I’d love to hear from FReepers who were alive during Reagan’s rise in the 70’s. It’s my understanding that he was not taken seriously initially but was widely admired and respected after the Carter administration’s bungling of America.
Is it possible that Trump could be the next Reagan, or is this a flash in the pan sort of candidacy?
It’s not a flash in the pan. The question is how much control the elite and their media enablers have over voting.
I always took RWR seriously and was upset and angry when his bid for the nomination failed in ‘76. Gerald Ford went onto lose to the peanut farmer.
RWR was always the ‘happy warrior,’ and much smarter than the hateful news media ever credited him.
I think Senator Cruz has RWR’s same demeanor and he also has a photographic memory.
President Cruz would be the next RWR, whereas President Trump would be an earthquake that shakes the entire world.
This kind of data was not available during the period leading up to the election of President Reagan.
It is hard to compare what we see on this map with what the media was saying then and of course the media then is slightly different then it is today.
I look at this data and say this is amazing across the board data if it is not tweaked.
I do not know if Trump can be the “next Reagan” or ever be the “next Reagan”. Trump is being elected in a different time and era with different problems. He is faced with a NO amnesty decision where President granted amnesty. Trump must be an Eisenhower and perform an Operation Wetback II across America.
Trump is looking a comparable unemployment rate that has been manipulated by Big Brother. I believe Trump can help reduce the “real” unemployment figure.
The debt. Like Reagan, Trump understands we have to grow our way out of it.
Not only was I alive during Reagan’s rise, I lived in CA at the time. I became a Republican for Reagan and voted for him in every election he ever ran in — 4 times in CA and then 5 times nationally when I lived in TX.
I can assure you that nobody near where I lived either place thought Reagan had a chance. I lived in N. CA at the time he became governor and nobody would admit to supporting him. He received an overwhelming vote from S. CA. But, upon analysis, the vote showed considerable support in N. CA too — it just was silent.
I was alone again in TX because favorite sons, John Connelly and George H. W. Bush, were both challenging Reagan — at least in the first election. The big knock on Reagan was that he was “too old” and I heard that even from older ladies. He was an indefatigable campaigner and he sure didn’t look old in person. He always had a quip, in every speech.
People forget that the aura of “St. Reagan” did not arise until after he left office.
Two things similar about Reagan and Scott Walker is that they both battled excesses in their respective University cabals. And they both battled unions and won.
I recall the Reagan election and the time leading up to it. I was SO anxious to vote for him. At the time, I was living in Alaska so, due to the time zone, he’d already won before I left work to head for my polling place. (I still voted for him, though.)
Trump can’t be a Reagan because he has no core ideals driving him.
I do believe that he would win in a three way against Jeb and Hillary or Bernie.
He is still a globalist and he would be just a bit less bad than GWB. GWB, but with sealing the border.
I don’t plan to vote for him because I do not believe that he would stop the onslaught on religious freedom.
Jimmuh the Jew-hater (my pet name for the useless moron) made one hell of a mess in GA long before he made such a mess of the country. We-as in us Georgians-tried to warn everyone just how incompetent he was but nobody would listen (much like Arkansan’s tried to warn us about Anklepants and Cankles).
I actually think anyone with a pair would have beaten the useless wuss but thankfully Reagan was the one. He was savaged by all the usual democommies with all the usual democommie lies and wailings. “He’ll start WW III” and “he’ll kill SS” and “end a woman’s ‘right” to murder her unborn child”(my words) and on and on and on. But he’d just make fools of his detractors and laugh at them while he did it. And it would infuriate the leftards to no end. And once it was known that a lot of their very own helped vote him into office? Well, just mention his name around one these days and watch their little head full of hatred quickly explode.
I only wish I had paid more attention to him back then. I wasn’t nearly as interested in politics as now but he was truly something to behold. And most everybody loved him dearly.
When he passed away my Dad and I watched his funeral together and when Nancy leaned over his coffin to say her final farewell I looked over and saw my father crying for the first and only time in my life.
Guess I best stop now as I seem to have something in both my eyes...
Two major differences that I see:
Reagan was a skilled politician (in the best sense) - I don’t know if that’s the case with Trump, because we haven’t seen him in an elected office. As Rush Limbaugh often points out, he could never make it as a candidate because running for office (and successfully serving in office) requires a particular skill set, different from Rush’s. Trump certainly knows how to identify much of what’s wrong in today’s political structure - whether he’d be able to herd the cats needed to fix it is another story. Reagan had a track record (California) that demonstrated he did have that skill. Trump can run a successful corporation, which might port over to running a successful administration - but that’s not a sure thing by a long shot.
Secondly, Reagan was a true patriot - I think he was one who repeated the aphorism that it’s surprising how much can get done if you don’t worry about who gets the credit. He took a lot of pipe (”amiable dunce”) in a good-natured fashion while plugging away to fix the economy, restore American self-confidence and defeat the USSR. Trump? Well, I’m not so sure - up to now, Trump has been all about Trump. Is the good of the country a higher calling to him? I really don’t know.
