For blacks, a different (Reagan) legacy

Although Ronald Reagan will be remembered as the "Great Communicator" in history books, his death has unleashed pent-up anger from some black Americans who view the Reagan years with contempt. Reagan's death has exposed a racial divide in America that separates the way some whites and some blacks view his legacy. While the news media point to the fall of the Berlin Wall, some black Americans remember Reagan for dismantling social programs and his use of racially tinged code words such as "welfare queen" and "states' rights."

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"My sense of Ronald Reagan is that blacks didn't really exist for Ronald Reagan," said David Bositis, senior political analyst for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, who has advised the Republican and Democratic National Committees on political issues and issues pertaining to blacks. Reagan's economic policies cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations but did little to help the poor, many of whom are black, Bositis said. During Reagan's unsuccessful 1976 presidential campaign, he described a "welfare queen" driving a Cadillac, a reference seen as perpetrating the idea that blacks were defrauding the welfare system.

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Using coded language to exploit wedge issues such as affirmative action and welfare, Reagan wooed disaffected Southern whites and wrote off black voters, who were expected to vote Democratic. By opening his 1980 presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Miss., where three civil rights workers were killed in 1964, Reagan let the world know what he thought of civil rights, Nunn said. Reagan told the audience that he supported "states' rights," the code term Dixiecrats had used for segregation. Nunn said Reagan's exploitation of racial issues was a side of his legacy that many Americans didn't talk about this past week.

"A lot of what you're hearing now is that he did a lot to make Americans feel like Americans again," Nunn said. "But a lot of that was tapping into the silent majority, the angry white citizen upset over advancements in terms of civil rights. I think Ronald Reagan was a president that made racism fashionable again," Nunn said. "And he could do it with a smile. The face of racism was no longer George Wallace. ... Who can't like Ronald Reagan?"

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.journal13jun13,0,4595887.column?coll=bal-nationworld-utility

He brought back black and white
By Derrick Z. Jackson | June 11, 2004

THE HEADLINES of The Boston Globe and Time magazine called Ronald Reagan an "All-American." Dan Rather led the CBS News by saying, "Ronald Reagan, the Cold War crusader whose sunny optimism made a nation believe it was morning in America, dies at 93." The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Reagan's relentless optimism projected the sun."

That is from the so-called liberal media. Liberal politicians also suffered sunstroke. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy praised Reagan's "extraordinary ability to inspire the nation to live up to its high ideals." Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said, "Even when he was breaking Democrats hearts, he did so with a smile and in the spirit of honest and open debate." Kerry added, "He was our oldest president, but he made America young again."

The praise proved one of the oldest of scientific lessons. If you stare too much into the sun, you go blind.

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http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/06/11/he_brought_back_black_and_white/

It's about time. I am so nauseated at all this pandering to the Reagan's right.

I mean, so he made things better for rich, white, males...so what? They are a minority, and there is no way that Reagan benefitted any other group, except for maybe the Stepford wives of the rwm's

Anyone who give a (&*)* for his/her fellow human beings.

There's been some cluelessness around here as to why African-Americans would view RR any differently than white people.

no love for raygun among african-americans. he was a master race-baiter, and per usual, african-americans weren't fooled by his codespeak. if the rest of the country followed our lead in voting gw bush would not be acting as president, and raygun would have reamined a very forgettable governor, some americans never learn...

BTW, love the signature, noiretblu.

i need those flames to burn freepers' backsides :D
raygun :nopity: didn't vote for him, thought he was joke for the get-go, and thought all the allies should have known better :hi:
so much for allies :shrug:

don't forget the 1966 Watts riot that launched raygun front and center to defeat Brown in the California governor's race. Race-baiting, codespeak, blame game against LBJ's "great society" were all tools used to his advantage to draw in fearful sheeple to his flock. I would prefer raygun remained nothing but a forgettable two-bit actor.

a two-bit actor would have been preferrable. we have our share of idiots in california...just ask our current governor.

I noticed since the Reagan administration there had been a declining tolerance toward civil rights. Regardless of the drug problem, people like James Byrd (dragged and dismembered to death) and Matthew Sheppard (tortured and left to die) are just two reminders of this shameful legacy.

throughout the '80s was mind boggling. It was amazing that he would sit back and not say a thing to the white SA govt.

The topic that I came across today.

http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/06/11/120.html

Seems to reinforce the topic. Maybe from the same reference.
One must say that the trickle down theory is still alive and well though.

does a criminal(Elliot Abrams) get a pardon and then returns in the govt under another President when convicted felons can't even get their citizenship back to vote after doing their time for crime. it never ceases to amaze how corrupt things really are

He had that smile of his down pat (notice how much * smiles too). He learned that the folksy humor and smile deflected the serious issues and that was his pattern as governor and president.

"For blacks, a different (Reagan) legacy" and for a lot of us whites too

poverty is color-blind. as was aids. reagan did not give a damn about helping the poor, sick, and disinfranchised in this country. to him and his ardent followers they were no more than the skulls of the dead pol pot piled up. scant inconvient facts that had no impact upon their souls.

if there is a righteous God in heaven, such a God has cast down Ronald Reagan to a pit in hell. Why? Because Reagan could have made a difference to all of God's children and he chose to ignore them. As is said by Jesus himself, "what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me."

Matthew 25:
33
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34
Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
37
Then the righteous 16 will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
40
And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41
17 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
44
18 Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'
45
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'
46
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Why would his racism and divisive comments about "state's rights" be considered offensive only to those with dark skin tone?

As a white person, I found Reagan's policies and insensitive comments seriously insulting. And I'm offended by any article which would suggest that people of my race would not view them as such because of their white heritage.

Some of us are human beings before we are "blacks" or "whites".