Obama's 100 Days: A Reaganesque Start, Despite Risky Policies

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One of these people is a person who has earned my respect through many years of public service, who personally knew and worked closely with Ronald Reagan, and who has proven his grasp of the issues and the personalities over and over.
The other is a blowhard unable (or worse, unwilling) to grasp basic concepts.
Given the choice, I believe I'll stick with Senator Baker's evaluation.
Dave Kelsen
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“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.” -- Sam Adams

Dave Kelsen of AL 9:35AM April 29, 2009

For goodness sake MJM...get a hold of yourself. Reread your submission here as if you are not the one who wrote it and, regardless of your politics, you should see the absurdity and hyperbole of your claims. "Obama (and his wife) hate this country and continue to work to tear it down"...huh? Do you really believe that he has spent his whole professional life preparing for an opportunity to single-handedly destroy our country? "Reagan and his followers were hard working people. Obama and his followers are a combination of the ignorant, the power hungry, and people who think they are better and smarter than everyone else." Really? You can confidently make this claim about millions of "Reagan followers" and millions more "Obama followers" without feeling like it is an overreaching generalization? I'm willing to bet that I am as hard working (probably more so if measured in hours per week) than you are. How does that fit into your formulation here? Your name and address are included in your submission, remember, so your stupid animosity and your inability to think critically are not anonymous. Therefore and henceforth, I suggest you keep it to yourself as this kind of inanity adds nothing of use to any political debate but rather makes you look like an idiot with too much time on your hands and nothing useful to do with it.

DBSimonds of NC 8:18AM April 29, 2009

There are more ways than one to compare these two leaders, both of whom have captured the hearts of many Americans, albeit for different reasons. They do share some things in common. Great smiles that light up their faces for a start. Basic kindness. The ability to laugh at themselves. Devotion to their mates. A strong belief in themselves. A desire to leave a positive mark in history.
Obviously, their philosophies digress to nearly opposite corners. Still, when I hear the hate and venom spouted on these posts, I cannot help but think it wouild be rejected by Ronald Reagan. I feel sorry for people who can only lash out blindly from a position of hatred. Our president is no more a Marxist than I am (and I am not one). He may not always be right, but he leads with a fair and balanced mind and a good and caring heart. Ronald reagan tried to do the same.

Phoenician Lady of AZ 10:41PM April 28, 2009

Lorry of Ca
I can understand how you feel about comparing President Obama to Regan. I agree they are miles apart. Obama is a man of and for the people. Regan was a man for the rich. Regan was a bigot, and a Grade B movie actor. Obama is educated, erudite and intelligent. He has a vision for the people, something fools like you will never unserstand. People that try to paint him as a socialist are fools. Rganomics was a flash in the pan, that only served the rich and ignored the poor.
I also understand why you cannot stand to hear him speak, some people are just to thick to hear and understand the truth.
If you are one of the top 1% of this country, then I understand your faulty position. If on the other hand you belong to the 95% of the workers that got a cut in taxes, then you are also a pathetic fool.
MJM of NJ
If G W Bush, Nixon, Regan, have not destroyed this counrty, No one can. Obama is a great leader, your problem is not with his politics but with his Race. If he wre white you would still not like him, but your problem is with your perverted racism. Thank God you are in the minority, most of us know Obama is the man, and don't even care what you think.

J Lee of NM 6:26PM April 28, 2009

When Howard Baker, Jr. speaks of Reagan and Obama in the same sentance it makes me wonder if he is completely ignorant or just helping Obama, the Democrats and the media try to justify their purely socialist agenda. For those who love and respect freedom and liberty there was nothing risky about what Reagan did. He spoke truthfully, supported the constitution and the founding father's desire to empower the people to be the best that they could be.
That is just the opposite of a Marxist like Obama brainwashing the ignorant masses (and the ignorant press) into thinking that somehow a huge, waisteful government knows what is best for the people. Reagan (and his wife) loved this country and always worked to make it even better. Obama (and his wife) hate this country and continue to work to tear it down. Reagan sought to give power back to the people while Obama seeks to take it away from them.
No socialist/communist country anywhere in the world had more to offer it's people (and the world) than America did under the leadership of Reagan. We don't need to "change" America into the appologetic, bankrupt, marxist hell hole that Obama envisions. Rather, we need to "change it back" into what Reagan and our founding fathers envisioned for it. Reagan supported "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness", not false government claims that if you surrender your money and your freedom to the government it will take care of you better and more efficiently than you can take care of yourself.
Reagan and his followers were hard working people. Obama and his followers are a combination of the ignorant, the power hungry, and people who think they are better and smarter than everyone else. The ignorant are unaware of what a failure socialism and communism have been throughout the history of mankind. The few extra dollars in government handouts the "poor" will get over the next few years will come with the loss of a lifetime of freedom and unlimited opportunity for all Americans and all of our children.
The power hungry just want to be in charge of what ever socialist mediocraty remains after all freedoms are taken away from the people. They and the ivory tower types all think that they know what is best for you and just assume that they will remain in the inner circle of priviledge people in the coming socialist/communist government.
It is ludicrous to speak of Obama as Reaganesque. Reagan will be remembered as a good man and one of the last great leaders that the world has ever seen. Obama is (with the aid of a teleprompter) merely a self-centered power hungry man. In the end it will not matter whether Obama is a misguided, small minded fool or a ruthless, evil liar. If the good, hard-working American people don't quickly speak up and take back their country, history will remember Obama as the man that destroyed the greatest nation this world has ever seen.

Michael J. Marchese of NJ 11:30AM April 28, 2009

The closest comparisions are Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, not Reagan.
Approval Disapproval
1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower 73 10
1961 John Kennedy 83 5
1969 Richard Nixon 62 15
1977 Jimmy Carter 63 18
1981 Ronald Reagan 68 21
1989 George Bush 56 22
1993 William J. Clinton 55 37
2001 George W. Bush 62 29
2009 TBD Barack Obama 63 23
Why do you Libs keep trying to compare Obama to Reagan? The two aren't even come close.
I for one can't stand to hear Obama speak and I don't trust him.

Larry of CA 11:13AM April 28, 2009