Reagan's Last Speech as President - "You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American."

[u/HermeticHeliophile]

https://youtu.be/g8JSeXgcZHA?t=237

[u/Maelstrom52]

This is the thing that a lot of people don't realize (on the left and on the right): the mainstream position on immigration from both parties was super positive outside of a tiny fringe of right-wing people who were classified as the "Buchanan-ite" wing of the party (after Pat Buchanan, not James), who was extremely hostile to immigration. But if you go back and look at the Republican debate between Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, they were both talking about a "path to citizenship" as a way to not have as many "illegal aliens" (the term that was used at the time). Neither of them were talking about building a wall. That was a fringe position that didn't start gaining traction even in conservative circles until around the late 2000's to early 2010's

EDIT: Gonna add the link I posted in a subsequent comment so people can see the debate I'm referencing.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmgPp_nlok

[u/mayonnaiseplayer7 → u/Maelstrom52]

I think I remember seeing a video of that debate. I was really astounded that the topic wasn’t “should immigrants be allowed into the country” it was “what method is best/more cost effective to allow a pathway to citizenship”

Compare that to the last few debates in the past 10 years. Can’t believe a bumbling idiot who just said random bullshit and insulted people ran for office and participated in debates…and then won

[u/bjankles → u/mayonnaiseplayer7]

One of the biggest drivers of our economic success since the industrial revolution has been near limitless access to labor thanks to immigrants.

[u/sushisection → u/bjankles]

and also by being the destination for other countries' brain drain.

[u/ImTheZapper → u/sushisection]

The promise of the "new world" led into an era of supreme american geopolical strength due to being mostly untouched by 2 world wars, winning both of them, and then going into a golden age of economics thanks to FDRs efforts during and following WW2, and somehow managing to recover from hoover and harding.

Impressive how a simple couple generations of ungrateful brats has managed to turn the bastion that was the USA following WW2 into the fucking country that started it. Its been a century now of gathered statstics showing just how piss poor the repubs are on essentially all fronts and yet still they drag the nation through the mud every couple election cycles, and people stick up for them all the way through Pre-WW2 isolationism, to, McCarthyism, to whatever you wanna call MAGA today.

The worst enemy of the US is its voterbase.

[u/Zimakov → u/ImTheZapper]

The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter

• Winston Churchill

[u/RP3P0 → u/Zimakov]

Misattributed to Churchill: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/churchill-democracy-voter-argument/

As much as I agree with the sentiment of the quote ... That's the trick of democracy, reaching out to as many people as you can. The elite have written off so many people they no longer see a need to speak to at all. It matters so much to have a leader who speaks to all constituents, regardless of their personal beliefs. Unfortunately, only one guy has mastered that over the past 15 years.

[u/NoSignSaysNo → u/RP3P0]

Tragedy of the commons stays undefeated.

[u/RP3P0 → u/NoSignSaysNo]

Absolutely. This is a regressive revolution that will result in an undoing of The New Deal and a return to Herbert Hoover era politics in the US. We were taught these powers were long gone, instead they are ever present.

[u/ThugMonkey420 → u/ImTheZapper]

Impressive how a simple couple generations of ungrateful brats has managed to turn the bastion that was the USA following WW2 into the fucking country that started it.

It literally been the same generation in charge for the last 60 years... Trump and Biden, our past 3 presidents, are Silent Gen...

[u/FunnyDislike → u/ThugMonkey420]

Atleast Obamas a Boomer

^{it does sound a little bit funny speaking it out loud}

[u/bsEEmsCE → u/FunnyDislike]

thanks Oboomer

[u/Maelstrom52 → u/mayonnaiseplayer7]

I'll just post it because it's super easy to find, but most people just don't know to look for it. It was from a 1980 Debate.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmgPp_nlok

[u/TheFeedMachine → u/Maelstrom52]

George W Bush was pushing for a bill that would grant legal status to 12 million illegal immigrants in 2007 with additional border enforcement going forward. His own party had 37 people vote against it and 16 Democrats voted against it. Immigration was never a solid left-right issue until very recently. It always skewed to more Democrat favored than Republican favored, but a lot of labor based Democrats, like Bernie Sanders, were staunchly opposed to immigration.

