Ronald Reagan : Movie-Star POTUS w/ a Complex Legacy

[@CynicalHistorian]

Thanks for watching! Please consider supporting the channel by buying merch: cynical-historian-shop.fourthwall.com Or by donating to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/CynicalHistorian Click "read more" for corrections and bibliography. First, here are some related videos: How the Afghanistan War began: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bX_almObnbxlpLs *[reserved for Errata]* *Bibliography* H.W. Brands, _Reagan: The Life_ (New York: Anchor Books, 2016). amzn.to/3yj4yM3 Daniel Lucks, _Reconsidering Reagan: Racism, Republicans, and the Road to Trump_ (Boston: Beacon Press, 2021). amzn.to/3wHugnp Rick Perlstein, _Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus_ (reprint, 2001; New York: Nation Books, 2009). amzn.to/3rre0od Rick Perlstein, _Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America _(New York: Scribner, 2008). amzn.to/3sLTDlQ Rick Perlstein, _The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan_ (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2014). amzn.to/306XMo9 Rick Perlstein, _Reaganland: America’s Right Turn, 1976-1980_ (New York: Simon and Schuster: 2020). amzn.to/2NZ4f1R

[@loiawhil]

20❤❤❤²❤❤❤09w❤❤❤

[@warlordofbritannia]

“Ronald Reagan never told you the truth about the Iran-Contra affair.” “He told me enough-he told me he had nothing to do with it!” “No. Reagan traded arms *for* the hostages.” “That’s not true. That’s impossible.” “Check your facts, neocon. You’ll find it to be true.” “No…noooooooooo!”

[@trunkage]

Let's not pretend Reaganites approved of Contra

[@autoklashkinov]

​@@trunkageyour right, Regan himself did

[@Urapuppy]

Ronald Reagan was an actor best known for portraying the 40th president of the United States. His initial portrayal gained widespread critical acclaim, but behind the scenes, the performance caused 90% of today’s problems.

[@lessonslearned2569]

I always said he should have gotten the Oscar for Best Actor of the 20th Century. He played the character of the president for 8 years and we all believed it.

[@MercuryKnight5]

And the other 10% are Richard Nixon's fault.

[@bluespaceman7937]

True. It's all in the details of this term, when you go back to it.

[@Warriorcats64]

@@lessonslearned2569 As opposed to the Razzie-winning performance of four years by Donald Trump.

[@lessonslearned2569]

@@Warriorcats64 yes, and I would also say that Reagan was one in a long chain of Republicans (and not a few Democrats) that gave us Trump.

[@christracey5813]

Reagan is the reason I say: "you can only judge an administration 20 years after it is over." His policies were extremely popular during his time, but many of those same policies would case greater harm down the line. Example: Bank deregulation led to a rise in sub prime lending which caused the Great Recession

[@DiamondKingStudios]

I feel like Reagan is the sort of guy who reminded a lot of people of George Bailey, making it even more strange to see their local savings and loan companies shut down during his presidency.

[@mikeoveli1028]

It caused the savings and loan crash also

[@What_do_I_Think]

RR created MAGA. I mean today's movement. He busted the middle class and created a mass of undereducated, hateful people, which vote against their own interests.

[@drgeorgek]

Clinton’s policy of Wokeism forcing banks to lend to people who could never repay their loans caused the crash.

[@JeanValjean875]

Mmmm extremely popular may be an exaggeration. Reagan was at the height of his popularity right after being elected, after being shor, right around the time he was re-elected, and right before he left office. But the rest of the time, his approval rating was pretty average and actually dipped into the 30s during the 83 recession and Iran Contra.

[@michaeljebbett160]

I didn't believe Huey of The Boondocks when he said Ronald Reagan was the devil. It took me almost a decade to figure that out for myself.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Anyone Uncle Ruckus likes that much has to be proportionately evil

[@JohnPatterson-kz8jr]

Real Live Uncle Ruckus:Clarence Thomas;Tim Scott;Ben Carson;Mark Robinson and Kanye West!! Candace Owens and Carol Swaim could be Auntie Ruckesse!!

[@ecurewitz]

I’ve known that since the 80s

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@JohnPatterson-kz8jr Speaking of everyone’s least favorite Justice, guess who was head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Reagan? His job there was to explicitly do nothing, and allow complaints to pile up so high that Congress eventually got involved.

