When Reagan was (much) less popular than Carter

[elleng]

'By 1992, three years after he left the White House, Ronald Reagan was anything but a beloved former president. As a painful recession gripped the country, the public came to see the Reagan years -- which featured a massive defense buildup, soaring deficits and even a stock market crash in 1987 -- as the source of their economic woes. Running for president that year, Bill Clinton promised to enact a clean break from the "failed policies of Reagan and Bush." As Reagan prepared to speak at the Republican National Convention in August, a Gallup poll found that just 46 percent of Americans had a favorable view of him. By contrast, Jimmy Carter, the man Reagan had defeated in a 44-state rout in 1980, was viewed favorably by 63 percent of the American public. The Reagan presidency stood in something approaching disrepute.

Today, though, you'd never know any of this happened.'

http://www.salon.com/news/the_real_reagan/?story=%2Fpolitics%2Fwar_room%2F2011%2F02%2F06%2Fwill_bunch_reagan

P.S., I lived in DC at the time and was SHOCKED about change of airport name from National > Reagan and to naming huge building for him. Was clear it was the $$$ folks doing this, as WE the People didn't feel the same way.

[RainDog]

1. the right wing attempt to lionize Reagan has been an exercise in propaganda

the majority of people I knew during the Reagan era hated him.

[muntrv]

2. At least Billy had surpluses, unlike raygun.