Morning In America: Could Barack Obama become the next Ronald Reagan?

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

Enough with the Lincoln analogies; Reagan is the president that Barack Obama is most closely modeling himself after. Ronald Reagan inherited stagflation, a defeat abroad and a nation at its nadir in morale. Through the sheer force of his personality as much as his policies, four years later, it was "Morning in America," the theme of his 1984 re-election campaign when he won 49 states. Obama isn't president yet, but his determined calm and orderly transition pace appear to be soothing the financial markets, producing the first sustained gain in stocks since the mid-September meltdown.

On Jan. 20, Obama will take the oath of office, join a private luncheon in Statuary Hall, then meet with congressional leaders and, if all goes according to plan, sign into law a massive stimulus plan before he proceeds up Pennsylvania Avenue to the viewing stand outside the White House for the Inaugural Parade. Reagan initiated the tradition of the Inaugural Day meeting with the legislative barons, a gesture that signals respect and sets a tone for the 100-day dash when a president can be most productive.

This will be the first time since 1960 that two senators have gone directly from Capitol Hill to the White House. The people they're bringing with them, together with the relationships they have, constitute an unparalleled early warning system. Unlike Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, who quickly ran afoul of their Democratic majorities, Obama will be better wired on Capitol Hill than anybody in either party since Lyndon Johnson. Rahm Emanuel has a boatload of IOUs he can call in as chief of staff along with a high sensitivity to what it takes to preserve and build an enduring majority. Phil Schilero, tapped as Obama's liaison to Capitol Hill, has deep roots in Congress both as a top aide to former Senate leader Tom Daschle and as ace House investigator Henry Waxman's longtime sidekick. With Waxman displacing old bull John Dingell as chairman of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, the prospects for meaningful action on a host of legislation, notably climate change, improve dramatically. Dingell is known as "Tailpipe John" for his fierce defense of Michigan's auto industry against government regulation.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171127?from=rss <--more

[vanderBeth]

1. A) I hope not

B)I don't ever want to see that picture again

[Labors of Hercules]

33. But just think of the HEADLINES in 2012:

"PRESIDENT OBAMA, ONCE CALLED 'MOST LIKE REAGAN,' OBLITERATES REAGAN LEGACY!!!"

"After the wildly successful implementation of his signature 'bottoms-up' economic policies, President Obama has officially closed the door on disastrous 'trickle-down Reaganomics,' further crippling the foundations of the Conservative Ideology introduced under the former President...."

I CAN'T WAIT!!!! :woohoo::bounce::applause:

[Fearless]

36. My sentiment exactly. Never again.

That sick repuke bastard doesn't deserve a place here.

[EconomicLiberal]

2. How about the next FDR?

We want for him to be a successful president, not a failure like Saint Ronnie.

[Posteritatis]

3. I do kinda see him as the Reagan of the left, at least mentally

The way he's fired up his supporters is similar to what Reagan did in '80 and '84, the situations were similar enough to at least rhyme if not exactly be directly comparable, etc. Speaking at someone outside the US I really am seeing a lot of similarities in tone and style, though of course pretty much nothing in terms of policy (where I'm seeing FDR more, and definitely enjoy that comparison more). Seeing the comparison is totally understandable.

The fact that Obama lacks Alzheimer's, isn't hundreds of years old and probably knows when the microphone is on are all, of course, pluses.

I'm also torn between "impressive photo manip" and "oh sweet Jesus no."

[Starry Messenger]

4. That picture makes baby Jesus cry.

Reagan surfed to the top on a message of ignorance and greed. He did understand branding (or his people did). Obama does too, which is where the similarity begins and ends, at least for me.

[burrowowl]

5. What scares the hell out of me is

yes he could and not yes we can.
I hope he doesn't get killed and he follows in the footsteps of FDR, JFK and even DDE and even Lincoln who was wise to capitalists pigs.
The people were behind FDR, the people who were dumbed down by RayGun have to be behind Obama and say NO MAS! to laissez-faire, neo-liberal capitalism.