[@JohnPatterson-kz8jr]

Ronald Reagan turns to Nancy and asks"Nancy,who are all these kids and why are they calling me grandpa?,".😢😮😅😊

[@sabredance87]

"Mom can we get Ronald Reagan?" "No sweetie we have Ronald Reagan at home." The Ronald Reagan at home: Donald Regan

[@jayl878]

As a 9yr old in 1980, I thought that was so weird. I figured they had to be related or something.

[@DiamondKingStudios]

Ronald Reagan but he’s remembered most for the Mulford Act

[@JohnPatterson-kz8jr]

TEAR DOWN THIS MYTH!!😢😮😊😊

[@mikeoveli1028]

​@@JohnPatterson-kz8jr It is so great to hear from people who know how horrible this guy was.

[@RedSunUnderParadise]

The Biggest cuckservative sellout in history(Reagan) vs the biggest cuckservative sellout of today(Donald Duck)

[@ChrisNoonetheFirst]

"Celebrities shoud stay out of politics" says party obsessed with nominating celebrities 🤮

[@starmaker75]

GOP will complain about celebrities doing politics. My brother in Christ, you guys had Ronald Regan and Arnold schwarzenegger in your party

[@royalanempire2965]

​@starmaker75 I don't know about Arnold at least he's got some sense of integrity and knows where he stands.

[@ChrisNoonetheFirst]

@@royalanempire2965 Arnold's election was really weird, he basically ran unopposed because it was a recall at the same time

[@royalanempire2965]

@@ChrisNoonetheFirst I'd love an info analysis of his politcal work ngl it can't be as bad. Hopefully.

[@dirt007]

​@@starmaker75and currently have Kane

[@JackRackam]

Been a hot minute since I've clicked on a video on my homepage so enthusiastically

[@alphamikeomega5728]

Hi Jack, In your video on the Marshall Plan, you refer to "the height of the great depression" as when Germany's hyperinflation was occurring. This is a mistake. The hyperinflation in Weimar Germany occurred during the occupation of the Ruhr around 1920, when the German government payed striking workers with printed money. In contrast, the issue during the Great Depression was _deflation,_ as demand dried up. This was particularly accuse in Germany, where Brüning deliberately pursued deflation as a way to make it easier to pay foreign-denominated debt. Please could you issue a correction?

[@oceanberserker]

Cap'n! How've you been?

[@itsblitz4437]

Glad to see you here.

[@robcain8865]

Reagan and Thatcher, arguably the main architects of the utter mess we're in on both sides of the pond. 40 years after all their deregulation, union-busting and ruthless privatisation, the US and UK are in pretty rough shape in many ways. That said, I would praise Reagan for his efforts to reduce the number of nuclear weapons during the Cold War through treaties.

[@Alexwright12]

Thatcher truly was the most vile bitch to ever occupy downing street

[@dairallan]

The thing is the US can get away with it. The US internal economy is blessed on so many levels thats its almost impossible to cripple it. Yes inequality can get worse, there can be transitory issues but they are resolvable. Also the US never actually followed through with fiscal discipline. On the other hand the UK is entirely reliant on trade, its entire pension system is built on a ppnzi scheme requiring ever larger immigration numbers and since 2010 they did the thing that most neoliberals know you never do and actually slashed government spending with its knock on, catastrophic impact on the economy. It is hard to see the UK coming out of its economic death spiral as it plummets to become a Middle Income nation. On the other hand, the US is just too robust economically to truly fuck.

[@Robsonski96]

Two greatest leaders of the post-war 20th century, you mean.

[@dairallan]

@@donkraemer50 Do you stop and think how pathetic you sound before shitting on working people trying to get by?

[@dark2023-1lovesoni]

In the Western nations, yes. However, there have been plenty of 2nd and 3rd world leaders who agreed and fell in line with these leaders' "viewpoints". Significantly contributing to the current issues.

[@Thor13332]

The worst enemy the middle class has ever had.

[@NeoEvanA.R.T]

And lower class.

[@itsblitz4437]

Not the only one, there was also Clinton and W. Bush and Obama of course.

[@wanderer85295]

​@@itsblitz4437you missed H.W. Bush and DJT

[@blackdragon6]

​@@NeoEvanA.R.Tlower class is always fucked by default.

[@blackdragon6]

​@@wanderer85295they're all pretty bad to varying degrees TBH 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@Being_John]

Every time I see the crisis of confidence speech, even in unrelated videos, I stops me in my tracks. Carter nailed it.

[@Elvesflame]

@@xunqianbaidu6917 Ah, accidentally correct! The best kind of correct!

