Talk:Ronald Reagan

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Scare Quotes

What is Wikipedia's policy on scare quotes? To me, scare quotes mean that the writer is trying deprecate the scare quoted word(s). This reflects the witers POV. Vegasprof (talk) 01:44, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

After looking through Wikipedia's policy on quotes (WP:QUOTE) and the MOS quote page (Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Quotation_marks) I cannot find any mention of scare quotes. If you have issues with any used in the article, feel free to present them here and I will take a look. Thanks, Happyme22 (talk) 02:46, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Reagan's role in the Cold War

As I've previously stated, I feel the article minorly downplays Reagan's effect on the world and the U.S. Republican party. I have begun to add additonal citations to improve the article's quality, and feel that the legacy section should be expanded as well, touching on Reagan's world impact (both good and bad) and effect on the U.S. and the Republican party (not with gushing POV, of course. I've been around here long enough to know that that will not be tolerated and shouldn't be).

Just after the article became featured, the lead was redone and fixed up (we all remember that grueling debate). It included the phrase: "Despite his rejection of détente, he negotiated with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to shrink both countries' nuclear arsenals and contributed greatly to the end of the Cold War" which, because of POV concerns, was later changed to "...nuclear arsenals and was a major driving force behind the end of the Cold War". That was up there for awhile, until more POV concerns were raised and it was taken down. One of the comments left on this talk page said, "My main point is that it looks like the cold war would have ended soon enough also without Reagan. At the very least, we need a source for this "driving force" statement. It would be helpful if some historian had said this" and it was written on my talk page: "the Soviet Union collapsed not because of anything Reagan did (any more than Kennedy or Truman or Ike or even Carter did - he simply kept up the pressure of competition in every way), but because the Soviet brand of communism could not succeed in Europe... Reagan was just at the helm when the Soviets (literally) ran out of gas."

I've been researching Reagan's affect on the Cold War. In a NPOV article written by Jeffery Knopf, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Center of Contemporary Conflict (basically, the guy's a historian), he wrote: "Reagan contributed positively to the end of the Cold War, but his role was just one of several essential factors and his positive contributions were not always the result of taking a hard-line stance." - Knopf is saying that Reagan pursued the correct policies to contribute to the end, but they were nothing special and they were necessary. In many ways he was in the right place at the right time, but he did the right things in the right place at the right time. So you may ask, well why is that significant? According to Knopf from that same article: "Reagan stands out in part because he believed the Soviet Union could be defeated. For most of the Cold War, Republican and Democratic administrations alike had assumed the Soviet Union would prove durable for the foreseeable future. The bipartisan policy of containment aimed to keep the Soviet Union in check while trying to avoid nuclear war; it did not seek to force the dissolution of the Soviet empire. Ronald Reagan, in contrast, believed that the Soviet economy was so weak that increased pressure could bring the Soviet Union to the brink of failure," and "Reagan's belief that communism was ready to crumble contributed to making his approach different from that of other presidents. This is one area in which his personal role stands out." His very close ties with Mikhail Gorbachev from the summits helped as well, although other presidents were on good terms with the Soviet leaders as well.

I'm starting this disussion because I feel there needs to be some mention of Reagan's affect on the Cold War in the lead. We can't say "he won it!" because that's pure POV and not completely accurate; by the same token we cannot ignore the fact that he had an effect. I've waited for about a month to bring this up but feel it is time as I am going to nominate it to be today's featured article on February 6 and it must be in tip-top shape. Any comments are welcome. Thanks a lot. Best, Happyme22 (talk) 01:13, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

I agree completely. There are tons of sources which state that Ronald Reagan was the major driving force to bring forth the end of the Cold War. I and many others believe this to be the biggest accomplishment of his administration. --STX 04:22, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

I rather disagree, and I would suspect that a great many of those sources come from a fairly pie-in-the-sky point of view about Reagan. He was continuing policies begun by Ike, and just happened to be in office when the failed experiment of Soviet communism nosedived into the empty pool of history. I am quite sure that there are numerous sources who have given just as compelling arguments as to how Reagan was not the driving force. I think the article, avoiding such hotly (imagine the heart of the sun and multiply that by an order of magnitude)-debated claims, is the more neutral path to follow. There are far too many people (myself among them) who feel that this sort of aggrandizement is closer to legends like Washington chopping down the cherry tree than the actual truth. You might as well give Kennedy the credit for the failure of communism (and there are at least 40 books on Kennedy that do just that). I say its a third rail; let's leave it be. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 08:51, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

