Now, all that said, I don't really buy that Reagan has *anything* to do with today's extremist wing of the GOP. Reagan did not empower the crazy ass uncle that we used to be able to ignore. Trump is not the issue (nor Reagan). People who blindly support him, vote for him, worship him are the issue. - ThreadSky

therealbtc.bsky.social • 94 days ago

Now, all that said, I don't really buy that Reagan has *anything* to do with today's extremist wing of the GOP. Reagan did not empower the crazy ass uncle that we used to be able to ignore. Trump is not the issue (nor Reagan). People who blindly support him, vote for him, worship him are the issue.

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mariedj.bsky.social•94 days ago

"People who blindly support him, vote for him, worship him are the issue."

Guns aren't the issue: it's those pesky bullets 🙄

therealbtc.bsky.social•94 days ago

C'mon, now. Bullets are a false comparison here. The reality is that, no, guns themselves are not the issue. The people who want them, build them, use them to do horrible things are the issue. But it's also tough to separate the two if not impossible. Trump is irrelevant if people didn't "build" him

mariedj.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yeah yeah, I know, and I actually agree with your point (well, partially - it's the voters AND Trump, not the voters INSTEAD OF trump). Hence the emoji (meaning: it's a joke, not meant literally).

themont3r.bsky.social•94 days ago

Spending out of a recession is 100% a good thing, but the way he cut taxes on the rich has only widened the wealth gap in the United States and is what was able to create the landscape for billionaires to rise up. His tax theory of trickle down economics has destroyed the middle class.

therealbtc.bsky.social•94 days ago

No question. You're spot on. Note that I didn't say it worked in the long-term but it did create the environment that was needed at that point in time & we don't know what the alternative would have been.

It is unlikely that we would have seen no tax change over time given Europe was changing too.

therealbtc.bsky.social•94 days ago

Ultimately, I feel it was rather inevitable. We weren't unique in doing it. Hell, the theory had been around since the early 1900s. It was only something that swept the western economic world in the 80s and it was the "in thing" to do. Like many theories, it sort of made sense. In practice, less so.

mariedj.bsky.social•94 days ago

There were **many** at the time who could see that it Reagan's approach didn't make sense.

Authoritarianism is on the rise all around the globe right now. Does that mean that Trump is just following a trend? Or that he's right in context? Or that there isn't something else to be done?

mariedj.bsky.social•94 days ago

Anyway, @hcrichardson.bsky.social agrees with me, so I must be right 😁
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-4-2024

therealbtc.bsky.social•94 days ago

I didn't say his approach made sense at any point. I'm viewing the moment (a moment I was an infant in, mind you) through as an objective lens as possible. At the time, in the moment, it appears to have worked for a finite window. Were the ramifications beyond that window worth it? Probably not.

bluberryboom.satan.social•94 days ago

I agree that Reagan era US and his policies are separate issues than 2024 politics. I semi agree that trump is not the issue, but he is a great representation of what the problem could be at its core - voters getting fooled into pointing fingers thinking everyone else is the problem.

therealbtc.bsky.social•94 days ago

No disagreement there. It's complex and probably an overstatement by me say "Trump is not the problem." Trump is not just a byproduct of the current culture, but a manipulator of it, as evidenced by his years of shady deals, failures, cover ups, and simply being an outright piece of shit.

bluberryboom.satan.social•94 days ago

People are scared and the middle class is dying, but what trump supporters fail to see is pointing fingers at ""the woke"" isn't going to do anything. They need to realize that they are pointing fingers at the wrong group of people, while simultaneously refusing to take some personal responsibility.

therealbtc.bsky.social•94 days ago

Agreed. They're feeding their own potential wealth and well-being to those that are already glutenous and stuffed. But, objectively, let me ask this (again, I've never voted anything but Dem) -- what have Dems done that have *really* made an immense wealth-based difference for the middle class?

bluberryboom.satan.social•94 days ago

Also a good question, one could argue its a "two sides of the same coin" situation. Though in my home state of NY (a solidly blue state) I like the worker protections I get here. Employers are required to give a cost of living raise yearly based on salary, and PTO is also required based on hours.

therealbtc.bsky.social•94 days ago

Likewise, a native New Yorker here (Long Island). Moved to SC at 20 and then Florida 5 years ago. Agreed, there are excellent protections there, but I also see the NY system as corrupt and broken in many places (look at Adams, for example). All places will have their pros and cons, even Florida.

bluberryboom.satan.social•94 days ago

Oh yeah NY has its problems for sure. I'm in western NY and there's a really fascinating blend of politics here in the Niagara/Eerie county areas (and a lot more right leaning than the rest of the state interestingly). You could also point at George Santos as well, and Buffalo itself has been (1/2)

bluberryboom.satan.social•94 days ago

Not perfect by any means, but I feel like my quality of life here is a little bit better than if I lived in a red state that is subsidized by Blue states like NY and CA.

therealbtc.bsky.social•94 days ago

See, that's where it is interesting. My wife is a Dem from Michigan. I'm a Dem from NY. Both of us believe we have a better life in the South. "Fit" with lifestyle is far more complex that politics, in many cases. We'd really struggle to leave the South, but we're also able to insulate ourselves.

bluberryboom.satan.social•94 days ago

AND disillusionment with the democratic party and their lack of REAL working class change was a problem in the most recent election as well and definitely helped trump win 🤷🏻‍♀️

bluberryboom.satan.social•94 days ago

I definitely want to research more into Tea Party's takeover of the Republican party and give myself some solace in some form of an explanation as to where and why the US went down this path

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