Reagan explained

Some guy named Steven Thomma wrote a column that today's Republicans wouldn't elect Ronald Reagan as president.

He says, "Abortion? (Reagan) was for abortion rights before he was against them."

Yes, Governor Reagan signed an abortion legalization bill in 1967, one that he believed, with a doctor's consent, an abortion could be performed, only under specific circumstance. Reagan called his signing of that bill his biggest mistake as governor, since California's abortion statue quickly turned into abortion-on-demand.

Taxes. Yes, The Gipper raised taxes in his first year as governor, reluctantly, but only upon discovering that his predecessor, Democrat Pat Brown, left him with a massive deficit. Some taxes, such as social security, went up during his presidency, but income taxes did not.

Immigration: Yes, Reagan as president signed the 1986 immigration reform bill that gave million of illegal aliens amnesty. (Have we become unstuck in time? How could candidate Reagan run on his record on something he did during his second term?) Enforcement was part of that package, but the sad truth is, that part of the law, until recently, has been ignored. Besides, by 1989, Reagan had retired to his beloved California ranch.

Among the qualities that made Reagan such a great candidate--and president--even in the eyes of Democrats (well, moderate ones) and independents is that when Reagan said something, you know he meant it.

The air traffic controllers union was the first to learn that lesson.

JammieWearingFool has similar sentiments, but brings the hapless Jimmy Carter into the equation, and like myself, he wonders if Thomma was even alive in 1980, that glorious year when Reagan crushed the peanut farmer on election day.

Related posts:

Dutch Reagan and Tampico, 95 years later

Sanity Squad sings, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?"

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