I certainly think there could be room for expansion. Personally I am in the camp that agrees that Reagan was one of many factors in ending the Cold War. Without Gorbachev for instance, I think Reagans policies would only have scared the Soviets, not ended the Cold War. It took a lot of people on all sides to change things. While I do believe this I also think that Reagan was a key "driving force" behind bringing Communism down. This is a key asssertion shared by many historians - his biographer Richard Reeves gives large detail to Reagans role and he argues that his attitude toward the soviets, his determination to make SDI work and his increased military spending helped to show the Soviets that they could not compete with the US economy and military complex. Moreover Reagan, being one of the most conservative American Presidents in the 20th century was able to meet with Gorbachev and actually bring about change. Its like only Nixon could go to China in the same way that only Reagan could go to Russia. Carter, JFK for instance would never have been able to sign arms reduction treaties etc because they are Democrats (I dont like the argument but there is an element of truth to it - this is a view shared by Lawrence Freedman in his book Kennedys Wars). Again the view that Reagan helped make the Soviet Union see how they couldn afford the arms race is a view asserted by Patterson in the Oxford History of the US - the Restless Giant Volume. I think if you are going to expand the section in the RR article then you need to focus on the legacy section especially the historial arguments relating to it. I think also you need to put in both sides of the argument; not only those who think he was a main player but also those who think he was just at the right time/right place. Furthermore along with conclusion from historians, you should also add some views of other leaders at the time - I am sure for instance Thatcher, Gorbachev, Bush etc all commented on Reagans role in ending the cold war - perhaps you could track that down? I think in our research we will also be able to expand Cold War (1985-1991) which is hardly comprehensive. Sorry but I have to disagree with Arcayne on this and say that there are enough reputable arguments existing from historians to expand some form of his cold war legacy. Also just because it will be a hot topic/third rail is not a reason to not try and expand it. If we create a sandbox off the talk page to write up a few new balanced paragraphs on this then we avoid any edit wars and agree on any sentances that we feel are not referenced/verifiable/POV etc. Sandbox, what do you all think? LordHarris 10:22, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm game. A sandbox is a very good idea. I'm putting one together from my talk page right now and will present the link when I have completed it. In the meantime, what should be said in the lead? Happyme22 (talk) 20:54, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Well, he is viewed by numerous reputable sources as, at the very least, one of the major driving forces behind the end of the cold war. Therefore, I think it would be appropriate to state this in the lead. Why this was removed is beyond me. His role in ending the cold war is debatable, but I'm not aware of any respected historian that claims he had little or no role in ending it.--Rise Above The Vile 23:08, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

I've drafted a proposal at my user sandbox here. I imagine there is going to be a lot of criticism of it, but it is not perfect and probably still POV. The section of world leaders commenting on Reagan's role could use come clean up as well as there are weasel words. Feel free to take a look and edit. Happyme22 (talk) 23:13, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks from me as well. I am afraid that I simply do not know enough about the period to offer anything substantial (I was 7-15 years old at the time); when I wrote my comment, I based it on the Cold War article (which is itself of course a part of Wikipedia; not necessarily more trustworthy!) and my own memories as a European youngster at the time. Let me put it this way: I did not have the feeling that Reagan's attitude was *constructive*, and the Cold War article seemed to confirm my opinion. In your note, you write that you have been doing research. Isn't one of the principles of Wikipedia that there should be no original research? I think that it is most likely too soon (only 20 years later) to say anything definite about the role Reagan played. All we could add at the moment is what various historians think, but you can probably find historians with opposite opinions as well.

That said, your point that Reagan was the first president who believed that the Soviet Union could be defeated, not merely contained, sounds very interesting. This is perhaps a point that should be mentioned in the article, it sounds very relevant, and it might be easier to get support for than the larger "driving force" argument. --KarlFrei (talk) 09:07, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Reagan was ridiculed for his belief that Communism was bound to fail, and sooner rather than later. Even many conservatives and anti-communists didn't believe that. The book Victory explains that Reagan was the architect behind the strategy which won the Cold War. The strategy was to put pressure on the Soviets across the board: continue arming the Afghans against the Soviet military, persuade the Saudis to keep the price of oil low, to reduce the revenue the Soviets made from oil exports, encourage Pope John Paul II to provide moral support for anti-Communist movements within the Soviet empire, particularly within Poland, work on a missile defence program with the primary intent of making the Soviets spend too much on attempts to match or counter the American effort. Argyriou (talk) 17:57, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

With respect, Reagan was not ridiculed for thinking that Communism was bound to fail. Many, many, many others also felt so, as well. It wasn't anything new. As well, the author of the book you mentioned, Peter Schweizer, acknowledges that the USSR was in serious financial trouble before the end of the Carter Administration. The man did not not end Soviet communism. He was just leaning against the wall when it happened to fall down. He contributed tot he effort, but he did not make it happen. Let's keep things in perspective, shall we? - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 22:38, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

The USSR was *always* in financial trouble, because socialism can't solve the allocation problem. Having been politically aware through both of Reagan's terms, I remember quite a lot of ridicule and disbelief when Reagan said that the Soviet Empire would fall. (Ridicule from the left, who were sympathetic to communism, and disbelief from most of the right, who thought they were doomed to fail, but had to try anyway.) Back in 1980, elite opinion wasn't even certain that we could successfully contain communism, much less roll it back or cause the fall of the Soviet Union. If Carter had managed to be re-elected in 1980, the fall of communism would have taken much longer. Argyriou (talk) 23:37, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

You are welcome to think so, though contrafactual supposition like that is going to be pretty hard to cite.

