RONALD REAGAN AND HIS '6th YEAR' DEFEAT IN 1986
In 1986, Ronald Reagan and the GOP suffered HORRIBLE electoral losses:
8 SENATE SEATS
Moving the GOP from the majority (53-47 +6) to the minority (55-45 -10) . . . [At worst, GWB will face a 49-51 (-2) minority -- and that -2 will include a very GWB-leaning Independent!!]
5 CONGRESSIONAL SEATS
Giving the Democrats an even wider margin in the House
from a 253-182 (+71) majority to a 258-177 (+81) majority! . . . [It appears that GWB/the GOP will endure a much smaller (+30ishD) majority!]
Why did Reagan suffer such devastating losses in 1986?
Like President Bush, he just wasn't able to avoid the '6th' year hex! First there was Bork, then Reykjavik, then the election losses, then Iran-Contra, and then an historic 23-POINT DROP IN HIS JA RATING in just one month -- AND GUESS WHAT: THE UBER CONSERVATIVES DESERTED HIM IN DROVES [FYI: These are the same uber conservatives who today use a bastardized version of the Reagan legacy as a weapon with which to bash President Bush -- what a bunch of soul-less losers!] . . .
I'm off to watch the re-broadcast (C-Span) of today's Veterans Day Ceremony -- just in case you're wondering, the vets gave President Bush an ENTHUSIASTIC AND SUSTAINED STANDING OVATION both before and after his speech!
If my memory serves me correct, 1986 was the year Reagan pushed through a huge tax reform package. There was no phasing in the reform and a lot of people were hurt financially. That didn't help...also, not only was Reagan was pounded terribly by the press, but Nancy was pounded almost daily. We didn't have a FOX news back then or internet to get the real news out and it was the MSM all the time that fed people's perceptions... all that said, I loved and cheered the man.
No surprise that the flaky conservatives deserted Reagan in droves. Now they claim him as their own...LOL!
Same will happen with Pres. Bush. He actually lost less in this mid-term than the historic average.
Even dead, Reagan would be a better president than W.
I love Ronald Reagan but I'm sick of "uber conservatives" using his legacy to bash President Bush.
Especially when Ronald Reagan did pass amnesty during his term and pulled out of Lebanon after the Marine Barracks bombing.
Just like Bush, Reagan was human.