The dustup in recent days among Democratic presidential candidates about Barack Obama’s presidential legacy recalls a dust-up Obama himself started on the subject of presidential legacies before he had one of his own — almost a dozen years ago.
Democrats, by contrast, during the same time often have become the Hannibal Lecter party — eating their party’s presidential legacies with fava beans and a nice chianti. At the time, his presidency had all the blemishes and contradictions that most chief executives acquire in office — which in his case included the Iran-Contra scandal and big deficits from the supposed fiscal conservative. The Soviet Union had yet to fall; Reagan personally was showing his age. He hardly seemed the outsize figure that even many progressives regard him as.
The other effort was Washington-based, and much more avowedly ideological. Conservative activist Grover Norquist and fellow travelers aimed to elevate Reagan as a way to elevate their own pro-business, anti-Big Government agenda. The effort, backed by then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, left many people galled. Reagan had extolled state and local autonomy, and Washington-area governments objected to imposing a new name on an airport ostensibly controlled by a local authority.
Ridiculous title. TomPerez this seems off base.
Don't paint this as a failure. I'm proud to belong to a party that doesn't view every situation as: 'Hey, how could we pervert knowledge and evidence to achieve our ends, disempowering others and pushing racism?'
According to whom?
Regardless what is said or not, many of us will always celebrate President obama and his legacy of depth and decency in our hearts.
This sounds ridiculous/absurd w/out reading it, but, I did in fact read it & it's ridiculous/absurd. 1st TheDemocrats don't put not even 1 man b4 God, 2nd most of us can't stand RonReaganairport, hence it's called DCA, &3rd, ronaldreagan40 was a racist. Period. Worship? Naw!
Maybe Ronald Reagan shouldnt be used as a good example given the tapes that dropped this week?
What, compared to republicans kissing trumps butt and bowing down to him?
Because he sucked
I really supper wonder why?
Nor should they. Obama was a fad ... kinda like pet rocks.
Worshipping flawed human beings is vile. Reagan was a myth the repubs keep cherishing.
What exactly can Democrats brag about regarding Obama? That he managed American decline well No wonder there’s so little love. Not even in Reagan’s league. Even most Democrats know it too!
I respect Obama and feel he was a very good POTUS, but he had real failings that should not be glossed over.
Because they both deserved the memories
Ask Republicans how lionizing Regan is working out after those tapes came out last week with how racist he is? Maybe Dems don't need to pump up Obama into something bigger than he was, a decent president with several corporatist flaws who was well spoken and a trail blazer.
Did Politico hire Dean Baquet to write their headlines for a day? An intern? Get hacked?
What legacy?
So you are saying Democrats should be mindless cultists who glorify without thought and basis? Yeah, no thanks. We need one political party with some sanity. BTW, Joe is well regarded and simply gets some feedback when we disagree. That is how it is supposed to work.
The more appropriate comparison here is what has happened to G. W. Bush's legacy?
No, they always have been!
The Democratic Party is infested with Bernie Bros and Bernie Bros are incapable of getting along with people who agree with them
This is an unfair assessment. Reagan's VP ran for office immediately after his departure. It was 4 more years of Reagan. No one was going to be Bush. Biden should have run LAST time and we'd be in the same position. Don't blame the party. Blame certain peeps and BIDEN!
And where did that get the republicans? They dumped Reagan for Trump in no time at all and dropped any pretense of having principles.