I completely agree. Saying Reagan wasn't aiming at this is irrelevant; his party was. He was a useful avuncular idiot on a horse for the rubes to cheer while the real show was backstage.
My friend, we lived in the same time but see those times profoundly differently. Considering Reagan a progressive in any way astounds me. I don't recall that opinion.
He was anti-government. He spoke in terms (literally) of welfare queens stealing all our money, he spoke of abuse of food stamps, he said the Dems had gone so far left that they had left the country, trickle down was all about making sure the rich remained rich or got richer, he was a big part in the creation of the permanent hate engine.
He was despicable from the start. But people love to be fed hate by somebody they love.
So true. Twice Horn is right that this really belongs on the Dem Party thread of Futility. It's not politics; it's war on our republic.
See above. People elected a guy who worked against them. He spoke against unions, government's ability to help, he blamed victims such as the poor. As stated above, he thought he was just being the good guy, but he enabled all the villains that have beset this nation since Nixon (Roger Stone, Lee Atwater, et al.)
See above; he didn't have to be the instrument to do these deeds. Others were already aiming at this and using him.
Profoundly agree.
Too many people cannot release Reagan's lovable persona. He must be kept separate from the traitorous aims he enabled and lent advocacy to.