[mitchum]

6. Well,the mainstream corporate media has certainly been trying to tie him to that stinking corpse...

but I'm not not buying that bullshit
Fuck Reagan
Fuck his legacy
Fuck his memory
Fuck his worshipers

[opihimoimoi]

7. Are these dudes Blind.?? Deaf? Dumb?? Do they not see the potential of the greatest man emerging to

solve our Bull Shit Crap caused by us Humans???

Solving What no other comes close to???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aMDJP4VxY4&feature=related Kenner La McCain speech

Obama has an Op to change the dynamics of global human society by pressing for solutions not only domestically but also Planetary...

Pray hope wish this happens....

and curse those who wish for failure

[mitchum]

8. Does that mean a Biden family friend will be programmed to assassinate him?

And claim that he attempted to impress Ellen Page?

[CBGLuthier]

35. very good. Very good indeed

Although personally I don't think that is the person in his administration that he best not "turn his back" on.

[dailykoff]

9. That's my current take frankly.

He admires Ronnie a lot in his "Audacity" book and unfortunately he doesn't show much appreciation for the evils that the Hollywood actor gave cover to. Ronnie was nothing but a puppet of Big Business and his "legacy" is a sham.

If Obama thinks he's going to borrow the act but change the script, fine, I'll give him credit for it when it happens.

[cali]

18. no he doesn't. he recognizes that Reagan fundamentally shifted

the trajectory of the country, and he wants to do the same- in the opposite direction. He does not admire Reagan's political ideology. Way to twist things, and hardly a surprise.

[Radical Activist]

22. It doesn't sound like you read the same book I did.

Because he was pretty clear about the damage Reagan's policies did.

[H2O Man]

48. Wrong.

Simply wrong.

[d_b]

10. ...yuck

[ShadowLiberal]

11. Quite a few media people have been saying Obama's a liberal version of Reagan

There's other similarities between them as well, such as their optimistic speeches, ability to charm people with words. Heck, even the polls were similar between them in their first GE run for the whitehouse. Reagan was polling very evenly with Carter until the debates, then his numbers took off and he pulled away, just like Obama did after the debates started (which was also right around when the market crashed).

In my opinion the economy is going to make or break Obama. If he can conquer this current economic nightmare and get things back on track and us out of this unofficial 'depression' then historians were be saying for centuries that Obama was the guy who managed to stop another depression from lasting as long and being as hard as the first one.

[ProSense]

12. Is an Iran Contra scandal in Obama's future?

Eleanor Clift is on crack.

[TheDonkey]

13. AWWWWW!!!!!! What a scary image. I hope to God not.

[high density]

14. Leave it to DUers to bring out the instant threadcraps upon the mention of Reagan

It's about political capital and success, not the ideas of Reagan. There is nothing in Clift's editorial that even attempts to compare them on policy (or age, alzheimers, skin color, etc), because obviously that's nonsensical. Read what's been posted before dumping out some off-topic, dime-a-dozen kneejerk bullshit.

[ProSense]

15. "It's about political capital and success"

Why does Obama need to be compared to Reagan on this? Reagan's administration was rife with corruption.

[TankLV]

27. On that limited - very limited - subject of your post, I can agree...

but other that that, don't ever forget what an EVIL piece of CRAP that shithead was...

[VPStoltz]

16. I sereiously doubt Obama will use the disgraceful racial politics Raygun used.

As Roslyn Carter said, "He made us comfortable with our prejudices."

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

44. So Rosalyn Carter was a racist, I never knew that.

[Bicoastal]

17. That's the scariest picture I've seen all day.

[PeaceNikki]

41. Seconded. Should have included a warning in the title!

:puke:

[sunnybrook]

19. this is my opinion of the picture

I admit I have not even read the article yet
:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[tilsammans]

20. Mentioning Obama and Reagan in the same sentence . . .

. . . is enough to make me upchuck. :puke:

[Radical Activist]

21. Really offensive picture.

But otherwise an interesting article.

