Reagan - The Documentary

(It's an Iframe embed code, so I can't resize to fit in my blog's 480 pixel width. You can toggle in full screen mode or here is the direct link so you can resize to whatever you'd like. I just noticed that the video doesn't even show on Google Buzz, so you Buzzers will have to click the link for sure. I thought Iframes, fixed the embed problem on Buzz. Guess not.)

I've never been a fan of Reagan, if that isn't obvious. And recently, several economists have made compelling arguments that our financial troubles today can be traced directly back to Reagan's initial tax cuts for the wealthy (he raised taxes on us poor folks 6 times). The redistribution of wealth in the US began again under Reagan which would culminate today into the greatest disparity between rich and poor this country has seen since the first decade of the 1900s. That is Reagan's most lasting legacy.

The fact he traded arms for hostages to fund covert operations in Central America seems par for the political course these days, and I wasn't surprised when old footage of the Mujahideen leadership meeting with Reagan in the White House, and there's Osama bin Laden, who was one of the Mujahideen leaders and a US ally while the Mujahideen fought the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s. And there's also that infamous photo of Rumsfeld and Saddam Hussein in 1983, shaking hands on the deal in which the US sold Iraq the weapons they used on the Kurds. So none of that covert, secret stuff surprises me. I just assume that all presidents have similar dirty little secrets, and yes, they all lie about them.

But Reagan being such an iconic figure for the Republicans--I know for a fact there are members of the GOP who hold Reagan in higher esteem than any of our founding fathers, AND Jesus Christ as well. And many of those Tea Baggers who love Reagan--working class people who are suffering through this *sssshhh* depression (with a small "d"), can't grasp that Reagan policies are what led to the loss of their jobs, their pensions, and their tax dollars being funneled to the rich.

Saint Ronnie Raygun is also responsible for amassing such a huge mountaion of debt which we've never been able to pay off, and which has increased with every president since, most notably our current and previous presidents. President Ronald Reagan is more myth and real. Ronald Reagan was a flawed executive--as they all are--ultimately no better or worse than the others who held his job. I believe he had only the best intentions behind his bad decisions to knowingly break the law in the Iran-Contra Operation, he even admits (kind of) his error in judgment--even says some of his advisors were adamant he not pursue an illegal course.

This documentary presents a nice historical perspective on Ronald Reagan's political journey from president of the Screen Actor's Guild; to his initial affiliation as a liberal Democrat and fan of Roosevelt's New Deal; to being questioned in McCarthy's Pink scare in the Communist witchhunt in Hollywood in the 1950s--which though publicly, he did not name names, privately, he had become an FBI informant, giving the FBI a whole bunch of names. Then through the communist controversy, he embraced conservatism, became governor of California, and lost 3 campaigns for GOP presidential nominee before finally getting his party's support in 1980.

This film presents many points of view toward Reagan, from the Saint Ronnie views held by Grover Norquist and his bunch, to the candid views of some of his staff who disagreed with him on policy decisions, reporters who broke the Iran-Contra scandal story, political commentators, and his two sons, Michael and Ron. And here's the kicker: Reagan's views back then were closer to Obama's and Clinton's than to either of the Bushes. Reagan would be a moderate Democrat if his career had begun more recently and he was active in politics with the same views he had then. Ronald Reagan, blue dog Democrat, and not Saint Ronnie of the GOP. Would he have been as memorable as a Democrat? Probably not. He was big government, and even though he blasted big govt with his rhetoric, the size of the federal govt increased under Reagan and both Bushes. Goldwater spun in his grave like a plane propeller.

Reagan is a very fair account of Ronald Reagan's life, it seems by all accounts. It's not a character assassination, and you could argue that some of Reagan's worst moments sort of get glossed over without much depth (like his FBI informant role, the Iran hostage release after his inauguration, etc). While no one says anything horrible about the man, damning evidence is presented that should have knocked Reagan off anyone's high pedestal. He broke the law, and it was an impeachable offense. But he made the rich in this country so much richer, and for that, he is America's favorite president, even by many poor people who are clueless how connected his policies are to their poverty.

I enjoyed the film, and enjoyed the new perspective shown on those days. I was in 6th grade when Reagan was elected and a sophomore in college when his term ended, and during his two terms, I had become politically aware, and opposed his administration quite demonstratively. My mom worked the Republican Convention in Dallas in 1984 as a volunteer, and I was outside in the "Rock Against Reagan" demonstration where punk bands set up their equipment as close to Reunion Arena as we could get. See, there were no Free Speech Zones back then.--jef