Again, I've drafted a proposal at my user sandbox here. I imagine there is going to be a lot of criticism of it. The section of world leaders commenting on Reagan's role could use some clean up as well. Feel free to take a look. --Happyme22 (talk) 01:20, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I saw that. Do you think it would be better to put the proposal in the project part, and not in the discussion, where we can discuss changes? - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 04:22, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Wow, I've been around Wiki for just about a year and I have no idea what you mean by that. Sorry! Happyme22 (talk) 05:25, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I think he's suggesting you put the proposed text [[1]] there, instead of in the discussion section, so that the discussion area is left open to, well, discuss. As far as the proposal itself, I think it's a good start. Frankly, I think the first line needs work, as I think it goes to far trying to tow a middle line. I also have no idea what "His policies of peace through strength and hard line rhetoric against the Soviet Union and communism accelerated the downfall by being necessary" means, particularly the "accelerated the downfall by being necessary"? Being necessary for what? I fully agree that the article minimizes this topic, and will give a more thoughtfull answer later this afternoon when I get off duty. JCO312 (talk) 15:16, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Gotcha. The proposed text is now at User:Happyme22/Sandbox and the discussion section is clear and awaiting discussion. Happyme22 (talk) 01:23, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Senility claim

Arcayne, Thanks for the back-handed compliment. I would be the first to agree that my edit wasn't so great. As you said fair.org does tremendous stuff. Feel free to attempt a re-write. Cindy5a (talk) 22:16, 5 January 2008 (UTC)Cindy5a

Okay, sometimes I am not the most tactful person, but thanks for being gracious at taking the hit, Cindy; I've rephrased accordingly. As for what Hap wrote on my user talk, I agree that there is enough info saying that he was not, but the fact that several unconnected people considered him to be having bouts of Alzheimer's-like behavior seem relevant. Remember that the criterion for inclusion in Wikipedia is not truth but verifiability, and we have two opposing views on Reagan's health; it would seem prudent to present that opposition of views, especially since both are well cited by pretty credible sources. Thoughts? (you, too, Cindy :) ) - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 22:22, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

Arcayne, I agree that both sides have some pretty credible people on their side. It is impossible to know for sure as to where the truth lies. Rather than saying nothing, it would be prudent to have the article acknowledge both view points, with citations. Cindy5a (talk) 23:18, 5 January 2008 (UTC)Cindy5a

First, is fair.org a reliable source? The piece mentioned New York Times articles, but doesn't cite them. It seems like a hit-piece. It is stated in that article: "Some Americans may not remember the era when Teflon news coverage was afforded to a president who fell asleep at White House meetings and didn't recognize members of his Cabinet. Untethered by cue cards or teleprompter, he could ramble off into dark fogs of gibberish....For when it came to watchdogging Reagan's economic and foreign policies, mainstream media were as disconnected and dozy as the President was." No cites + no NPOV = not right for Wikipedia. I have a reliable video source with former Chief of Staff James Baker stating the exact opposite. Baker was one of those people in Reagan's cabinet who the president "didn't recognize"; he stated: "the idea that Reagan fell asleep in cabinet meetings in ludicrous" (Thomas, Rhys (Writer/Producer); Baker, James (Interviewee) (2005). The Presidents (Documentary). A&E Television.) I will acknowledge the claim that Reagan was going senile is a relevant one, as it was rumored and he could be disengaged, but he was not just an old man who woke up one day in the cabinet room after sleeping in the meetings. I would like to see it cited with a better source before we compromise on what to include. --Happyme22 (talk) 23:29, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

It shouldn't be too hard to track down sources; it isn't as if Fair.Org is glossing over them (it at least states where they are arriving at their conclusions). I don't sense any more attack in it than in most other pieces about politicians. Therefore, I don't see a partisan bent to the article (or any of the other Fair.org articles I browsed); I do however see a noticeable distaste in their articles for any spin or lying - and that's never to be considered a bad thing. Remember, the best sources of information are not going to be those folk with a vested, partisan interest in maintaining a fairly unrealistic view of a President Who Could Do No Wrong. Again, since we are surely able to verify the accuracy of the cited sources, I don't see a problem with its inclusion (though we might want to add the noted sources as well). - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 00:51, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm going to disagree with you here. I think that a mention of the claim merits inclusion, but with a better source than fair.org. Find one, and then perhaps:

"During Reagan's second term, it was questioned whether he had shown signs of senility. It was rumored that he could be disengaged from matters and fell asleep in cabinet meetings; Reagan's doctors deny ever finding any evidence to support that, and former Chief of Staff James Baker stated, "The idea that Reagan fell asleep in cabinet meetings in ludicrous."

