What is your reaction to Reagan's Death?

[Delano]

Poll question: What is your reaction to Reagan's Death?

What is your reaction to Reagan's Death?


I've noticed one or two threads mocking Reagan and celebrating his death, and TONS of them lamenting the insensitivity of these threads.

I don't hold a personal grudge against Reagan - he was indeed very likeable (esp. in contrast to somebody like Dumbya) but his presidency was every bit as destructive to this country as Bush's. So I'll stay mum on the death of Mr. Reagan, but as for the 40th president - good riddance.

What is your reaction to Reagan's Death?

[LTR]

1. Kind of expected it

He's been knockin' at death's door for awhile.

I chose 'other', but basically indifferent.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Complete and utter indifference

So irrelevant at this point in time, imho.

[DemoTex]

6. Ennui. Pure and simple ennui.

.

[Career Prole]

15. 93 year old guy dies in California. Not newsworthy. n/t

[dflprincess]

53. You and my mom

(she's 80) and her comment was - "For the love of God - he was 93 years old it's hardly a shock."

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

3. I'm delighted in no-one's death. I am glad that he's moved on though.

1st - of all he was old and suffering.

2nd - I find his reign in the 80's to be repugnant and I'm glad its earthly incarnation has moved on. Had he died suddenly and tragicly I would be shocked. Instead I'm comforted.

[NinetySix]

4. Shrug. N/T

[RC]

5. Indifference

He has been a non-aware vegetable for how long? but you aren't supposed to bury'em till the heart stops.

[libhill]

20. He was -

a non-aware vegetable when he was fukkin` President -

[ugarte]

7. I'm sure we'll see renewed Repub calls for his face on Mt. Rushmore

God save us.

[Delano]

8. I would personally go and vandalize such an affront.

Reagan has accomplished nothing to put him in a league with Lincoln, TR, Washington or Jefferson.



Come on, is this disgusting, or what?

[St. Jarvitude]

49. My eyes! My virgin eyes!

:puke:

I decided to take a risk and visit the host of that site. Awful, awful shit.

I seriously think there's not one person on that side who has sane ideas about anything.

[AntiCoup2K4]

39. If God doesn't , I will

It might be tricky doing it without hurting the other 4 (who DO deserve the recognition), but damn it, No Reagan and No Bush on that mountain. EVER :nuke:

[NashVegas]

9. Other: Ambivalence to "Good Riddance"

I was only 17 when Reagan took office, but I saw straight through him. I used to look at the TV screen and say "liar, liar, liar," during his speeches. Mom gave me the evil eye for that - though why, I don't know. Last year she told me she'd never voted for him. I guess she just thought the office was worthy of more respect.

Reagan ushered in the consolidation and deregulation that devastated the industry (radio) I work in, although I don't blame him entirely for that; there were plenty of Dems in congress who idly watched, or worse, helped. If it were just me, that would have been one thing, but a free media is one of the foundations of our democracy.

My father died in the autumn of 1981; five months earlier, he was turned down for SS disability benefits from the disease which felled him; they ruled he'd be back to work in no time. In actuality, he died 300 miles from his loved ones, in treatment at a cancer facility that took him in as a charity case-cum guinea pig. With no benefits, this vet who served in the Korean War had few options. And that's what I keep coming back to, that juxtaposition of the one man who died aware of his condition and alone, and the one who died surrounded by his family, but may as well have been in a vacuum.

[Tellurian]

10. Hopefully, Reagan's passing will free Nancy up

to be on our team.

I believe she should be pursued in the name
of championing stem cell research..with the Demos.

Reagan was a Dem before he crossed over.

You never know, she might just do it.

[bhunt70]

48. She won't...she came from a pretty conservative family.

I think his change came around the time they started dating etc.

[H2O Man]

11. "Other"

(1) I'm interested primarily in winning the November election. Thisis a chance to snatch the Reagan glory from bush .... stem cell research, something Nancy supports, was stifled because of bush's extreme religious beliefs. We can use that.
(2) That "good book" says a time for love and a time for hate, a time for peace and a time for love. I understand why people hate him. I hated his policies. But I think that it is better politically to focus on the stem cell research etc than the hate.We should not worry about offending the far right. But there are millions of voters, including many "undecided", who will be insulted by the hatred.
(3) Anger and hatred are negative energy that eat away at our good qualities.Bitterness is a poison that contaminates the vessle which contains it. I believe in the message of Martin Luther King, Jr., and of Gandhi. Those who feel this way are not less radical or somehow weak. Our goal is to heal America.

[libhill]

21. "insulted by hatred"

then, why aren`t they insulted by the insane repuke hatred of Bill Clinton? One of the best Presidents in recent history, Monica Lewinsky be damned.

[Liberal_Dog]

12. Genuinely Sad

I was 15 when Reagan was elected, so he was a major part of my high school and college years. I guess he made me a Democrat when I registered to vote in 1986.