[@CBFan5000]

So many still worship this guy as a god even though we can literally see how so many of his policies have negatively effected us. It's crazy how you can look into any modern day issue such as homelessness, low wages, medical price gouging, etc and it'll always come back to Reagan making it astronomically worse in the 80s.

[@TheWedabest]

Doublethink is hell of a thing!

[@borginburkes1819]

his legacy isnt complex. he destroyed the middle class

[@PoorEdward]

Based!

[@itsblitz4437]

He was just one of many to destroy the middle class & lower class after Reagan came to Bush I, then Bill Clinton, then Bush II, then of course Obama. All of whom would come to destroy the Middle & Lower classes further. And the cause for polarization.

[@dunnowy123]

No he didn't lol

[@borginburkes1819]

@@dunnowy123 his administration was entirely pro business. Anything that’s pro business is anti middle class. Simple as that

[@The_king567]

Is that a bad thing

[@paulreynolds7103]

"Ronald Reagan was an actor... not at all a factor"

[@Z3nHolEminD]

“ you’re fired “

[@BryanS-c2b]

Just an employee of the country's real masters.

[@jonsigwanz7993]

@@BryanS-c2b Just like the Bush's, Clinton's and Obama's, just another talking head telling lies on teleprompter.

[@mallardduckjrh8048]

Just like the Bushes, Clinton and Obama

[@nkuniverse7856]

​@bryansechrist1762 just like the bushes Clinton and obama.

[@imyugimuto]

People underrate how negatively he impacted America with his Neo liberal and conservative policies.

[@starmaker75]

He a part of the reason why we had people like Trump in office and other ring wing wackos in government.

[@ravageroosgamecorner543]

​ @augustodelerme7233 Are you saying how Jimmy Carter was underrated as a president, or something else?

[@CosmoShidan]

@augustodelerme7233 Or Gerald Ford.

[@mmarshfairc3]

@augustodelerme7233So was every president ever …

[@ravageroosgamecorner543]

@augustodelerme7233 So, anything other than Jimmy Carter was a capitalist? Nothing about his domestic policies, such as: increasing spending on public works, extension of the Comprehensive Training and Employment Act, Revenue Act of 1978, creating the Department of Energy, National Energy Act of 1978 (though it was watered down from his original proposal, the Energy Security Act, making price targets for industries, trying to introduce a UNHI system (which was shot down by even his fellow democrats), an overhaul of the welfare system (including a guaranteed minimum income, federal job guarantee for the employed, negative income tax, and direct cash for recipients), the plethora of environmental laws (especially for mining), establishing the Department of Education, and other initiatives? How about his foreign policies, where he tried to de-escalate a lot of the tensions with the Soviets after the chaos the last two decades of US policies have caused, especially with the Near and Middle East; you know, the ones that were selling the very energy source needed to power America's capitalism and, because of their reluctance to sell more due to our policies, was the main cause of Stagflation?

[@caseclosed9342]

One thing he did also worth mentioning: He signed a law granting reparations Japanese Americans who were interned during WW2. Many Republicans in Congress disagreed with it due to cost but it passed and Reagan proudly signed it. He actually had opposed the interment orders back during WW2 despite being popular in California where he lived.

[@elizabethsohler6516]

That much is to his credit.

[@rayceeya8659]

Regan: "I know that in America there will always be a bright dawn ahead." Trump: "America is a failing nation... You won't have a country anymore..." ANY GOP WATCHING THIS! Can you see the difference?

[@otisdylan9532]

Also, Reagan was a free trader while Trump is a protectionist. And Reagan favored much greater international engagement than Trump does. And Reagan wasn't obsessed with immigration.

[@rayceeya8659]

@@otisdylan9532 Excellent point! International engagement AKA "Globalism" was part and parcel in Regan's administration. "Mr. Gorbachev! Tear down this wall!" Trump is more like "Here Mr. Putin, have this nice slice of Ukraine with some extra icing"

[@felman87]

"Ronald Reagan? The Actor?" Every time I hear that sound clip, I'm now thinking of the Cody Showdy, Some More News.

[@michaeljebbett160]

The only thing Reagan ever did that I appreciated was the deregulation of advertising that resulted in all the cartoons of the 80s, which were thinly veiled commericals for the toys of the characters and such in them. Even then, the negatives from this deregulation greatly outweighed what fun I had as a kid.

[@andresacosta4832]

On the bright side, some of these thinly veiled toy commercials led to some actual serious creative art using said intellectual properties (*stares at like...half of Transformers graphic novels*)

[@Gizzy411]

Reagan’s enduring legacy can be best described as coming up with the verbiage still commonly used to promote policy that help rich people more than poor people by insinuating that it still somehow helps the common family and excludes *those other people* Despite those policies not helping anybody but the wealthy class.

