Obama and Reagan

I think that Obama made a mistake in quoting Reagan. Of course, I agree that Obama does not like what Reagan did and I agree with this diary in Daily Kos. However, although what he said was accurate and I really dont think Obama agrees in anything with Reagan, I still believe that he made a mistake. Why?

Because what he said somehow legitimizes Reagan. In my opinion, Reagan was one of the worst presidents in the history of the country, only slightly better than Bush. His only achievements were damaging the economy, pushing the republican party to the far right, and doing illegal deals with Iran.

Reagan was a big failure as a president and one of the major reasons for the current situation. Bush and the far-right neocons would have never taken control of the republican party and the country, if Reagan was not successful in pushing that party to the extreme right. In reality the problem started with Reagan. So why would any liberal democrat quote Reagan in any way as a success in anything?

What Barack said is technically correct. Reagan did have a major impact in the country, the way Bush senior or Clinton did not. But to legitimize Reagan in any way is a mistake. In fact, it is a mistake that John Kerry also did in 2004. Reagan was a failure and there is absolutely nothing to admire or respect about him.

Anytime I start to like Barack and his positions and I consider supporting him, he does something that makes me start questioning whether he would be the right choice.