marriage. (Nineteen states have banned not only same-sex marriage, but also civil unions. Thirty states have constitutional amendments defining marriage as union between one man and one woman, thus settling the issue for all time as far as those states go.)
The rejection of gay marriage has occurred not only in conservative states, but in some very liberal ones as well, such as Maine, California, Oregon, and Hawaii. Purple states such as Ohio, Colorado, and Nevada have also soundly rejected gay marriage. Across the U.S., from the Deep South to the Northeast to the Midwest to the West coast, Americans have united behind biblical marriage.
All across the political spectrum, from Democrats (yes, a few) to Republicans to Independents, Americans have said a resounding “No!” to what is the number one item on the homosexual agenda.
With this type of sweeping plurality against gay marriage, it is hard to fathom how liberals can maintain any sense that the United States, in any significant way, is headed toward recognition of homosexuals marrying.
retiredds
November 6th, 2009
8:06 pm
Jay, those who have a very short-term view of things are gloating. We’ll see what happens in 2010 and 2012. Even with the statistics you mention Reagan was reelected. Same will happen with Obama. Sorry to offend your myths anti-Obmaites.
TnGelding
November 6th, 2009
8:23 pm
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
2:59 pm
No he wasn’t. It just shows how gullible we are.
I predict the economy will stop losing jobs by January.
James
November 9th, 2009
11:56 am
Reagan was not a draft dodger he served in the 2nd World War, had a birth certificate, and was well versed in his country and Constitution. He knew how many States we have/had.
President Reagan ignored the health crisis caused by AIDS.(?) A.I.D.S., was first named G.R,I.D.S., was known by Congress in the late 1960’s.
Mike43
November 9th, 2009
12:38 pm
To Stands for Decibels
Here are some data about Ronald Regan’s “squeaker” of 1984:
* He won 49 of 50 states and was only the second president to do so
(Richard Nixon was the first)
* He won 58.8% of the popular vote
* He also won 525 of the 538 electoral votes which was the highest
of any president EVER!