[@MrSupersmash93]

Most of the current problems in America came from this guy.

[@kevinfreund5943]

maga prequel

[@willfakaroni5808]

Don’t blame cynical historian

[@MaxRamos8]

Complex is being too nice. How about Closet white supremacist? Or the Godfather of modern corruption? You can't forget, Reganimics Flunkee. Oh wait that's right he founded the Heritage foundation, the most evil think tank to date.

[@tedr4526]

Yeah , I call him trump one

[@blackdragon6]

Clinton's neoliberal policies added to it. Including Bush Jr and even to a lesser extent Obama.

[@SadSadSadSquishSquishSquish]

Not really complex he’s a charismatic assholè who did nothing for the working class and protected the rich with everything he ever did.

[@naciremasti]

So basically a politician.

[@mikeoveli1028]

​@@naciremasti Worse than most politicians. Manly because working class people believed him.

[@AnnoyingNewsletters]

Somewhere in there the body politic convinced poor, working poor, and working class people that they were middle class, and they've been voting against their own self interests ever since, because they're convinced they're screwing over, to quote Ronnie, himself, *_the Welfare Queens._*

[@SadSadSadSquishSquishSquish]

@@naciremasti so basically a republican

[@gusbussolano03]

Love the accent in asshole lol

[@maynardwayward12]

Reagan's zombie optimism. He was a wooden actor too.

[@Heavilymoderated]

Still wading through this man’s excrement today…

[@DigitalFire5000]

Man, you are the BEST history youtuber that I've seen. I really appreciate not only the high production quality but also the attention to detail and high video out put. Much love from TN!

[@CosmoShidan]

Ah nice to see some good old fashioned Wilson bashing!

[@CynicalHistorian]

It's a compulsion now, LOL

[@CosmoShidan]

@@CynicalHistorian Indeed, every time someone brings up Wilson or Reagan in conversation, I can't help but raise and shake my fist when either of them are brought up! lol.

[@RyanZerby]

I was 8 in 1980, and trickle-down economics seemed wrong to me even then. I just assumed it was because I was 8. At the time I didn't realize the racism, but figured out some of it by the time I was able to vote. Regan is a clear case of why you need to be wary of charismatic leaders.

[@naciremasti]

You had no idea what trickle-down economics was at the age of 8, stop the cap.

[@MaxRamos8]

Complex is being too nice. How about Closet white supremacist? Or the Godfather of modern corruption? You can't forget, Reganimics Flunkee. Oh wait that's right he founded the Heritage foundation, the most evil think tank to date.

[@NotSoJuicyMac]

@@naciremastitrickle down economics are hardly complicated.... I think a 4 year old who just barely learned what money is could get the gist of it (although they'd probably think about it wrong since they're so young)

[@naciremasti]

@@NotSoJuicyMac oh? So they wouldn't fully comprehend what it was? Gotcha. You just solidified my remark. Thank you.

[@RyanZerby]

@@naciremasti That's what I said. It seemed wrong to give rich people money, but I assumed I misunderstood.

[@troppmann]

There's a salient argument to be made that the war on drugs is emphatically not a neoliberal measure, and indeed runs in opposition to the general tenor of neoliberalism. Case in point: Milton Friedman had argued for drug legalisation, which would be entirely in keeping with his philosophy of individual liberty. The war on drugs is far more a traditional conservative measure than a neoliberal one.

[@CynicalHistorian]

It definitely isn't neoliberal, given it was started by Nixon - the last New Dealer

[@troppmann]

@@CynicalHistorian It's just that you use the phrase "neoliberal slippage towards autocracy", during the section regarding the war on drugs and mass incarceration. It caused my ears to prick up. Tangentially, I would argue the curiosity that in recent years, Republican presidential candidates have had a significantly greater variance of philosophy and outlook than Democrat presidential candidates; Dubya, McCain, Romney and Trump each put forth different visions of America, whereas Gore, Kerry, Obama, Hillary, Biden and Kamala have all posited what one could that the standard Democrat point of view. When was the last time a former presidential candidate spoke at the RNC? Also tangentially, I had assumed that Reagan's coalition of hawks, free-marketeers and social conservatives would eventually collapse due to the constituents of the coalition running into conflict with each other (e.g., free-marketeers having no problems with LGBTQ+ rights). I can't say that this has happened, partly because the Republicans haven't devoted much thought to straightening out such contradictions, and partly because they, like most people, aren't too fussed about their own hypocrisies. But this coalition does seem to be getting smaller: I don't think there has ever been any chance of Trump winning the popular vote in any election.

