The Reagan Administrations Chilling Response to the AIDS crisis

[Hawaii Hiker]

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/reagan-administration-response-to-aids-crisis

The nasty, mean spiritidness, hateful, vitriolic ways that's so common in the Republican party of today, really began during the Reagan Admin in my opinion...

[LiberalArkie]

1. A few years before Reagan the Republicans were mainly the party of the rich elite in

the NorthEast. Nixon's Southern Strategy and Reagan managed to bring it to the gutter level. But the generations of the old style Republicans are long dead. And the new Republicans don't even Nixon or maybe not even Reagan, so they don't even know how the party used to be.

[Bluenorthwest]

2. I see that genocidal bigot Reagan and his voters praised and defended on DU all the time.

I lived through those times on something like the frontlines and it was brutal, and the Republican Party was universally vile, hateful and worse they were reckless with the public health on a global basis.

[Freddie]

3. This is why I disagree with folks who say GWB was the worst POTUS ever

Reagan was, hands down. He started this country on the downward path it's still headed with trickle down, distrust of government and his unholy alliance with the Religious Right, which brought you this inhumane atrocity and the War on Women.
GWB was just stupid. Reagan was smart--cunning, diabolical. He knew exactly what he wanted for the country and how to get it. Teflon President, indeed. When I hear people worshipping St. Ronnie I just want to scream.

[niyad]

4. so much blood on that asshole's hands, him and his whole administration, for basically sitting

on the crisis, refusing to get the government involved, and gloating about the deaths.

[RoccoR5955]

5. They shall never be forgotten.

Reagan and his cronies will go down as demons in my book. I shall NEVER vote for a Republican also.
Reagan and company killed my brother when they would not fund more money into research for a cure of what they called "gay cancer."
These audio clips make it certain to me that it was not only Reagan, but his advisers, and others in his administration who had fun demonizing those folks who got AIDS and died.
I watched my brother die. It was not a pleasant sight. Oh, and the funeral and such were so much of a hassle, due to the rhetoric being posed back in the day. All because the bastards dubbed this disease a "gay cancer."
So vowed to help with the effort to make people aware of the TRUE nature of AIDS, educating them as to the truth in these matters. Additionally I vow to never vote for a Republican as long as I live.

[Hawaii Hiker]

6. Very sorry for your loss

Dealing w/a family member or friend w/AIDS at any time would be very difficult, but back in the 80's with all the fear & bigotry that surrounded it would make it difficult X 100...

I still remember the Ryan White story...The teenager who got HIV/AIDS (from a medical procedure) in the late 1980's, absolute hell that young man went thru...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_White

[RoccoR5955]

8. Please don't feel sorry for me.

Though I understand that your sympathy is well founded, it is not needed. It has been quite some time and I have gotten over it.

I suggest that instead you get out and do something, because only by direct action can we accomplish anything.

[951-Riverside]

7. I always found it highly suspicious that AIDS seemed to only popup certain communities

It hit Gay and Black communities especially hard.

Its almost as if the disease hit communities that right-wing conservatives REALLY REALLY hate.

Probably just a coincidence though

[Runningdawg]

9. The 80's were bad

and Reagan owns it, lock stock and barrel. However, the next chance the RW gets, they are going to crush reproductive rights. Back alley abortions will be the norm, HIV cases will go through the roof. Not only Drs who provide abortions will be punished, Drs who treat people after botched abortions or who treat patients with HIV will also be punished. As bad as the 80's were, it's going to much worse in the future.