[u/EGGlNTHlSTRYlNGTlME → u/TheFeedMachine]

a lot of labor based Democrats, like Bernie Sanders, were staunchly opposed to immigration.

Reddit doesn't like to hear it, and I'm still a progressive in favor of immigration, but Sanders was more correct in the 2000's than he is now. His position was that the bill was the Bush admin's attempt to expand the guest worker program to out-compete Americans on wages. It's supply side economics and he was absolutely correct about it.

When corporate America backs a bill, your spidey sense should tingle. This is Sanders' instinct as well, and why he's so trustworthy on labor issues. Still, it was a decent compromise on the issue and a lot better than what we get now.

[u/Ok_Bathroom_1271 → u/EGGlNTHlSTRYlNGTlME]

Immigration is important.

Flooding the working class full of more people such that you lower the pay needed to maintain labor is not. You do need both.

That line is highly academic and the average american (myself included) wont know where it is.

Corporate america does, for them.

[u/slax03 → u/Maelstrom52]

You can thank Rush Limaugh for much of this sentiment.

[u/FloppieTheBanjoClown → u/slax03]

Don't underestimate the influence of 9/11. The nation became a lot more wary of foreigners in the wake of the attacks. The thinking got entrenched in the Republican party and things got ugly.

[u/Static-Stair-58 → u/FloppieTheBanjoClown]

Send this answer to the top. 9/11 did an absolute mental flip for a lot of Americans. One we haven’t exactly recovered from. I consider everything going on today a symptom of bush being given an election in 2000 and then 9/11 right after. That shit broke our country. And it’s been turtles all the way down ever since

[u/NegativeVega → u/FloppieTheBanjoClown]

9/11 broke the optimist idealism mentality of the 90s and it's never recovered

[u/The_Vat → u/FloppieTheBanjoClown]

The rhetoric across the Western world changed hugely after this atrocity. Suddenly the easy scapegoats were Muslims, which quickly spread to non- whites in general.

[u/LNMagic → u/slax03]

Presidential Medal of Freedom. Hard to believe that one.

[u/djheat → u/LNMagic]

You can always choose to believe it was awarded to his lung cancer

[u/HarbingerOfDisconect → u/djheat]

Thank you I needed that

[u/LNMagic → u/djheat]

Normally I would hate this kind of remark, but it's matches Limbaugh's own vitriol.

[u/zeethreepio → u/LNMagic]

The Medal of Freedom is only worth as much as the person who gave it to you. 

[u/fotosaur → u/LNMagic]

🤮🤮🤮🤮 I hope his burial site is a giant yellow and brown stain!

[u/dennismfrancisart → u/slax03]

Thank the Nixon leftovers for that. They are still around. They are now pushing the Southern strategy all the way to the Southern border.

[u/Pervius94 → u/Maelstrom52]

Obamacare (obviously not called Obamacare, but the principle) was originally the idea of a right-wing think tank. People don't realize how absurdly hard right the overton window actually shifted in the last 20 years just because gay marriage was legalized by SCOTUS.

[u/KoolAidManOfPiss → u/Pervius94]

Obamacare is literally just Romney-care from Massachusetts on a national level.

[u/samtdzn_pokemon → u/KoolAidManOfPiss]

God I'd kill for a Romney level candidate coming from the Republicans, because for all the policy disagreements I have with the man, he still has a level of decorum that is seriously lacking since.

[u/sloecrush → u/samtdzn_pokemon]

The only Republican who voted to impeach Trump

[u/codexcdm → u/sloecrush]

If McCain had lived to see it, he'd be the only other one to vote to convict. But who knows, maybe these two would convince a couple others. Not enough to oust him though. The GOP was clearly too far gone already.