[@colonelweird]

​@troppmann Your critique seems to assume neoliberalism is (or should be) a coherent, all-encompassing philosophy, but I don't think that's accurate. I've always seen it as a trend in policy with numerous internal contradictions, justified by a handful of plausible-sounding slogans. It's supporting corporations through deregulation & tax reduction, reduction in public services, and sloganeering about the free market, while behind the scenes providing strong government action to protect profits for the companies who have the most powerful lobbyists and biggest funds for bribes, er... campaign donations. I think there's plenty of room for neoliberals to have varying approaches to drug policy.

[@SaintSteven67]

I agree. On the surface and at the time, the War on Drugs seemed like a good idea. Many of us did believe that. However, in retrospect, the unintended consequences have taken a heavy toll on minorities.

[@juliocesarcasaspietrini1146]

Not only drugs, they hate abortion, poor people and other nations, specially when are not christians. And they all believe in god.

[@Contessa6363]

If I were to say how I feel about this SOB I wouldn't be able to get it published!! 😮😮😮

[@JeanValjean875]

The most unrealistic part of this is characterizing Reagan as a "movie star." My dude, Reagan was a B-movie actor at best.

[@DrHotWarLove]

"Neoliberal's slippage towards autocracy..." You're playing my song, Cypher.

[@pliant75]

My mother had Alzheimer’s also. She had the early onset variety. I took care of her for six years until she died. Reagan’s farewell address gets me every time I hear it still also.

[@pitchkinker]

Amazing video. You taught me a l should’ve know. Keep them coming!

[@Bob-m6u]

Ronald reagan, the donald trump of his times. A terrible human being. Even his own son hated him.

[@SaintSteven67]

Actually, Ron Reagan, Jr, never hated his father, but diametrically opposed most of his policies. Reagan, Jr., said in a 2020 interview: "This is a dying (Republican) party. They either have to remake themselves entirely or they will disappear eventually. Within a decade the Republican Party will be a minor fringe group if it continues going this way. My father would have been ashamed of this Republican Party. He would have been embarrassed and ashamed that a president of the United States was as incompetent and traitorous as the man occupying the White House now. He’s a disgrace to the office of the presidency."

[@thegreatcollector4548]

Damn he hated everything that helped the people

[@naciremasti]

A true politician.

[@What_do_I_Think]

But he helped HIS people. The billionaires -- and that is what counts for him and his successor: DJT

[@naciremasti]

@@What_do_I_Think again, so just another politician.

[@What_do_I_Think]

@@naciremasti Again: Whataboutism! Again: *Plonk* again as with others that use this technique.

[@colonel__klink7548]

Thinking of Raegan and the new era he ushered in, one of the fascinating things is that i really didn't understand famous 80s media critique of society till quite recently. Robocop and Judge Dredd being the two biggest ones. (Dredd is *not* a hero in the comics, he's one of the villains that everyone lauds as a hero.) It's only here looking back forty years later that it makes sense. Neoliberalism claims government is incompetent as justification for gutting it either directly through reduced tax base or indirectly by forcing it to outsource to private contracts (that have to build in profit, so the service will either cost more, or have less quality for the same price.) This causes a marked drop in quality of governance which is used to justify gutting the government further. However things like basic laws and property has to be defended so the government is still out there trying. It gets to a point of incompetence that the only way the government can keep providing that bare minimum of defending property is just... straight fascism. Thus the UK as an example threatening to try to extradite foreign nationals over mean things they tweeted to their police departments. The growing poverty in society creates violence, the government trying to economize resources uses increased violence. It's a escalating cycle. Literally predicted by robocop.

[@blade7506]

can we get a video on Margaret Thatcher?

[@Alexwright12]

that creature was without a doubt one of the worst things to happen to my country in its entire history

[@naciremasti]

​@@Alexwright12the worst being all the inbreeding?

[@jarekgiedrojc2643]

@@Alexwright12 Not really. While she made a lot of mistake she left the country in much better condition then it was before her time as prime Minister.

[@zacharybosley1935]

Why is this man getting a movie? Why?

[@bekkatheman]

I was born during Reagan administration, most of childhood was shaped by HW, and my teen years by Clinton, my early adult years by bush jr, and when i graduated college in 09 i was kinda effed.

