Quote (Thor123422 @ 21 Sep 2016 00:13)
Regan was very bad
Was his presidency very bad? I think it was pretty average.
The Good:
-8.1% reduction in inflation
-Nuclear arms deescalation with Russia/treaties with Russia
-Ending of Cold War
The Bad:
-Supply-side economics
-Tremendous growth of national debt
-War on drugs
-Iran-Contra scandal
Perhaps if you consider the reduction in inflation to be due simply to market factors and the ending of the Cold War due to factors outside of his influence, then I could see the case for Reagan being a bad president.
But perhaps there is some merit to all that he did. I think he was a little too hawkish against Communism, and during his first term he did seem to escalate the Cold War, but he did sign some important treaties with Russia in his second term.
The national debt thing is a big minus, as well as the failed supply-side economics. But did it drive the country's inflation down and help stimulate the country's prosperous decade? Perhaps, but I'm not certain.
He was extremely well-liked and popular, too. That may seem trivial but I think it's important to have a leader you can rally around. Nowadays, the country is very polarized and divided, and you can see the problems with that. He helped unify the country around his vision (for better or worse) after a tumultuous and divisive two decades including JFK's assassination, a recession, and Vietnam.
Looks pretty average to me, but certainly a far cry from the icon Conservatives make him out to be.