Ronald Reagan: Difference between revisions

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[[File:RonaldReagan.jpg|frame| Tear down this wall!]]

[[File:RonaldReagan.jpg|frame|Tear down this wall!]]

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Actually, '''Ronald Wilson Reagan''' is better known as the conservative guy who was President in [[The Eighties]]. You [[Love It or Hate It|either love him or you hate him]]: If you see someone in a film or TV show talking about how great Reagan was, then it's a sure-fire indication that the character (or the script writer) is a Republican. In fact, most Republicans will couple him with [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] as their favorite presidents. Conversely, if you see someone in a film or TV show disparaging Reagan, it's a guarantee the character (or the script writer) is on the left ([[Periphery Demographic|though he does have his Democrat fans]], known as "Blue Dogs" or "Reagan Democrats", and there are self-described conservatives that dislike him, mostly for pushing policies that [[No True Scotsman|they do not think are conservative]]). British media substitute [[Margaret Thatcher]] for Reagan to precisely the same effect. Reagan's other use in popular culture is to evoke [[The Eighties]], so expect him to be referenced in anything set in a [[Popular History]] version of that decade.

Reagan is known for the demand, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down [[Berlin Wall|this wall]]!" Funnily enough, he started off as a Democrat, a fact he would joke about in later life, saying that he didn't leave the ~~party -- it~~ left him.

Reagan is known for the demand, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down [[Berlin Wall|this wall]]!" Funnily enough, he started off as a Democrat, a fact he would joke about in later life, saying that he didn't leave the party—it left him.

He beat Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election by a popular vote margin of 9%, although he only got 50.7% of the popular vote due to a losing Republican primary candidate, John Anderson, running as a more moderate independent. The Electoral College victory was more emphatic. He was, and still is, the oldest man to hold the office of president, taking office just a few weeks shy of his 70th birthday and serving a full two terms. He is also the first president elected in a year ending in "0" who did not die in office since [[James Monroe]] (who was reelected in ''1820''), though he did come scarily close.

In 1981, Reagan was shot [[Loony Fan|by a man obsessed]] with [[Jodie Foster]], and [[Misaimed Fandom|who wanted to ape the "heroic" actions]] of [[Taxi Driver|Travis Bickle]]. Reagan wasn't actually aware he'd been shot for several minutes. He also was [[Casual Danger Dialogue|cracking jokes on his way to the hospital]] ~~-- one~~ can only imagine the look on Nancy Reagan's face as he said, "Honey, I forgot to duck." His most notable line, however, was telling his surgeons, "I hope you're all Republicans!" (The chief surgeon, a liberal Democrat, is said to have answered "[[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|Today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans]]".)

In 1981, Reagan was shot [[Loony Fan|by a man obsessed]] with [[Jodie Foster]], and [[Misaimed Fandom|who wanted to ape the "heroic" actions]] of [[Taxi Driver|Travis Bickle]]. Reagan wasn't actually aware he'd been shot for several minutes. He also was [[Casual Danger Dialogue|cracking jokes on his way to the hospital]]—one can only imagine the look on Nancy Reagan's face as he said, "Honey, I forgot to duck." His most notable line, however, was telling his surgeons, "I hope you're all Republicans!" (The chief surgeon, a liberal Democrat, is said to have answered "[[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|Today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans]]".)

The 1984 victory over Democratic candidate Walter Mondale was one of the largest electoral beatdowns in US history -- [[Landslide Election|a 49-state landslide]], with Mondale only winning his home state of Minnesota (and even then, by a small margin) and [[Washington DC]].

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Appropriately enough for a former actor, Reagan was very much in touch with the popular culture of the time, and became known as the "Great Communicator" for his speaking skills. He called the Soviet Union an [[Star Wars|evil Empire]], and quoted ''Back To The Future'' (he reportedly found the above lines from that movie quite amusing) in a State of the Union Address. His favorite television show was ''[[Family Ties]]'', which may or may not be related to the fact that one of the show's lead characters admired Reagan. Ironically, in private, he and Gorbachev became good friends, and this helped thaw U.S.-Soviet relations leading into George H.W. Bush's term.