[@blackdragon6]

Same, more or less

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

Remember what former President Ford said about Reagan. He said that Reagan was the first modern President who knew nothing.

[@supervideomaker9136]

I won’t lie, I don’t like Reagan and his policies, but I can’t lie, he was good at making jokes and a great speaker

[@devilpup8]

This video fully reaffirmed my fervent hatred of this man.

[@avatarmikephantom153]

My great grandfather was one of the people at the RNC of 68 saying Reagan was one day going to be president.

[@James-hd4ms]

Good on grampa, but everyone knew that then.

[@Razzanonymous]

Awesome biography as always. 😊

[@masterludovicus802]

Growing up I was taught Reagan was one of the better presidents and when I bothered to learn more thats when reality hit me in the face

[@teethgrinder83]

Yep your cat definitely seems as spoiled as my one 😂

[@CynicalHistorian]

We have no choice in the matter

[@warlordofbritannia]

Well-faring King 😂

[@teethgrinder83]

@@CynicalHistorian haha yep that's cats for you!

[@aintnolittlegirl9322]

I didn't think I could hate Reagan any more than I already do until I found out that he turned down Gorbachev's offer to destroy all of the USSR's nukes if the US would do the same, and Reagan said no. What a dick.

[@sirhenrymorgan1187]

And now Putin has nukes aimed at Europe, and Trump will have nukes+immunity if/when he gets reelected. This timeline sucks so damn much...

[@jarekgiedrojc2643]

Do you relly belive it is that easy? By the 1980's US and USSR weren't the only countries with the nuclear weapons. France, US, India, Israel and China already had theirs. North Korea was working on getting their own nuclear weapons since 1960's accepting Gorbachev offer would irresponsible and out right naive. Regan also didn't had any warranty he could trust a Sioviet Union on this matter.

[@bisque6448]

That would have made China the sole nuclear superpower of the world. Idiot.

[@basedbeans8852]

I hate Reagan lmao. This video made me hate him more.

[@savagewhitmore2815]

"Those who would trade our freedom for security are heading on that downward course." You heard it here folks, you can't be a Reaganite and support the Patriot Act and NSA.

[@charlesallan-ks6gq]

Beware the military industrial complex.

[@TheWedabest]

Doublethink.

[@zlr9022]

Every bad thing today traces back to reagan

[@Shantari]

Love the outtakes with His Majesty King Richard Lionheart. (I've noticed that a majority of my favorite history youtubers have cats.)

[@avatarmikephantom153]

The fact that we didn’t start a nuclear war by using astrology, ironically proves astrology was working, even though it doesn’t… pretty bizarre how lucky we got. Lol

[@bsamexican]

ahhh yes, the one who shall not be named.. this guy is alot like palpatine

[@joelb8653]

Killer Mike's song by that name is great. It's on you tube.

[@josiahd4073]

I watch you and Leeja Miller all the time. After watching both your and her videos on Ronald Reagan, I now understand exactly why Ronald fuckin’ Reagan is so hated by the poor and so loved by republicans

[@MaxRamos8]

Yup. Complex is being too nice. How about Closet white supremacist? Or the Godfather of modern corruption? You can't forget, Reganimics Flunkee. Oh wait that's right he founded the Heritage foundation, the most evil think tank to date.

[@ShyLunaV]

Every time I see/hear anyone talking about Regan I can hear her say "Ronald Fucking Regan" and picture her Regan Ruined everything shirt lol

[@josiahd4073]

@@ShyLunaV EXACTLY, it’s amazing

[@josiahd4073]

@@Testimony_Of_JTF what do you mean? Laborers, factory workers, and truck drivers are the foundation of America and Reagan destroyed them. If you’re referring to easier jobs like cashiers they still need training and have to deal with very rude people every single day. The poor aren’t leeches, honestly we leech off of their work and pay them nothing in return

[@anthonyrowland9072]

Realizing he was a demon in a skin suit isn't complex.

[@m1l3s27]

It is for many. They simply don't know, as the end of this episode states, many see him as a repub diety and don't know any of his actual policies. Just like with DJT currently. When surveyed, Americans oppose just about every idea in project 2025 to basically a super majority level. Yet trump pretends he doesn't know about it. And when you tell his supporters they deny those are his actual policies. The dissonance is maddening.

[@yippieskippy2971]

"Complex" that's one word.

[@AdmiralSpaceballs]

27:40 glad i am not the only one watching american dad 37:00 its an unappreciated irony that Ronald Reagan was depicted with an RPG variant of a weapon suspiciously looking like its made by the Soviet Union .