Good? --Happyme22 (talk) 01:37, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Let me look around for some sources tomorrow. I am not sure the suggested rewrite you are proposing is that much better. Quoting Baker and not any of the others who saw signs of senility seems unbalanced to me. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 04:00, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

I don't really see anything too POV about this. It presents the claim that Reagan showed signs of senilty, has Reagan's doctors saying it's not completely true, and James Baker, someone who was in the cabinet meetings Reagan was rumored to fall asleep in, sheds light on what really happened. I suppose you could include an example from the other side's argument, but take it from a better source than fair.org. Arcayne, once you find a better source please feel free to list it here and give an example of how Reagan supposedly displayed senility; we can use that in the text. --Happyme22 (talk) 06:02, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

The quote from Lesley Stahl comes from her 1997 book, "Reporting Live". Another quote:

"Reagan sometimes has difficulty remembering names, much less complex negotiating positions. Meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Nakasone in June, he repeatedly referred to his own Vice President as 'Prime Minister Bush.'"

With these articles in mind, it might be better to have something like the following:

"After his diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, there was considerable speculation over whether had demonstrated symptoms of mental degeneration while in office. Former CBS White House Press Corps Lesley Stahl recalled an unsettling incident in her 1997 book, "Reporting Live". She noted that for several moments during an interview, "a vacant Reagan barely seemed to realize anyone else was in the room", and that before he "reemerged into alertness" she recalls that "I had come that close to reporting that Reagan was senile." . Reagan would also encounter occasional difficulty recalling names and titles, most notably while meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Nakasone, wherein he repeatedly referred to his own Vice President as "Prime minister Bush".

Reagan's doctors, however, note that Reagan only began exhibiting overt symptoms of the illness in 1992, several years after he had left office, but acknowledge that no one can be absolutely certain when Mr. Reagan's Alzheimer's began. His former staff was also quick to defend him. Former Chief of Staff James Baker stated in a documentary on Reagan that he found the idea of his former President nodding off during cabinet meeting "ludicrous".

This seems to be a better arrangement of information. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 22:30, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

That was more neutral, as you included an example from Stahl. But in order to remove some newly-added POV :) and false info, I'd say this is better:

"After his diagnosis of Alzheimer's, there was speculation over whether had demonstrated symptoms of mental degeneration while in office. Former CBS White House correspondent Lesley Stahl noted that for several moments during an interview, Reagan "barely seemed to realize anyone else was in the room," and that before he "reemerged into alertness" she recalls that "I had come that close to reporting that Reagan was senile." He would also encounter occasional difficulty recalling names and titles, once wherein he referred to his Vice President as "Prime Minister Bush".

Reagan's doctors, however, note that he only began exhibiting overt symptoms of the illness in late 1992, several years after he had left office. Former Chief of Staff James Baker stated that he found the idea of Reagan sleeping during cabinet meeting "ludicrous".

It is more neutral, excluding the "his former staff was also quick to defend him...he found the idea of his former President..." and the little puff about Bush. Also, the doctors did not say that no one knows when the Alzheimer's began; it started late 1992. Doctors say that they did not detect any signs of it while in office ([2][3][4][5]), but it was the media that spectualted about it. --Happyme22 (talk) 00:55, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I think there are a few problems with your rewrite, but none that cannot be fixed. The first paragraph from my version seems to be better, prose-wise and more informative. The commentary about Bush being repeatedly referred to as Prime Minister Bush is correct, while the soft-pedaling of "once" isn't accurate. It is cited as happening more than once, and its neutral to note it, especially in a section concerning his mental health while in office. Calling the repetitive mistake a 'puff' is, to my reckoning, soft-pedaling. Let's not do that.

As well, the characterization of Stahl's reaction to Reagan's loss of lucidity as 'unsettling' is her own, and supported by both numerous citations as well as being a quote from her book. Note that I am not opting for or suggesting super-quotations of the statement, but that characterization is both accurate and fair. the idea of the most powerful leader in the free world losing his marbles is indeed unsettling.

As far as the second paragraph goes, I guess I can concede the statement about not knowing when the Alzheimer's began (despite the fact that that specific quote can be cited, and despite the fact that Alzheimer's doesn't usually manifest as sudden onset but instead as progressive - like spots on a tablecloth, wherein enough spots begin to run together into a discernible stain). As well, it would be important to note the circumstances of Baker's comment - it was given during a documentary on his president, and not a personal aside. That there was also other support from his staff has been paraphrased and generally acknowledged, suggests that it seems appropriate to include it.

I don't mind the citation as to his medical evaluations of good mental health, but perhaps we can limit them to the strongest citations. I personally think that the second one (about Dr. Ruge) is weak, as it addresses his status as doctor during the assassination attempt and subsequent years from 1981-85. The third citation (from CBS News) is quite weak as well, as it doesn't address when/if his presidency was touched by the disease. The fourth citation is a duplicate of the first. I think if you wish to have two citations about his medical evaluations while in office, it would be helpful to see another independent citation about that. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 01:48, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

The subsequent alteration would look as such:

"After his diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, there was considerable speculation over whether had demonstrated symptoms of mental degeneration while in office. Former CBS White House Press Corps Lesley Stahl recalled an unsettling incident in her 1997 book, "Reporting Live". She noted that for several moments during an interview, "a vacant Reagan barely seemed to realize anyone else was in the room", and that before he "reemerged into alertness" she recalls that "I had come that close to reporting that Reagan was senile." Reagan would also encounter occasional difficulty recalling names and titles, most notably while meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Nakasone, wherein he repeatedly referred to his own Vice President as "Prime minister Bush".