[Union Thug]

13. putting on my dancing shoes...

...there's graves to tango over, dontcha know!

[Gildor Inglorion]

14. "Other" - actually relief for his family that their suffering is over...

If you've ever seen someone die a lingering death from Alzheimer's, you'll never be the same again. I worked in health care (mostly as a nursing home business manager and administrator) for many years - death by Alzheimer's is worse than anything, reallly. And also, I'm old enough to remember Sunday nights on CBS: Ed Sullivan, Ronald Reagan (GE Theatre), and Alfred Hitchcock. That's how I choose to remember him, and as the host of "Death Valley Days." Let history have him now.

[drdigi420]

31. I'm just sorry it wasnt longer and more painful

reagan was evil scum and should have his head paraded around the cities to show the people that the evil beast is finally dead.

too bad his insane policies live on

mebbe now we can start to kill them too

fuck reagan, his family, (especially his bimbo wife), and everyone that ever supported his corrupt criminal ass

[Djinn]

46. Something worse

"death by Alzheimer's is worse than anything, really"

how about being bound and gagged and forced to watch US trained and funded right wing paramilitaries rape your wife and two daughters(aged 8 and 13) before being beaten to death?

That's what happened to the father and family of one torture victim I know.

[progressivebydesign]

16. Sorry for his family and loved ones.

I'm sorry anytime someone dies.. many times, it's not the person I grieve for, it's the families.. those that loved the person.

Personally, I think Reagan was a shitty president. He was a jerk during the McCarthy hearings, and shitty governor, and a shitty me-first president who ran some sort of crime syndicate called Iran/Contra.

HOWEVER.. I think we look like a bunch of out of touch losers celebrating the man's death. His family and friends loved the man.. even those who did not agree with his politics.. and for that, we should have some fucking dignity.

When the sad time comes for one of our emotionally attached leaders dies in OUR party.. I had better not hear ONE word complaining of how the Freepers are trashing him! k?

[Just Me]

18. Me, too. Loss hurts the living, not the dead.

Getting past Reagan's death and the reactions across our spectrum,...I will say this: I still am in awe at the diversity reflected at DU.

I still believe that diversity is necessary for us all to grow,...even when I disagree with others' reactions.

[libhill]

23. and you think they won`t?

After all these years of hearing these fascist fuks smearing Bill Clinton, I`ve had it with them, and I`ll be damned if I`ll cut them any slack. May they all rot in hell.

[Massacure]

17. I strongly disgaree with how many people are happy he died.

It is totally uncalled for. He hasn't been involved in politics for 15 years. People need to learn to accept things with a grain of salt and bury the hatchet every once in a while. I wouldn't wish death upon anybody.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. I have had my grandfather on my mind all day today, and I am basically

glad his family has no more suffering to endure...It's a tough way to go.

[richmwill]

22. My reaction-

"NBC had better not pre-empt the Belmont Stakes for news coverage"

[hlthe2b]

24. I'm largely with you... My intense emotions are targeted at Bush*

While I detested nearly all reagan policies, I can honestly say I think we would have been better off with Reagan than Bush* these past four years. Maybe a wash--who knows. Certainly Reagan had some despicable staff in his administration, but Alzheimers or not, I do not believe he was totally clueless. I also don't view him as the absolute sociopath that I view Bush*.

Yeah, I harbor lots of resentments-- after all Reagan is largely responsible for the conditions that allowed that despiccable Gingrich-Delay cabal to come in, not to mention the BFEE. But, if nothing else, I think he handled his Alzheimers with grace, did not go out to war profiteer with the likes of a Carlisle group at the nation's long term detriment and expense. Nor was he a "religious bot."

I also think he was fairly affable, and damn it all, he could at least engage in coherent discourse. He also wasn't afraid to attend a funeral--particularly for those military who died in Lebanon and Grenada.

A great President? Hell NO! But, compared to Bush SR and certainly Bush*, I find no comparison and am amazed that all the powerful disdain I feel for Bush* seems to be co-opted by others for Reagan.

Am I glad he is dead? Well, yes, in the sense he was in such a horrendous and hopeless lingering condition. One could only ask for the mercy of release in that case.

[davekriss]

25. Indifference

The levers of power have long been beyond Rayguns reach. His life these past 10 years, and thus his death today, is of no consequence.

Hatred ever kills, love never dies such is the vast difference between the two. What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred proves a burden in reality for it increases hatred.
---Ghandi

[Leprechan29]

26. Indifference

But only because I was not what you might call a sentient person during his years in office

[otohara]

27. 93 Years Old - We Should All Be So

unlucky -

yuck I don't want to live that long, especially with a horrible illness like Alzhiemers.

[0rganism]

28. Although I'm overwhelmed by indifference, I do feel some relief for family

Nursing a patient with Alzheimers disease through the last years of his/her life can go beyond the torturous. I hope his family gains some closure with his passing.