[@anthonyminimum]

0:15 Jimmy: Grandpa, what happened between 1973 and 1979? Grandpa: Jimmy, we don’t talk about those years… Jimmy: Grandpa, why was I named Jimmy? Grandpa: …

[@SirRob24]

Me and all my homies HATE Ronald Reagan.

[@Su1c1deK1ng1028]

If hell is real Ronald Reagan is at the bottom of it

[@blackdragon6]

If there's a god, most US presidents are. 😂

[@Su1c1deK1ng1028]

@@blackdragon6 Facts but this guy would be close to the bottom of the stack

[@gaanerud]

Bless you for mentioning the Eras of American Politics. I've lost track of the number of times people have said "The Democrats are the real racists, they loved segregation." And then they look at me with incomprehension when I say "Yeah, under the fifth era of American politics."

[@s.m.assies6448]

As a Dutchman of a certain age, I think that what Reagan started, is what finally led to Trump.

[@weezerwookie]

great vid!

[@mmarshfairc3]

Superb video!!!!

[@tastycheesebooger]

Hey cypher! Since you love Woodrow Wilson so much, how about doing a review of the 1944 film 'Wilson'? It's the only film so far made about the 28th US president

[@CynicalHistorian]

I just can't bring myself to that much masochism

[@mikaglea]

Reagan-loving Republicans against Trump make me laugh -- refusing to acknowledge that The Don is entirely the spawn of Ron

[@WEAPONX4S]

Grew up with Reagan as president. Taught me to question power as even as a kid- I knew that the bs was there,

[@EilonwyG]

I was under 10 when Reagan was president. I remember thinking about him as a kindly grandfather. I knew nothing about his policies or anything that he did as a president, I was just a kid and he seemed nice. Probably that actor's charm. In a sense, even though I was alive through the entirety both his terms, he's the president I know least, both in terms of personality and in effectiveness as a president. This was certainly an interesting look at into who he was. I'm not sure I could ever not feel warmly towards the man, as it's not unlike realizing your grandfather might be a little racist but you still love him. It's good to know who he was, and he was far from perfect. But I don't think I can see him as a bad man. Misguided and at times a little shady, and I can see how so many problems started with him, but I still think I like him well enough. Maybe not to have voted for him...

[@mra4521]

We the people need to choose to be better than unified only by “naive optimism that ignores reality” or disengaged disillusionment when that reality crashes down. We owe it to ourselves and our posterity.

[@grimm42]

Releasing this video while I'm actively reading Rick Perlstein. Nice.

[@jonathanfischer5292]

Very interesting overview, thanks!

[@markcarey67]

Ironic that someone who spoke so much about individualism did so much to empower corporations to make it so much harder for individuals to carve out modest, meaningful lives for themselves. Corporatism is another form of collectivism.

[@Frserthegreenengine]

Well, if it weren't for Ronald Reagan, Spitting Image wouldn't have been the same.

[@ChristellaLuna]

Lousy actor. Lousy POTUS. Lousy person. He should have served time for Iran Contra. We are still suffering under some of his policies, such as trickle-down economics.

[@Robsonski96]

Yeah, he was so lousy that he won by a landslide. TWICE. 😂 Get over yourself.

[@haplon33]

@@Robsonski96 well to be fair, all the people with AIDs that he killed and laughed about could no longer vote

[@Rokaize]

It’s not clear if he knew about Iran contra

[@ChristellaLuna]

@@Robsonski96 just because he won doesn't mean he was a good POTUS.

[@theseyi]

@@Robsonski96terrible logic. We’ve elected terrible presidents before. Are you saying that the fact someone won presidency means they were good at the job?

[@savageandthebeasts8388]

Pretty telling that Conservatives Deify him (so much for the first commandment) and the dude had serious dementia his second term.

[@BBQPorkSandwich3]

Well, the left cant use that argument anymore. They voted for someone who had dementia at the time of the election

[@sststr]

Obligatory reference to The Onion article entitled "Embarrassed Republicans Admit They've Been Thinking Of Eisenhower Whole Time They've Been Praising Reagan". If you haven't seen it, go look it up, it's fantastic! :D

[@FlabbyPigLegs]

11:47 was that an Emperor Lemon reference? Lolol

[@DiamondKingStudios]

I was about to say… Honestly, I wouldn’t be too surprised if he’s seen EmpLemon given how that channel’s been these last few years.