Reagan's doctors, however, note that he only began exhibiting overt symptoms of the illness in late 1992, several years after he had left office. His former staff also defended him; former Chief of Staff James Baker stated that the idea of Reagan sleeping during cabinet meetings was "ludicrous".

- Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 01:52, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

It is not nessecary to refer to Stalh's book as it could easily be written without a mention, and we should show that Stahl reffered to it as "unsettling" rather than it being the POV of the author. The Bush section would read better as: "Reagan would also encounter occasional difficulty recalling names and titles, wherein he repeatedly referred to his Vice President as "Prime Minister Bush"." - It's the same but the mention of Nakasone is unnecessary. The James Baker sentence I also reworded because saying they were "quick to defend him" makes it sounds like they were covering something up. Here:

"After his diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, there was considerable speculation over whether had demonstrated symptoms of mental degeneration while in office. Former CBS White House Press Corps Lesley Stahl recalled an "unsettling" interview with the president where, "a vacant Reagan barely seemed to realize anyone else was in the room", and that before he "reemerged into alertness" she recalls that "I had come that close to reporting that Reagan was senile." Reagan would also encounter occasional difficulty recalling names and titles, wherein he repeatedly referred to his Vice President as "Prime Minister Bush".

Reagan's doctors, however, note that he only began exhibiting overt symptoms of the illness in late 1992, several years after he had left office. His former staff also defended him; Chief of Staff James Baker stated that the idea of Reagan sleeping during cabinet meetings was "ludicrous".

--Happyme22 (talk) 03:05, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Actually, I think it is important that the reference came from the book so as to establish the context of the recollection. Also important for context was the mistakes regarding 'Prime Minister Bush' while in the company of Japanese Prime Minister Nakasone; often, one of the earlier signs of a pre-Alzheimer lapse include mixing up of words and titles, etc.

Lastly, Baker was his former chief of staff; we should call him that (since he isn't a chief of staff anymore). Additionally, I am sure we can tighten up that last sentence better, like: "His former staff also defended him; Chief of Staff James Baker considered "ludicrous" the idea of Reagan sleeping during cabinet meetings. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 04:14, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

With a mention of the book I would expect a citation directly from the book, which we do not have. I would go against it because it is well worded without it. I'm going to insert the example above, with your proposed changes and (if it really makes that much of a difference) a mention of the book. Happyme22 (talk) 04:52, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Hap, would it make it easier if we included the citebook template? I thought it might be easier to have a web-ready citation, but if you are more comfortable having the book template in place,i can do it.

So, is this the version we are agreed on?"

"After his diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, there was considerable speculation over whether had demonstrated symptoms of mental degeneration while in office. Former CBS White House Press Corps Lesley Stahl recalled an unsettling incident in her 1997 book, "Reporting Live". She noted that for several moments during an interview, "a vacant Reagan barely seemed to realize anyone else was in the room", and that before he "reemerged into alertness" she recalls that "I had come that close to reporting that Reagan was senile." Reagan would also encounter occasional difficulty recalling names and titles, most notably while meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Nakasone, wherein he repeatedly referred to his own Vice President as "Prime minister Bush".

Reagan's doctors, however, note that he only began exhibiting overt symptoms of the illness in late 1992, several years after he had left office. "His former staff also defended him; Chief of Staff James Baker considered "ludicrous" the idea of Reagan sleeping during cabinet meetings.

- Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 05:01, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Prettymuch. I put it in. Happyme22 (talk) 05:15, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Teflon President

This might bear mentioning as well.

"why the Washington press had such a hard time knocking Reagan off stride by reporting about his vacant style (forgetting the name of a cabinet member), or his abuse of anecdote (taking stories from the movies without realizing it) or the contradictions in his record (cutting the budget for programs he later celebrated.)

“Major newspapers would run stories on all the facts he had mangled, a practice that faded as it became clear that most Americans weren’t terribly concerned,” wrote Howard Kurtz this week, “The media dubbed him the Teflon president, and it was not meant as a compliment.” This is an apt summation of the conventional wisdom captured in Stahl’s “a-ha” moment. A puzzle had been solved. Put crudely (but then it’s a crude story) how could Ronald Reagan, intellectual bumbler and fact fumbler, be so popular?

The Parable gives an answer: They don’t care what we say, only what is shown on television. Just as Reagan doesn’t care if what he says is true, as long as it makes a great story. And by extension the American people don’t care about the “tough,” factual reporting we’ve done on Reagan (“five minutes and 40 seconds, practically a documentary!”) because they are lost in the visuals, seduced by a simpler story line than the press could offer by recounting the facts."

Ie, the significant problem was not just that there was corruption and scandal and mistakes, but rather that his handlers made sure that nothing every stuck to Reagan.