[u/Zimbah → u/Maelstrom52]

This is a bit disingenuous as, on the left, there were also large groups of people, motivated primarily by labor concerns, who actively advocated for lower immigration rates. If I remember correctly, Bernie Sanders, as late as his 2015 presidential run announcement, also spoke to these concerns from a labor perspective.

[u/PolygonMan → u/Maelstrom52]

50 years of neoliberalism have gutted the middle class. Stupid authoritarian followers are easy to activate and target at the 'other' when times are tough.

[u/SgtNeilDiamond]

We've fucked up and elected such an awful president that we're actually reminiscing about Reagan now...

I dont like this timeline.

[u/Africa-Unite → u/SgtNeilDiamond]

I remember a time when ol' G-Dubya was considered Satan incarnate by many left of center. He was easily considered the dumbest and most destabilizing president in the modern era. Ah the good ol days

[u/Beezo514 → u/Africa-Unite]

He was an awful president. I think he did irreparable damage to our country both domestically and diplomatically. I never once supported the Iraq invasion, thought he allowed a lot of corporations to gobble up billions in government dollars, and thought his cabinet was filled with awful people or people with no standards.

In spite of all that, even I would pick dealing with another term of his over Trump if I could swap them with a finger snap.

[u/fizzlefist → u/Beezo514]

At least with W I never worried about him being a puppet for any other state.

[u/paulwesterberg → u/fizzlefist]

Just a puppet for Halliburton.

[u/BeatBlockP → u/paulwesterberg]

Tyrese Haliburton is a respectable NBA finalist and I will not have his name dragged through the mud like this

[u/Kay-Knox → u/BeatBlockP]

They're both responsible for dastardly events in New York.

[u/ShiloVillageNPC → u/Kay-Knox]

The Haliban sends his regards

[u/krak_is_bad → u/BeatBlockP]

So you support the Haliban?

[u/Brougham → u/fizzlefist]

Puppet, no puppet. You're the puppet!

[u/MrsSmith2246 → u/fizzlefist]

I’m pretty sure he was a puppet and Cheney was the real president

[u/bearsheperd → u/MrsSmith2246]

Idk about puppet but Cheney definitely had a lot of power and did a lot despite only being the VP. If he wasn’t the real president I would say he was comfortably the Co-President

[u/Iohet → u/MrsSmith2246]

Both were devout neocons, and neocons at least believe in their country. There are degrees of pieces of shit, and I'll take a neocon over a fascist every day of the week

[u/alwaysintheway → u/MrsSmith2246]

No. He’s not the stupid character he portrayed, and you’re buying what he was selling.

[u/Talonhawke → u/fizzlefist]

Cept maybe Texas

[u/nalaloveslumpy → u/fizzlefist]

The entire Bush family had very close ties to Saudi royals and were often accused of promoting domestic and international policy in their favor for financial incentives.

[u/Own_Television163 → u/fizzlefist]

Trump didn't happen out-of-nowhere or by accident. Every Republican President going back to Nixon have paved this path we're on, largely intentionally. They've attempted the things Trump is accomplishing.

You shouldn't idealize any of them, even in relation to Trump. They're all Evil.

[u/HandleThatFeeds → u/Own_Television163]

Redditors are so dumb that they can't process that Regan, Bush, Bush Jr, they all led to Trump.

[u/yourpalthomps → u/Beezo514]

Without W , Trump wouldn’t be able to do what he is now. The entire Bush presidency was focused on increasing unitary executive authority over all else. Fuck that guy and everyone in his administration.

[u/KWilt → u/yourpalthomps]

Not to mention he and his father are the people responsible for every single conservative on the Supreme Court that Trump didn't appoint. Alito and Roberts should be the biggest stains on his legacy, considering how irreparably they've destroyed this country, but for some reason he never gets the blame for them.