[TexasBushwhacker]

29. I agree

My mom passed away a couple of months after her breast cancer spread to her brain. As it progressed, she had Alzheimer-like symptoms - memory problems, not being able to think of the right word for something, recognizing me or her sister one day but not recognizing us another. It was very hard to watch her decline in this way and for the last month of her life, it was like "Mama" was already gone. I cannot imagine going through that for YEARS. She was certainly not my favorite person when her husband was in office, but my heart really goes out to Nancy and to Reagan's children. I think it took some real guts for her to come out in support of stem-cell research when the GOP status quo is to be against it.

[0rganism]

34. My step-grandfather went through a 10-year Alzheimer's decline

It was truly tragic. Here was a man who once was a discplined military officer, a retired US Army Colonel, slowly losing his mind day by day. Gradually, he lost any semblance of rationality, becoming increasingly infantile in his behavior, dancing around in his own feces, with near-zero recognition of his wife, my grandmother.

Perhaps most painful for him were his occasional and increasingly brief flirtations with lucidity, in which he would comprehend for a few minutes what was happening to him -- what he had been, what he was, and where he was headed. Death, when it finally embraced him, was a blessing for everyone involved.

[LWolf]

30. Other.

A moment of silence to honor the end of another human life. Then move on.

I have no nice memories of his presidency, so I'll move on. I don't need to use his death to remind everyone how much I did not like him.

I can be glad he was released from the nightmare of his disease; I'd rather be dead than to forget who I am.

We all die. Death at the end of a long life is nothing to grieve. It might be something to celebrate, if you are celebrating the life of the person in question. I'm not celebrating, and I'm not grieving.

[supernova]

32. I feel for his family

in that he's no longer suffering and their vigil of caring for him is over.

But I'm not shedding a tear about The Reagan Years being long gone.

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

33. ok he died, so what?

can we move on now, never liked his politics, never will.

Bullshit is still bullshit no matter how much you try to perfume it.

[ibegurpard]

35. Indifference but EXTREME annoyance at the sanctimoniousness

on display here at DU.

[CityZen-X]

36. It's So Amazing

that evil can survive for 93-years!
I see this as a fortunate distraction for the BuH*tCo. The man is dead turn the page lets get on with this countries future.

[AntiCoup2K4]

37. Other

Dreading the deification and political mileage for the Chimp that the media whores began the moment his death was announced.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

38. The following presidents have died in my lifetime:

Kennedy, Eisenhower, Truman, Hoover, Nixon, Johnson, and now Reagan. The only one that affected me emotionally was Kennedy, because it was so unexpected.

[mvd]

40. I voted indifference

I have no sympathy for a man that I disliked both personally and politically, except for the fact that I wish we had a cure for Alzheimers. I wouldn't have wished him that. Unfortunately, that "charisma" was just a ruse to lull people in while his policies hurt America and while he was committing impeachable crimes. While I'd rather have that than Bush's complete arrogance, he was not a good person IMO. He was quite ignorant of the poor and any minorities. He couldn't see beyond his own world. I am not dancing on his grave, because all his damage has been done. Instead, I wish he had never been born.

[mandyky]

41. Other - not indifference, not shock - maybe puzzlement

Ronald Reagan was a fellow human being, I disliked his policies, but he's been "gone" for some time so I am a bit puzzled by all the venom here at DU. I watched about half of 60 Minutes, and don't want to heroize him either. Haven't shed a tear, glad he's not president, but he died.

[misanthrope]

42. What about anger?...

Anger not at the way he has been villified, but rather at the imminent pack of mythological prevarications. The feelings I have are similar to those I had on 9/11/01 when I could clearly see the course of nationalistic propaganda about to spew forth from the conservative ranks.

And to those of you who say "not to worry, it won't work," I remind you of how naively the American public has swallowed the pap that followed 9/11.

I'm starting to think the American experiment is ending.

[libhill]

47. I`ve felt that way-

since Bush stole the election- that couldn`t have happened in a true democracy.

[Qanisqineq]

43. just don't give a flying fuck

who cares? he was old; old people die. I'm not gonna dance, I'm not gonna cry. I just plain do not care.

[indepat]

44. Have long been saddened that he did not live past the century mark

with all his mental faculties so he could see and ponder the fruit of his handiwork.

[dand]

45. I think he was a bad president, actor and human being,

if you weren't wealthy and white to him you were a sub-species.

[dpbrown]

50. Other: Relieved it's this far back from the election

And that Mabus is already stupidly dissing Reagan, making it even more impossible to rally out of his slump.

[libhill]

51. But that`s good -

cuz maybe it`ll piss of the few moderate repukes out there, who worshiped raygun -

[eridani]

52. Mainly sad about the effects of his disease on his family

Alzheimer's is a horrible way to go. That his policies sucked doesn't change that basic human fact.