(The reference for the moniker, "Teflon President" appears here. The comment about cutting the budget for programs he later supported is also there: "During the 1984 campaign, Reagan stood in front of a senior citizens' project built under a program he tried to kill - but his aides didn't care, concluding that the pictures were more important than the reporters' contrary words."

- Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 22:30, 7 January 2008 (UTC) In his 1988 book "On Bended Knee," author Mark Hertsgaard complained that "news accounts generally failed to make clear the real-world implications of Reagan's inability or unwillingness to distinguish fact from fiction."

The mentioning of his nickname "the Teflon president" should be included, although I don't even know if we mention "the Great Communicator" in here. And the argument that his advisors (I presume you mean Mike Deaver) worked the media so that no bad press of Reagan was ever shown is very POV and does not merit inclusion on the grounds of high spectulation and non-encyclopedic content. Deaver took so much heat for what the media said was making sure that the camera lights were "perfect" and that Reagan stood in exactly the right place. He did coordinate events for Reagan which usually made sure the setting for a speech was very well captured, although, if anywhere, that belongs in the Deaver article. I'll mention about the Teflon nickname in the article, though, because that does merit inclusion. Happyme22 (talk) 01:18, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I hadn't mentioned Deaver at all. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 04:23, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, sorry haha. Mostly when people talk about the teflon "aspect", if you will, Deaver's name comes up. I'm sory to accuse you. Again, a mention of the teflon president is fine with me, but the great communicator should probably be mentioned as well. Happyme22 (talk) 04:46, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Sure, We can mention it right next to the Gipper and Dutch, and we can provide brief explanations for each. Sound good? - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 04:48, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I added the references for both Teflon President and Great Communicator. I am thinking that these twin terms deserve mention in the lead, but am unsure where they should go, or should comprise a new section. Thoughts? - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 08:08, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I disagree that they deserve mention in the lead as they both do not contribute to the overall summary of Reagan's life. I am also opposed to a new section. With all the recent proposed changes and all the fixing of cites, the article is getting pretty long. They both belong in the "popularity" section anyway (labled as "teflon" because "nothing stuck to him" and even with Iran Contra his popularity did not exceptionally wane; labeled as "great communicator" because he was a good speaker which boosted his popularity). Happyme22 (talk) 01:20, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

I pulled the following statement, as I think it needs a bit more work:

Due to his manner of speaking and ability to connect to the American people, Reagan gained the nickname "The Great Communicator". He also coined the moniker "The Teflon President" as Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder said, "he could do almost anything and not get blamed for it."

- Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 07:09, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Let's change things around a little bit:

Reagan's ability to connect visually with the American people earned Reagan the moniker, "The Great Communicator," while he simultaneously earned the nickname "the Teflon President", which was not meant as a compliment. It referred to Reagan's ability to - according to both reporter Howard Kurtz and Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder - "do almost anything (wrong) and not get blamed for it."

That seems a lot more accurate. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 07:26, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Saying it's not a compliment is implying the obvious. I would only mention Congresswoman Schroeder because there is no need to include Kurtz - he is only a journalist. If we attributed every statement to a journalist this entire article would be full of irrelevant names. Schroeder came up with it and she does deserve mention. Also the parenthetical insert of "wrong" also is only pulling out the paragraph because, again, it is implied that being labelled "teflon" is not a compilment. And the connecting visually part is odd. Every president connects visually with the American people: Nixon gave his resignation announcement which confirmed the thought that he was responsible for Watergate in many people's minds, Carter gave his malaise speech which was not exceptionally popular with the Americans, Bush 43 gave his "axis of evil" speech that boosted support but look at his ratings now, and every president gives a state of the Union address. But MSNBC said Reagan's went beyond the norm as he had a great ability to connect with the American people through his largely optimistic speeches and his words, something that Nixon, Carter, and GWB didn't have. BBC said that he galvanized the American people with his words. That's more than just visually. ([6][7]). Happyme22 (talk) 23:27, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Actually, now that I fully read it, the mention of "wrong" in the quote is exactly what Schroeder was trying to fully imply. Nevermind that part of my post above. Happyme22 (talk) 05:02, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Yes, but each of those examples were the highlight of their connections to the public. Reagan had a great many more than just about anyone in recent memory (Kennedy and FDR spring to mind as exceptionally talented communicators as well). Reagan connected visually in that no matter what was being said, he (and his people made sure that he) always made sure that he came across as since and in control. As Schroeder and Kurtz (who isn't just a reporter but an author of at least five books - fairly notable, to my reckoning) also pointed out, it didn't matter what he said, one wink by the Gipper and he could essentially get off for murdering someone on the six o' clock news. An exaggeration, to be sure, but it points out the problem that Schoeder and Kurtz (and many others) found with Reagan. The Iran Contra Affair was the most notable of these, and Poindexter took a bullet for Reagan).

The BBC noting of the galvanizing words of Reagan were not simply radio words (as they were with FDR), they were delivered on camera - visually.

Other changes I made make note of the fact that Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimers two years before admitting it. It's noteworthy if for no other reason as to clarify when he was actually diagnosed and when he announced that diagnosis to the public.