[@CynicalHistorian]

Oh, I watched him long before his pivot into sports history. Do not cite the deep lore to me, for I was there when "please unsubscribe" was his slogan

[@killerbee1974]

I watched that American dad song yesterday

[@TheTrollTeamNL]

Very interesting, you are a great narrator

[@bigcrazewolf]

🖕Ronnie Raygun I'm a gen X'r that saw my dad lose factory jobs due to offshoring numerous times and a mom with mentalheath problems. So many things that are crap now can be tracked back to old pudding brain.

[@bigcrazewolf]

My grandfather hated Ronnie because he was a FDR dem, not a modern era dem.

[@Courageous91]

It would be interesting to see, if he was younger, how Regan would react to the mass shooting epidemic that had sweap America. I never knew about his standing on Gun Control and, while it seems clear that Regan did impose the ban in california as a means of hindering the black panthers, the fsct that he brought in a federal ban on some level is something I was not aware of.

[@DiamondKingStudios]

I wonder how that would have affected his relationship with the National Rifle Association, since they had their own “Revolt at Cincinnati” in 1977 when they started to pivot heavily towards political advocacy and against gun control. I think even back when Gov. Reagan signed off on the Mulford Act, they were generally in favor of it.

[@lukaslambs5780]

I think it’s very interesting that there is sort of a split in modern conservatives in that some of them feel like Trump is like Reagan 2.0 and some feel like Trump is a cheap imitation and they pine for “the good old days” of conservatism before Trump ruined everything for their party. It just goes to show you how complex his legacy is, even among republicans there’s a lot of variation in how they think of his legacy.

[@luoboeguy]

Great summary and analysis!

[@AhsokaFanboy1138]

Could you do a video on Grosvenor Cleveland?

[@lonfarris677]

Betty Davis Said if he’d been a better actor he wouldn’t have been PRESIDENT.

[@AhhhhSHITitsDavey]

I wishhl he was a better actor

[@jonny-b4954]

Most our central issues facing the country derive from Raegan.

[@SaintSteven67]

Great video. His Presidency was during my formative years - and he was the first President I voted for. He did have a charming charisma. I remember watching that debate when he said he wouldn't "exploit his opponent's youth an inexperience." Neo Liberalism aka Reaganomics aka Trickle-Down Economics (I think) had an intent to get the economy out of stagnation. However, the problem was that neither he nor the supporters of it at the time, could foresee the unintended consequences of those policies (as with most political leaders). Another backlash is that I got a feeling of a sight resurgence of the Red Scare (and Nationalism) during the height of his Presidency. I think the Blue Dog Democrats aka Dixiecrats of that era were the main reason as to why he got away with the Iran-Contra Scandal. I'm surprised you didn't mention how he did away with the Fairness Doctrine which paved the way for the rise of reactionary conservative talk-show radio shows. Lastly, Alzheimer's is a tough thing to watch. My father is going through it right now - so I can understand how you feel.

[@BuckeyeNationRailroader]

The only good thing Reagan probably ever did in his presidency was crack some good Dad jokes

[@thecountryboymack]

No mention of "throat goat" bummer

[@guyvermcepicsauce3685]

I initially read the subtitle as Movie Star *P.O.S. Goes to show the impact he has on public perception lol

[@Jossarianz]

27:08 hawk tuah reference 😂😂😂😂😂

[@CynicalHistorian]

dang, that would've been a good joke

[@ettico0513]

I'm reading Reaganland now.

[@jenniferreed686]

Hi CH! I asked this of Mr. Beat, too. Can you give us a hopeful video? One where a terrible president led to an administration where things got better? My kids are scared and want me to move them overseas. I’m having a hard time excusing the ignorance of our country

[@zacharyfelmly1183]

Ronnie McRaygun

[@mackb909]

The "crisis of confidence" speech, sometimes mischaracterized as the "malaise" speech (Carter never used that word in the speech) occurred in July, 1979. The Iran hostage crisis did not begin until almost four months later.

[@diegoarmando5489]

GRIDS = Graham-Related integrity Deficiency Syndrome

[@FryNeedsCalm]

My parents are from Grenada. It’s pronounced Gren-A-da (like the A in lemonade) not Gren-AH-da. Thanks great video!

[@James-hd4ms]

Good job.

[@JohnPatterson-kz8jr]

Alongside Ayn Rand and Maggie Thatcher!!😢😮😅😊

[@doktortutankamazon31]

I suffered through the Reagan Years. He grew up down the road also. Trickle Down to Iran Contra to deregulation.