[FrenchieCat]

30. It isn't even a composite....because aside from using

Obama's ears and chin, the rest is Reagan, in particular the eyes and smile....both features which are more important in recognizing a person than their ear and chin!

[anonymous171]

23. As long as we get 30 years of domination like the GOP did.

[polichick]

24. God, I hope not - Reagan was an ass!

[Unsane]

25. 2012 will be 'Morning In America' Part 2: the economy will be turning around,

and America will be respected again around the world.

[TankLV]

26. I fucking hope NOT!!! Until bush* - RAY-gun was the WORST President in US history...

and definitely the most over-rated...and despised...

[Sebastian Doyle]

28. Maybe he should be the first Barack Obama?

(Yeah, I know what his dad's name was, but his dad wasn't President.)

He may need to be an "FDR" of sorts and pull this country out of the second Great Depression (which we're already in, and the Bush Crime Family is trying to conceal it until they're gone, in my opinion)

He may need to be a "JFK" at some point and avoid World War III under circumstances as dangerous as the Cuban Missile Crisis. (Which makes the Secretary of State appointment all the more critical, and a certain candidate look that much worse.)

But more than anything, he should just be himself. It's certainly worked well for him so far.

[Hubert H. Hubert]

29. I'd rather have goatse.cx tattooed on the insides of my eyelids than see that picture ever again.

And the idea that the Obama years will become anything like the Reagan years is the only thing that scares me more than the picture.

[LeftishBrit]

31. I doubt it. And hope not!!!!!

[Jennicut]

32. Eww, Obama is so much smarter then intellectually weak Reagan.

Obama might get to be as popular as Reagan was in the '80's but I doubt his legacy will be damaging in the same way. Hopefully Obama's legacy will be a good one.

[Zynx]

34. I just hope he "Mondales" the 2012 Republican nominee.

[CBGLuthier]

37. Funny the things they forget about the reagan years.

The recession of 82. Slashing health care funding in turn flooding the streets with the mentally ill. The ramping up of the insane war on drugs. Threatening to annihilate an entire country's population as a joke.

His lunatic wife basing everything on astrology. His VP behind the assassination attempt.

Iran Contra. Iran Contra.

The Grenada distraction, after hundreds of marines are butchered in a country they should never have been in.


Oh and what the hell, having a few kids shot when he was governor because they got uppity at college.


But no, he is the greatest for some reason I will never fathom.

What a piece of shit asswipe that man really was.

[AZ Criminal JD]

43. What college kids did he have shot when he was governor?

[CBGLuthier]

45. berkley, called out the guard just like Kent State later

http://www.beauty-reality.com/travel/travel/sanFran/peoplespark.html

In the violence that followed a city owned car was overturned and burned by demonstrators as a special squad of Sheriff's Deputies, armed with shotguns, began to move down the streets of Berkeley firing into crowds and at individuals. Although police had apparently used birdshot in the initial shootings, they began using double-0 buckshot because, as Captain Dyer later stated, "the birdshot ran out and the only thing left was buckshot." Many people were seriously wounded including Allan Blanchard who was permanently blinded, and James Rector who was fatally shot.~,

[LWolf]

38. Of course. nt

[WinkyDink]

39. October Surprise; Iran-Contra; Bitburg; James Watt; Ed Meese; etc. I trust Obama will NOT copy him.

[BuyingThyme]

40. I hate this post.

But welcome to DU, Cash_thatswhatiwant!

:hi:

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

49. thank you!

[secondwind]

42. GOD FORBID!!!! Reagan was an idiot in a well-tailored suit.

[11 Bravo]

46. A "B" list actor who doesn't know what day it is? Probably not.

[BlooInBloo]

47. Nice 'shop job!

And who cares what the Villagers say.