He has an aircraft carrier, as well as quite a few other things, named after him. He is the first former President to benefit from an organized project to polish his presidential legacy after the fact. Grover Norquist's "[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Reagan Legacy Project]]" lists, among its goals, getting at least one major landmark in every state named after him; and at one point launched a campaign to get his image on the $10 bill, until it was discovered that legislation (signed into law by Reagan himself!) requires a person to have been dead for 50 years before they can appear on U.S. currency. He passed away in June of 2004 and, thus, is currently (until June 2054) ineligible. However, in 2005, the Presidential Dollar Coin act provided for the release of dollar coinage featuring all the presidents who were in office up to that point and died at least two years before the issuing of their coinage. Reagan's coin is scheduled for 2016. (This maybe considered less valuable since one-dollar coins have never been particularly popular in the United States). Humorously Republican Reagan, the oldest man ever elected president was one of two fully Irish-American presidents, the other being Democrat John. F. Kennedy, the youngest man ever elected President.

He has an aircraft carrier, as well as quite a few other things, named after him. He is the first former President to benefit from an organized project to polish his presidential legacy after the fact. Grover Norquist's "[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Reagan Legacy Project]]" lists, among its goals, getting at least one major landmark in every state named after him; and at one point launched a campaign to get his image on the $10 bill, until it was discovered that legislation (signed into law by Reagan himself!) requires a person to have been dead for 50 years before they can appear on U.S. currency. He passed away in June 2004 and, thus, is currently (until June 2054) ineligible. However, in 2005, the Presidential Dollar Coin act provided for the release of dollar coinage featuring all the presidents who were in office up to that point and died at least two years before the issuing of their coinage. Reagan's coin is scheduled for 2016. (This maybe considered less valuable since one-dollar coins have never been particularly popular in the United States). Humorously Republican Reagan, the oldest man ever elected president was one of two fully Irish-American presidents, the other being Democrat John. F. Kennedy, the youngest man ever elected President.

'''Reagan's Movie Career'''

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He was also, ironically, strongly pro-union during this period, a two-time President of the [[Unions in Hollywood|Screen Actors Guild]], named names before the [[Red Scare|House Un-American Activities Committee]], and stood up to Herb Sorell's attempted take-over of SAG. Sorrell threatened those who opposed him, such as Reagan, saying, "There may be men hurt, there may be men killed before this is over." Sorrell's faction was financed by the CPUSA.

Though often smeared by those who hate him as being involved in [[Blacklist~~|Blacklisting~~]], Reagan said at the time "As a citizen, I would hesitate to see any political party outlawed on the basis of its political ideology. However, if it is proven that an organization is an agent of foreign power, or in any way not a legitimate political party - and I think the government is capable of proving that - then that is another matter. But at the same time I never as a citizen want to see our country become urged, by either fear or resentment of this group, that we ever compromise with any of our democratic principles through that fear or resentment." He also made a number of statements critical of McCarthyism as being un-American. He did, however, during the Red Scare in the late 1940s provide the FBI with names of people whom he believed to be communist sympathizers within the motion picture industry.

Though often smeared by those who hate him as being involved in [[Blacklist]]ing, Reagan said at the time "As a citizen, I would hesitate to see any political party outlawed on the basis of its political ideology. However, if it is proven that an organization is an agent of foreign power, or in any way not a legitimate political party - and I think the government is capable of proving that - then that is another matter. But at the same time I never as a citizen want to see our country become urged, by either fear or resentment of this group, that we ever compromise with any of our democratic principles through that fear or resentment." He also made a number of statements critical of McCarthyism as being un-American. He did, however, during the Red Scare in the late 1940s provide the FBI with names of people whom he believed to be communist sympathizers within the motion picture industry.