Also, Reagan didn't 'reject' detente as he still followed what had already been established by previous Administrations. In foregoing it, he chose not to accept the policy of containment and sought an endgame to the Cold War that didn't involve nuclear war. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 06:10, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Arcayne, I like you. You were the first person that I met and could work with on Wikipedia, and I'd say that although we disagree on just about everything, we are friends. I am going to strongly disagree with you here once again. You are incorrect in saying that Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1992. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in August 1994 ([8]) during the Reagan's annual trip to the Mayo Clinic (Cannon, Lou. President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime. New York: Public Affairs, 2001 - page 284) and released it publicly in November 1994. Doctors said they began seeing signs of memory lapse in late 1992. It is false to say that he was diagnosed in 1992.

And mentioning Howard Kurtz only draws out the article. Ok, he's a journalist and author - Whoop-de-do! He has no influence over policy. Schroeder was a Congresswoman who coined the term and deserves mention. I suppose visually is more descriptive so "His ability to visually connect with..." is alright, I guess. With the better explanation you provided above, foregoing is probably the better word afterall (until I think of a better one because I don't particularly like it). Happyme22 (talk) 06:46, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Happyme22, I like you, too, bud. Since coming here, you have been an exemplary editor, and I consider myself lucky to edit alongside you. Yes, we do disagree, but we can do so politely and friendly-like, and i have to say that that particular arrangement is extraordinarily rare in our community.

Okay, the citation from the Kurtz article, wherein he noted the diagnosis as '94, might be at fault. Something similar came up with nancy Reagan's birthdate and birthplace, and we decided to go with the strongest reference. Your reference is stronger here, so I'll concede that and remove the bit about 'two years earlier'. How do we mention the noticed lapses in 92? I'm open to ideas.

I think that including Kurtz is a good idea because he is the one responsible for the circulation of the nickname. Also, at least three of his books were on the Reagan years. He isn't a Kitty Kelley tabloid journalist; he writes responsibly. Both Schroeder and Kurtz are responsible for the nickname's popularity, to my reckoning. As well, the links connecting him to the bit about the teflon President are pretty illuminating as to why it came about.

Never think that because I disagree with you that I don't respect you, Hap. I've always got your back. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 07:40, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Haha same to you! Anytime you're in a tizzy, drop me a line. Anyway, I've removed the two years earlier part from the lead as it is not factually accurate. I do not think it is worth going into any detail in the lead because he was not in office durign the '92 memory lapses. We mentioned it in the Alzheimer's section. Something we might consider adding is this: one of the things Lou Cannon mentioned in his biography on Reagan, Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio, is that one of the first instances of Reagan truly displaying an Alzheimer's effect was when he repeated a toast to Margaret Thatcher verbatim during his 82rd birthday celebration in 1993 (page 284). That could go right before the diagnosis mentioning in the Alzheimer's section as well.

Now that I look at it, Kurtz is already mentioned in the legacy section giving his opinion on Reagan. I'm still not exactly for adding him and Schroeder to the text, because I remember in the '80s when some of the newscasters said "Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder has described the Reagan presidency as having a 'teflon coat' ". I do not remember Kurtz being mentioned at all, although he probably wrote about it in the Washington Post. Happyme22 (talk) 02:22, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

(←dent) I think the argument you provided re: excluding a notation that he first began expressing symptoms of Alzheimer's prior to his formal diagnosis on the basis that he was no longer is office revisits an earlier argument about whether this article is about Reagan the President, or Reagan the Man. It was cited that he first started demonstrating symptoms of his illness two years prior to formal diagnosis; that he or was notin office at that point would seem to be immaterial to me. Indeed, while it would have been far more notable if they had occurred whilst in office, the article still reads "Ronald Reagan, not "President Ronald Reagan". I recall that you have opined that the man's presidential years were the most important of his life, it was expressed then - as it is now - that his years as president were considered the most important by us. We should look at his illness (or indeed the article itself) not through the lens of his presidency, but rather as a man who just served an important political function and accomplished a number of noteworthy tasks. It seems like the distinction for inclusion might be finer than it is, but I think we need to note when the symptoms first started manifesting.
As a self-described Republican conservative, I am not really surprised that Kurtz wasn't well-known to you. He was considered a friggin' god to those of us on the high school paper. Schroeder might have made the initial connection of 'teflon + Reagan', but Kurtz explored (some would say exploited) it, using it as a means to examine the bizarre response of the public in regards to the numerous scandals that plagued the Administration. As both Schroeder and Kurtz are strongly identified with the nickname (as powerful in con-Reagan Circles as Great Communicator is in pro-Reagan circles), I think it helps explain the climate in which reagan resided while in office. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 07:17, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

From the reasoning in the first paragraph of my earlier statement, would you concur that mentioning it is adequate? If you have a preference as to how it should be phrased, I am open to suggestions. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 21:29, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

I still think it is too detailed for the lead, but I'd like to see what others think before anything. Happyme22 (talk) 00:00, 12 January 2008 (UTC)

imo the lead looks good as is. theres no reason for "teflon president" or "great communicator" to be in there because they aren't important enough for the lead are just nicknames, their meaning can be described in the article. by contrast "reaganomics" does belong in the lead because it describes a policy that was important to his presidency and is a term that survives his presidency as part of the american lexicon (similiar to, but not quite to the same extent as, "mccarthyism" beloging in the lead on the joseph mccarthy article) SJMNY (talk) 00:37, 12 January 2008 (UTC)

Actually, that wasn't what we were talking about (the subject was the mentioning that Reagan had displayed symptoms before his formal diagnosis), but I can address that as well.

