John Edwards: “I can promise you this: I will never use Ronald Reagan as an example for change.”
Jan 17th, 2008 at 3:07 pm by Susie
Edwards busts on Obama for citing himself as being like Reagan:
“When you think about what Ronald Reagan did to the American people, to the middle class to the working people,” said Edwards.
“He was openly – openly – intolerant of unions and the right to organize. He openly fought against the union and the organized labor movement in this country. He openly did extraordinary damage to the middle class and working people, created a tax structure that favored the very wealthiest Americans and caused the middle class and working people to struggle every single day. The destruction of the environment, you know, eliminating regulation of companies that were polluting and doing extraordinary damage to the environment.”
“I can promise you this: this president will never use Ronald Reagan as an example for change.”
Obama needs to siphon off some Reagan Democrats from Hillary.
Right now the lower-income whites tend to support Hillary and higher-income whites are supporting Obama. So Obama is no dope- the road to the nomination goes thru northeast Philly, south Jersey and all the other pockets of gray-collar whites in this country. In fact many are now supporting Edwards so when Edwards folds his tent, Obama wants to be prepared to get his share (hence the nod to Reagan) IMHO.
Edwards won’t need to fold his tent. He won the debate in Nevada, in spite of the lack of equal time. The other two candidates are each out-spending him 10-to-1, and he’s still right in there with delegates. Don’t buy into the media’s baloney that this is a 2-person race. By mid-February John Edwards will be the front runner.
Yet another talking head on Olbermann, O’Donnel, contributor to HuffPo, just disses Edwards as having no important effect anywhere except in Nevada. Cites Edwards support as the “left wing” of the Democratic Party. Says most dems have forgotten Reagan and don’t care about Obama’s Reagan comment. This shit is beginning to piss me off.
You have your chance to show them tomorrow. Give money to the Edwards one-day fund drive.
Of course Obama did not in any way compare himself to Reagan in idealology. His words are clearly meant to portray the cusp of change on which he (and America) stand at this moment and to compare the magnitude of this potential change to the fundamental change during Reagen’s times.
… but apparently it’s only bad for people to intentionally “misunderstand” and selectively quote Edwards. Perhaps you’ll claim to “just” be quoting someone else which makes it OK for you to push this kind of dishonesty - again?
In case anyone cares. here what Obama actually said (he doesn’t claim to be like Reagen, only to be living in times of change - how HORRIBLE of him)
“I think part of what is different is the times. I do think that, for example, the 1980 election was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not.”
Quotes from that famous “conservative” Ron Reagan Jr.:
“If I understand what he was saying I can’t entirely disagree with it. They both came along at times when society was on the cusp of change and they are both agents of change,”
“… we are in a historical moment right now like the 60s and 80s. And I think he’s right. We are overdue for a cultural shift.”
in speaking of him the way he did, obama implied that there was something positive in the cultural shift that reagan inflicted on the usa. at the time, it was as bad as dubya to those who were paying attention. no self respecting democratic presidential candidate should be referring to him as some kind of beacon for chrissakes. once again he fails to impress.
If one simply views video of Obama making the statement about Reagan, it is clear that Obama is praising Reagan for his (alleged) heightened ability to understand the mood of the country and to respond to it. He then likens himself, favorably, of course, to Reagan in that way.
No one with any decency or self-respect would liken himself to Reagan. If Obama thinks he’s like Reagan, that’s all anyone needs to know about Obama. Reagan threw America’s middle-class overboard so that he, personally, could advance as he always advanced since his early involvement with MCA… by being a tool for those more powerful.
Yea, I remember Reagan and the changes he brought about. Like gutting federally funded education programs so he could finance his “Peacekeeper” missiles. 49 people in my department, providing services and education to Native American students, cut down to 21. Guess who suffered for the sake of making defense contractors richer?
Yes, I remember when Reagan stopped federal revenue-sharing with big cities and the resulting downward spiral. Ah, good times!
How ’bout air-traffic controllers and Guatemalan death-squads? An’, an’ cocain for stingers and blind paraplegics kicked off medicaid? Ah, the heady days of good ol’ change.
Fuck Reagan and anybody who cites him as anything other than the pimp for neocon oligarchy that he was.
“But no president can do it alone. She must break recent tradition, cast cronyism aside and fill her cabinet with the best people, not only the best Democrats, but the best Republicans as well.. We’re confident she will do that. Her list of favorite presidents - Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, Truman, George H.W. Bush and Reagan - demonstrates how she thinks.”
… Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4674