He is the [[Ur Example]] of many recent examples of [[Our Presidents Are Different|President Buffoon]], most notably, a recurring list a statements such as "more of our imports come from overseas", "how hard it is to put food on your family", ''etc''. These are often immediately redistributed to [[George W. Bush]] or [[Dan Quayle]], who are actually the source of some of them. Unfortunately, much of this kind of humor, and above all the quite real statements of "do not recall" during the Iran-Contra affair, became a [[Funny Aneurysm Moment|Funny Alzheimers Moment]], i.e. not so funny any more (and the "imports" knee-slapper misses that [[Did Not Do the Research|two of America's largest importers are Mexico and Canada]]. D'oh.). He was also the [[Trope Namer]] for [[The Capital of Brazil Is Buenos Aires]].

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== Tropes present in Reagan's life and legacy: ==

== Tropes present in Reagan's life and legacy ==

* [[Actually Pretty Funny]]: During the second debate, Reagan was pretty much on the defensive after he made a poor showing in the first. His tired look in the first debate was the subject of a question whether he was too old for the Presidency (being, at the time, 73). Reagan immediately fired back:

{{quote|"I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. [[Gentleman Snarker|I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.]]"}}

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{{quote|''Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!''

''The United States will not contain Communism, [[Take That|it will transcend Communism]]. We'll not bother to denounce it, we'll dismiss it as a sad, bizarre chapter in human history [[The Great Politics Mess-Up|whose last pages are even now being written.]]'' }}

* [[Beam Me Up, Scotty]]: The President never said that ketchup was a vegetable. <ref> Actually it was a government report on school nutrition that apparently considered ketchup to be a substitute for vegetables. Whether that is true or not, Reagan himself had nothing to do with it.</ref>

* [[Beam Me Up, Scotty]]: The President never said that ketchup was a vegetable.<ref>Actually it was a government report on school nutrition that apparently considered ketchup to be a substitute for vegetables. Whether that is true or not, Reagan himself had nothing to do with it.</ref>

* [[Big Good]]: To the modern-day Republican party and the conservative movement, particularly for shifting the political spectrum significantly more to the right in his time. Conversely...

** [[Big Bad]]: To the liberal and progressive Democrats at the time of his tenure, and even now, who view him as the start of America's [[Morally-Bankrupt Banker|problems with the banking industry]].

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* [[Cool Old Guy]]: A lot of people, even if they disagreed with his policies, seem to like Reagan as a person.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: As the first page quote [[Crowning Moment of Funny|exemplifies well]].

* [[Fan Dumb]]: His modern supporters, who have more or less deified him, are willfully ignorant of the facts that contradict many of their ~~policies -- namely~~, the blatanly false claim that Reagan never raised taxes, when in fact they were raised eight times. And the anti-Hollywood crowd who foams at the mouth whenever a liberal celebrity voices an opinion, saying that actors have no business in politics obviously aren't familiar with Reagan's first job.

* [[Fan Dumb]]: His modern supporters, who have more or less deified him, are willfully ignorant of the facts that contradict many of their policies—namely, the blatanly false claim that Reagan never raised taxes, when in fact they were raised eight times. And the anti-Hollywood crowd who foams at the mouth whenever a liberal celebrity voices an opinion, saying that actors have no business in politics obviously aren't familiar with Reagan's first job.

* [[Friendly Enemy]]: Gorbachev.

* [[Full-Name Basis]]: Nowadays, out of respect, his supporters primarily refer to Ronald Reagan by his full name.

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** A better example may be [[The Falklands War]]. The U.S. initially got itself into a rather awkward position because Argentina, which had invaded and occupied British territory ([[British Frozen Rocks with Penguins and Landmines|the Falkland Islands]]), was providing important support to the U.S. in its operations against Marxist guerrilla movements in Central America (especially El Salvador). The Reagan Administration therefore sought, not too successfully, to take a neutral posture between Argentina and Great Britain. In the end, however, America ended up tilting toward the U.K., providing crucial logistical support to the fleet steaming south to retake the islands.