As per WP:LEAD, the Lead is a summary, or overview of the article - like a trailer, for all you who prefer your metaphors in movie terms. Conversely, if it isn't in the article, it cannot be in the Lead. I asked about the addition of the nicknames because they express the summary of how two groups of people refer to Reagan. I agree with you about reaganomics, though; it was notable, as well. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 06:37, 12 January 2008 (UTC)

Ronald Reagan worst president?

Ronald Reagan was a bad president he had horrible family values. He took the lives of people in the middle east by giving untrusted people weapons. he cheated on his first wife and wouldn't talk to his kids from that first wife for the longest time. how sad is it that he wouldn't even talk to his grandchildren for the longest time and they didn't even do anything wrong. i personally believe he was only considered a republican because he called himself one. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.31.253.230 (talk) 03:38, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

I am guessing you are new here; otherwise you would know that this isn't a forum for you to spout your opinions without any sort of citation. We aren't here to maltreat the subject of this article, any more than we are here to offer him respect. We give this article the same amount of respect we would give to an article about Hitler or the Dalai Llama - the source of the neutrality is sourcework. Without it, it constitutes bias and - to be frank - not of much value here. Maybe you were looking for an internet forum so you could gripe about Reagan. There are places to do that. Wikipedia is not one of them. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 05:58, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Minor Edit

The first sentence, in the section Presidency, 1981-1989 states, in part: "During his Presidency, Ronald Reagan pursued policies that reflected his optimism in individual freedom"

I think we should replace the word "optimism" in this sentence with the word "belief". Its more neutral. The rest of the sentence also needs to be made more neutral since its currently presenting arguable claims as facts, but I can't think of a good way to fix that right now. 70.21.103.75 (talk) 07:54, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Good catch. I'll fix it. Thanks for contributing. :) - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 08:01, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Reagan's role in the Cold War, part II

I'm looking to revive this debate because it was essentially dropped after the senility claims and nickname inclusions were brought up. I aim to insert text along the lines of this, located at my sandbox, but I'm open for any comments/suggestions toward it. I do feel that a mention of Reagan's Cold War role is a must; we included senility claims, something I thought was given too much weight based purely on speculation. This is a much more prominent topic and cannot be glazed over due to the same "spectulation."

The proposed content includes a NPOV first paragraph: it starts by presenting the beliefs of both sides. The first is then presented, followed by what I thought was a nice transition to the second side's argument. The second paragraph is openly POV and is suposed to be - User:LordHarris stated in the above discussion that views from other cold war leaders would help thus it is their POVs being presented here, not that of the author. --Happyme22 (talk) 03:35, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm unsure how you intend to integrate whats omn your sandbox, is it to replace part or all of whats currently in the article under the headings "cold war" or "end of the cold war"? if so you are losing alot of information already there. SJMNY (talk) 20:11, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

think that we should put at the beginning, in box-text format, the pre-existing sentences that Hap wishes to replace, and then we can work on the sandbox version. As it is, the sandbox needs some work before we can include it. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 21:06, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

I don't wish to replace anything. The information on the Cold War is great and needs to stay; this is focusing on his cold war legacy and is additional text. Again, I'm not wishing to replace anything with this. --Happyme22 (talk) 04:42, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

The bottom line

According to Paul Krugman's article in the New York Times 'Debunking the Reagan Myth', "By the late 1980s...and the poverty rate had actually risen." This important and most damning fact deserves incorporation. But where in the article should it be placed? And how should it be phrased and reference supported to ensure it is not deleted by the fans? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/opinion/21krugman.html Engleham (talk) 07:54, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Well, let's see: "most damning fact" this seems to betray a pretty heavy negative Point of View. Also, Krugman is a partisan Op Ed commentator. A better reference will have to be found for this fact. I suggest the U.S. Census Bureau. As to where it should go? Probably the Reaganomics section, or the Reaganomics article. Also, in order to provide context, it would be very interesting to have a graph of the poverty rate over the last 50 years.--Paul (talk) 16:47, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Here are the U.S. Census Bureau poverty rates from 1980 to 1989:

1989 12.8

1988 13.0

1987 13.5

1986 13.6

1985 14.0

1984 14.4

1983 15.2

1982 15.0

1981 14.0

1980 13.0

Krugman appears to be mistaken. And here's an interesting graph: Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate: 1959 to 2006.--Paul (talk) 17:29, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

THE POTTED LINE::: rabbi 'credit rating' cocaine head;;; finds this web-page.... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.44.111.87 (talk) 16:05, 21 January 2008 (UTC)