There they go again. The revisionists can't stop trying to rewrite the history of the 1980s. This time, Eric Alterman tries to take Ronald Reagan down a few rungs.
"As president, [Reagan] was never even as popular as Bill Clinton during the period of Clinton’s impeachment," Alterman writes on Slate. "Nor was he considered to be as 'great' a president after leaving office, at least compared to Clinton whose post-presidency rating is also higher."
Let's examine both points.
Alterman's article cites some polls to buttress his contention, but he ultimately fails to make his case. The Gallup Poll, which Alterman relies on, is of course an important poll. But it's not as important as the poll taken every four years in November. In that poll, Reagan buries Clinton. Clinton never won a majority of votes in his presidential runs. Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, won huge landslide victories in 1980 and 1984. Reagan beat Carter by ten percentage points despite the presence of a third candidate, liberal Republican John Anderson, in the race. Four years later, Reagan trounced Walter Mondale by 18 percent. His victory margins in the Electoral College, the count that ultimately matters, were even greater. What's more, after their respective presidencies, Reagan's vice-president won the presidency while Clinton's lost it.
Alterman states that Clinton's post-presidency popularity exceeds Reagan's. Alterman cites one poll that showed that 11 percent of the American public saw Bill Clinton as America's best president, while 10 percent saw Reagan as the best. Alterman fails to note a similar poll, taken two years earlier, that showed Reagan the most popular president among living Americans.
Did he just miss this? Maybe. But it seems liberals like Alterman miss a lot about the Reagan era--peace, prosperity, victory in the Cold War, restored patriotism, and so much more.
Outstanding facts. I heard you on KSFO this morning and have already sent your link to over 300 of my closest friends. Keep up the strong integrity. Eventually the lying left will either evolve or dissolve.
Denver,
I appreciate you getting the word out on FlynnFiles. For the readers who don't know, I've been appearing on a number of talk shows discussing my NRO article, which has brought a lot of new readers like Denver to the site. Denver heard me on KSFO, but I've appeared on Howie Carr in Boston, Greg Garrison in Indianapolis, and a number of other major radio programs around the country.
And for the readers who have been with us: be like Denver, get the word out about FlynnFiles. We want more readers and the best way to accomplish this is through word of mouth. Thank you Denver for spreading the word.