** Domestically, some would argue that the Reagan Administration's policies of deregulation of various sectors of the economy helped to set up the conditions that would end up getting the U.S. economy into serious trouble in 2008.

*** Then again, it was the first Democratic President in 12 years, [[Bill Clinton]], who [[wikipedia:~~Gramm%E2%80%93Leach%E2%80%93Bliley~~ Act|actually deregulated the banks]].

*** Then again, it was the first Democratic President in 12 years, [[Bill Clinton]], who [[wikipedia:Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act|actually deregulated the banks]].

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Many in the public saw Reagan as a cute old grandfatherly figure if they were fans of his, or an "amiable dunce" if they were his opponents. In the decades since his presidency, declassified documents and interviews with people close to him reveal that Reagan was arguably quite clever and politically savvy, particularly when it came to his relationship with Mikhail Gorbachev.

* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Even the staunchly anticommunist [[Margaret Thatcher]] was angry about the US invasion of Grenada (apparently she had been reassured by Reagan just days before that the invasion was not going to happen).

* [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]]: Especially in his speeches, his idealism about freedom [[Eagle Land|and the American way of life]] shows though (see the slogans "it's morning in America", "this Wall will fall" etc). As his actions on Grenada and Nicaragua show, he was capable of being much more hard-headed in private.

== Reagan in fiction: ==

== Reagan in fiction ==

=== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ===

* In the ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]'' series, Ronald Reagan demanded a [[Humongous Mecha|giant robot]] force to go with the Star Wars project, hence the presence of [[A Mech by Any Other Name|Arm Slaves]].

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'''Reagan:''' (holding up American Express card) Will ''this'' do? }}

* A ''[[Strontium Dog]]'' story in 1987 involved Johnny and Durham Red rescuing Reagan from alien [[Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters|freedom fighters]] from the future who were threatening to kill him in order to create a [[Time Storm]] if all humans did not leave their planet. It's clear that Alan Grant was not fond of Reagan.

{{quote|'''Alien 1:''' So this is he--~~[[Ronald Reagan|~~The Reagan]]? [[Puny Earthlings|A puny specimen]], even for a human. Just like [[Humans Are ~~Bastards~~|the defilers]] to worship such a one! Do you suppose [[Humans Are Ugly|ugliness is a virtue to them]]?<br />

{{quote|'''Alien 1:''' So this is he--The Reagan? [[Puny Earthlings|A puny specimen]], even for a human. Just like [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|the defilers]] to worship such a one! Do you suppose [[Humans Are Ugly|ugliness is a virtue to them]]?<br />

'''Alien 2:''' [[Humans Are Morons|Or stupidity]]? Have you ever seen eyes so vacant? }}

* In ''V for Vendetta'', neo-fascist dictator Adam ''Susan'' is intended as a reference to Ronald ''Reagan'' (and to Margaret Thatcher as well)

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** One of the [[Hitch Hikers Guide to The Galaxy|Hitchhicker's Guide]] books themselves featured "Know-Nothing Bozo the Non-Wonder Dog", so named "due to a remarkable similarity to the American President". The dog's owner and his friends would play a game with the dog where they would shout "Commies!" repeatedly and watch as the dog went berserk.

* In [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Dark Tower]]'' series, one of the characters, Susannah is transported from the America of 1964 into a fantasy world. When she meets Eddie, who came from 1987, she doesn't believe that Reagan is the president by then, and thinks he's just kidding.

* In [[Frederik Pohl]]'s ''The Coming of the Quantum Cats'', an alternate Ronald Reagan exists in two of the universes. In one, he's a former actor viewed as a subversive by the government. In the other, he's the First ~~Gentleman -- Nancy~~ Reagan is president.

