The Reagans

It is awful how the Reagans were to poor families while they spent money on themselves. It's INSANE that they gutted the New Deal and believed in Trickle Down economics. Obviously they were both spokespeople for evangelicals and corporations. It's also nuts they had so many gay friends and let AIDS just go unattended for so long. Or how he really felt he had not sold arms for hostages - when he had? It was good Reagan tried to deescalate nuclear tensions. The story comes off like a tragedy of a man who believed in the myth of America and the corporations who used him to hijack our political system.

Watch it yourself ignore the scores of 1 by right wingers, bringing the score down.

This was a good documentary on the Reagans. I was a child and a teenager through most of Reagan's presidency, so I remember a lot of these events, (and even some of Carter's presidency) but it was nice to see it all narrated w/ more historical detail.

I think some of the good things Reagan did were downplayed (I mean he did turn the economy around significantly in his first term (compared to what a mess things were w/ Carter)). The program also had an overly ominous tone in general - as though the Reagan presidency was this dark awful time for everyone but the very rich - which was not the case. Things improved compared to Carter for many, many regular people too - thus why Reagan was so popular. However, these types of programs always like to make conservatives villains so the negative slant wasn't unexpected to me (got to just take it with a grain of salt).

I especially liked the commentary of Kitty Kelly, their son and Stu Spencer - was nice to hear their real life accounts. James Bakker was good too.

A well done documentary marrying video of the Reagans with contemporary accounts of people who knew them and worked with them, including their son.

Reagan was a B actor, a mediocre actor and someone who had very limited success in life until he was 60+ and he became the front man for powerful and wealthy interests who wanted a right wing government in California and later in America.

He went from being the head of a union (the Screen Actors Guild) to being anti union over night because the pay was better. He apparently never had any political or ideological views of his own and just aped the things that he was fed.

He was an actor. He made his living delivering the lines he was told to deliver, acting the way he was paid to act. In the documentary, you can see his non existent understanding of what he was fronting and you can hear people pick apart his positions, including the people he worked with.

His own son is very critical of him and is on record elsewhere saying that he doesn't think his father ever read a book. A single book. In his lifetime.

Reagan was a disastrous President and the decline of the country can certainly be connected to the things he did while President that were disastrous. And he created the lowered expectations that lead to the election of George W Moron and Trump.

A good example of a disastrous policy - eliminating the fairness doctrine in news which allowed the rise of Fox and others and the 7/24 disinformation age that we live in. Another example is the deregulation of the savings and loan industry which lead to enormous frauds in that industry and its collapse.

If you want a good summary of Reagan and his time in office, watch the documentary. Ignore the negative reviews. The people writing those are apologists for Reagan and Trump and the current brain dead GOP.

I love history and politics so this 4 part doc from "Showtime" called "The Reagans" was must viewing for me. It was indeed informative and revealing which was historical and biography type telling of Ronald's early and humble start of being a radio announcer to his start in Hollywood with B pictures, to his election as California governor to his rise as the president. All of this is supported by footage vintage clips and news interviews and interviews are given with media people and republican cabinet members Jim Baker, Ed Rollins, and Stu Spencer are interviewed as they give thoughts and opinions. Plus son Ron Jr. give his thoughts on his parents life and how they seemed different as he did not always agree with them. Shown also is how Ronald was influenced by his Hollywood days to become pro right and leave his union membership, and after elected he became a pro military hawk and was influenced in domestic issues by the religious right. Also his final term was plagued by scandal the Iran contra affair, and Nancy always ruled and looked over his shoulder even though she consulted with the stars. Plus his final years hints and clues were displayed by the actor/politician of memory loss. Really great super doc that looks back at an era and a man that shaped many things like him or hate him see this doc if you are a political or history type buff!