For me, it’s not would I vote for Trump, but what’s the choice. I’d definitely take Cruz over Trump. I’d definitely take Trump over any Democrat. With the current GOP field, it depends a lot on the specific individual.
I remember watching the Republican National Convention in 1976 with my parents. I didn’t quite understand everything that was going on, but I do remember of lady crying because Reagan had not won the nomination.
I did not know who Ronald Reagan was at that time, but four years later I did. My parents were Democrats generally speaking, and they supported Carter. I also did, thinking just like my folks. Carter beat Ford.
Reagan definitely made an impact though, and four years later he beat Carter. My family supported Carter over Reagan, but when 1984 rolled around, they abandoned Mondale.
It might be hard to imagine, but in many ways the US was in worse condition in 1979 then it is today. Carter was a complete bungler, in way over his head. The economy was so bad they had to invent a new word to describe it, "stagflation". Endless inflation with no growth.
Carter's response to the situation was to blame the American people. He said they suffered from a "malaise". Of course, the malaise was a lack of leadership. His leadership.
But his economic disaster paled in comparison to his foreign policy mistakes. Carter engineered the fall of the Shah of Iran, and ushered in the rule of the mullahs. The mullahs declared war on America by seizing the US embassy and holding its occupants hostage. Carter was helpless and hopeless as he himself became a hostage in the White House. Meanwhile the daily hostage drama was played out endlessly on all three networks.
And then came Reagan. Reagan ran an optimistic campaign. He promised to get the hostages out, revamp the economy, and make America mighty again. He kept his promises and more. His very election ensured that the hostages would be released. No one alive at the time can forget the split screen of Reagan being inaugurated and the plane full of hostages lifting off from Tehran.
Sorry, I got carried away to a time when America was feared by its enemies and loved and respected by its allies. Good times.
Yes, Reagan was considered a lightweight by the cognoscenti. Despite more achievements than any other 20th century president he was not taken seriously before, during, or after his presidency by most of the punditocracy. Trump is no Reagan, but there are many many similarities.
the establishment republicans that were around at the time hated Reagan with a passion for a lot of the same reasons that trump is not liked. I was only 10 when he came into office but from what I remember most of those that were crony capitalists hated Reagan and only begrudgingly came over his side after he got into office as his presidency developed he won over most his critics and those that still did not like him in the party just kept there mouth shut for fear of loosing political power if the voters found out how they felt.
It might be hard to imagine, but in many ways the US was in worse condition in 1979 then it is today. Carter was a complete bungler, in way over his head. The economy was so bad they had to invent a new word to describe it, "stagflation". Endless inflation with no growth.
Carter's response to the situation was to blame the American people. He said they suffered from a "malaise". Of course, the malaise was a lack of leadership. His leadership.
But his economic disaster paled in comparison to his foreign policy mistakes. Carter engineered the fall of the Shah of Iran, and ushered in the rule of the mullahs. The mullahs declared war on America by seizing the US embassy and holding its occupants hostage. Carter was helpless and hopeless as he himself became a hostage in the White House. Meanwhile the daily hostage drama was played out endlessly on all three networks.
And then came Reagan. Reagan ran an optimistic campaign. He promised to get the hostages out, revamp the economy, and make America mighty again. He kept his promises and more. His very election ensured that the hostages would be released. No one alive at the time can forget the split screen of Reagan being inaugurated and the plane full of hostages lifting off from Tehran.
Sorry, I got carried away to a time when America was feared by its enemies and loved and respected by its allies. Good times.
Yes, Reagan was considered a lightweight by the cognoscenti. Despite more achievements than any other 20th century president he was not taken seriously before, during, or after his presidency by most of the punditocracy. Trump is no Reagan, but there are many many similarities.
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Yes it is. This is starting to look like the Reagan election. I remember the pundits saying an actor has no business running, that he's too strident, that he'll provoke the Soviets, etc. Reagan won.
If Trump wins I think we can look forward to similar persons becoming prime minister in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
Despite challenging a sitting president in '76, Reagan didn't catch fire in '79 until the end of the primary.
Trump is much different from Reagan. Reagan was a staunch conservative with a track record and coherent philosophy.
Trump's track record is mixed, and it's hard to discern a philosophy. His positions seem to be ad hoc, which isn't surprising considering his background as a businessman.
The jury's out, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm disappointed that he's more popular than other great candidates, like Cruz, Walker, Jindal, Carson and more.
But there has to be something to the Trump phenomena that I'm missing. It could have to do with his boldness, courage in dealing with the media, and his plain speaking. OTOH, it could simply be that people already know him and are comfortable with his persona.
Interesting that a possible 3rd party candidate is involved again just when Clintons need to win. It will be Clinton, Bush, but Trump instead of Perot this time.