* In [[Frederik Pohl]]'s ''The Coming of the Quantum Cats'', an alternate Ronald Reagan exists in two of the universes. In one, he's a former actor viewed as a subversive by the government. In the other, he's the First Gentleman—Nancy Reagan is president.

* Inasmuch as [[The Kite Runner]] is based around the events in Afghanistan from the 1970s up to the present day, Ronald Reagan's election is mentioned. Amir's father Baba is a huge supporter, going out and buying a poster of Reagan the day after the "Evil Empire" speech.

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=== [[Video Games]] ===

* Sometime in the eighties, Ronald Reagan was [[James Bondage|kidnapped]] by [[Ninja~~|Ninjas~~]]. Fortunately, there were [[Bad Dudes|some dudes who were bad enough to rescue him]], so they did, and then went out for a hamburger (specifically, you get to watch President Ronnie eat one in front of you. [http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/bad.htm What the hell, Ronnie?]).

* Sometime in the eighties, Ronald Reagan was [[James Bondage|kidnapped]] by [[Ninja]]s. Fortunately, there were [[Bad Dudes|some dudes who were bad enough to rescue him]], so they did, and then went out for a hamburger (specifically, you get to watch President Ronnie eat one in front of you. [http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/bad.htm What the hell, Ronnie?]).

* The heroes of the [[Blind Idiot Translation|Engrish-laden]] classic ''Battle Rangers'' also set out to save president Ronnie from a boomerang-tossing despot.

* "Senile Reagan in a Bikini" was the original co-host of the game show segment in ''Bushgame'', a politically-charged spinoff of the ''[http://www.emogame.com Emogame]'' series. Out of... respect(?) after Reagan's death, the character became the more lucid "John Snow".

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** "I ''miss'' voting for that man."

*** "Hey, now, if Ron Reagan dyed his hair -- and I'm not saying he did -- it was only to show his strength to the Communists."

* [[Ronald Reagan]] (and his cabinet) as [http://www.toonopedia.com/reagan.htm badass commando superhero(es)].

* Ronald Reagan (and his cabinet) as [http://www.toonopedia.com/reagan.htm badass commando superhero(es)].

* One episode of ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' featured Buster and Babs going to Washington to request aid against a [[Moral Guardian]] lady sucked up Acme Acres' residents' "tooniness". The bunnies go to the Lincoln Memorial for guidance, and seem to hear [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s voice coming from the statue, urging them not to give up. They walk off, inspired, not knowing that it's just Ronnie in his pajamas, talking to his teddy bear.

* In the "Rap-unzel" episode of the ''[[ALF|ALFTales]]'' cartoon, Reagan (in Melmaccian form) is the doddering, clueless royal father of Prince Gordon, and is finally convinced by him to set up a [[wikipedia:Federal Communications Commission|Federal Communications Commission]] to foil the Evil Witch's broadcasting monopoly.

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=== [[Real Life]] ===

* Although not technically fiction, Phillip Adams gave Reagan a [[Fan Nickname|Detractor Nickname]]: "Ronnie Raygun" ~~-- a~~ reference to the Strategic Defense Initiative, which sought to put the United States at the front of technological arms race during the cold war by putting satellites in space to shoot down any nuclear missiles headed the US's way with [[Frickin' Laser Beams]], nicknamed the "[[Star Wars]]" project.

* Although not technically fiction, Phillip Adams gave Reagan a [[Fan Nickname|Detractor Nickname]]: "Ronnie Raygun"—a reference to the Strategic Defense Initiative, which sought to put the United States at the front of technological arms race during the cold war by putting satellites in space to shoot down any nuclear missiles headed the US's way with [[Frickin' Laser Beams]], nicknamed the "[[Star Wars]]" project.

* The lack of good ''Saturday Night Live'' sketches about him has been rectified a bit by Dana Carvey's "Reagan Oracle" routine, portraying him as having masterminded every presidential election of the next twenty years at the end of his own term.