Originally Posted by widenine

Success amidst rhetoric only goes so far. You can't keep inspiring ppl, and ignore results for 4 straight years. Maybe that's why Dems shake their head and Reagan's UNMATCHED popularity in the '84 election.

"No one under the age of forty has seen this level of public rallying around a candidate in this country."

I don't care about age.... Reagan won the 1984 election five hundred and funking twenty-five to thirteen (525-13). If we forced the US to vote this instance at the height of Obama hype, he'd be lucky to 55% of the electoral. By the way, Mondale got 10 votes for Minnesota, his home state and the renowned bed-wetting state (which he barely won by 3,000 votes a few hanging chads). ..oh and DC... the same disaster that in that era re-elected Marion Berry (nuff said).

Regan won is 84.. is true. You were very young... a minor at best. I remember a different America at that time. People and cities were still largely segregated, being conservative meant guarding the priviledges of being white with access to upper income spending. New York was still scary, D.C. still had whores on 14th street, immigration wasn't a threat,
and I ached for a higher quality of life away from the rush of urban sprawl.

I couldn't get away, studied hard because of an affirmative action grant, developed yuppie tendancies and indulged in all the trimmings. I saw my income double and that of half of my less fortunate siblings falter despite the hard work and labor of years gone by. Regan won, but he certainly did not unite our nation or its people. He was the great separator.........and I was there to see it.



"Bush alienated allies."
Who've done what exactly the last 20 years for us... and last I checked France of all countries (given their loss of culture) is back on our side. England, the probably our best ally, was still in cahoots last I checked (see Tony Blair), Japan, etc...
And if our allies have issues... quit cashing our checks we send you ;-)


Our allies are more than japan and the europeans. Diplomacy is essential, at all costs, despite the wars, squabbles and insults hurled by our adversaries. Without it, there will be no humanity. Bravado has no place amoung good diplomacy.

Note: I travel internationally quite a lot. I've learned to conceal my identity as a american, in general, while travelling and I often just say that I'm Jamaican. It's a safe recourse in today's world.

I found myself in a pub with an international group of Europeans. We were in South America. As we drank more and more, the tone changed and the chatting became more political. I listened to talk from the English about being sucked into the war by us, from the swedes came a dislike for our arrogance and imperialism, but it was one londoner who impressed me most unfavorably. Speaking of the U.S with a grin, he simply said "I've always wanted to go to the colonies." Well, it was then that I almost lost my cover. Tony blair and other leaderscan do and say whatever they like. Their citizens that interact with me are on a different page.