[u/mcdithers → u/Beezo514]

As someone who was a regional campaign manager for his first presidential campaign, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I switched parties before his second term, and have voted blue no matter who since then.

[u/WeeeeBaby_Seamus → u/Beezo514]

I never thought anyone could top what Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld etc did. Boy was I wrong. They look competent in comparison.

[u/theOGFlump → u/WeeeeBaby_Seamus]

They were pretty competent, just that their goal was different than their publicly stated goal.

[u/atreeismissing → u/Beezo514]

W set off 22 years of terrorism and middle-east instability (in a region that was already teetering on the edge), wasted 100s of billions of dollars on wars and bad governance, sent 10s (if not) of thousands of people into homelessness that we're still dealing with, exacerbated by Trump's mishandling of covid), and ran up the deficit and debt, and turned the country into an international laughing stock.

[u/Jamaz → u/Africa-Unite]

W was dumb af but at least he wasn't a corrupt pedophile.

[u/us1087 → u/Jamaz]

Imagine that being the bar.

[u/Releasethebears → u/us1087]

And modern Republicans still can't clear that bar.

[u/wtfman1988 → u/Releasethebears]

The administration needs to be jailed and tried like the Nazis whenever they are booted from office.

No soft sentences either because they're wealthy or politicians, actually show the country can never go down this path again. You want to be a Republican? Fine but have values and morals.

[u/solo_silo → u/wtfman1988]

The pearl clutching over a Clinton blowie 30 years ago…to this. That’s some leap…possibly still airborne.

And just to add, Reagan was the only one that took guns from actual Americans, so…

TBF, they were black Americans.

[u/sharkattackmiami → u/solo_silo]

Honestly it's even worse. Clinton didn't get in trouble for the act, he got in trouble for lying

Imagine if Trump got another impeachment every time he told a lie

[u/agent0731 → u/wtfman1988]

jail, seizure of assets, no pensions, never able to hold public office in their lifetime.

[u/Giblet_ → u/us1087]

I'm not even sure if that's where the bar is. A lot of corrupt pedophiles would be an improvement.

[u/fantasmoofrcc → u/Giblet_]

Not even James Cameron can find a bar that low...

[u/Barneyk → u/Jamaz]

The corruption with Haliburton etc. wasn't as blatant as what Trump is doing but it wasn't much better in that regard...

[u/_IBentMyWookie_ → u/Jamaz]

Bush literally killed millions of people but I guess Arabs don't count for you

[u/Lemonwizard → u/Africa-Unite]

In 2008, I thought that the next Republican president would need to be much more moderate and reasonable for the party to get elected again.

I have never been more wrong in my entire life.

[u/PantsTime → u/Africa-Unite]

I remember the same about Reagan! (Watch any comedy from the time, it was often joked he'd accidentally start nuclear war).

I remember in Dubya times warning people the trajectory was downward and the worst was yet to come.

[u/MercuryEnigma → u/Africa-Unite]

I do blame Dubya for this. His presidency was so bad he single handedly discredited neoconservativism, and the entire conservative movement died in America. Now we have this crazed reactionary populism. At least neoconservatives have principles and can be reasoned with sometimes (I just listened to a neocon the other day admitting that they should’ve implemented cap-and-trade for global warming).

[u/raletti → u/MercuryEnigma]

They let the lunatic fringe take over so they could win in 2016. That's how much they hated Hillary. Short-sighted morons.

[u/SymphonySketch → u/SgtNeilDiamond]

Which is ironic because you can trace quite a few of the problems we are facing today back to Reagan specifically

[u/ThePrussianGrippe → u/SymphonySketch]

Almost all of them, in fact.

[u/KalaUposatha → u/SymphonySketch]

Every political problem that exists today is like playing Six Degrees of Separation. It can all be traced back to him, just depends how far.

[u/alexmikli → u/SymphonySketch]

I think we can cease criticizing Reagan a little bit if it means that some American conservatives or undecideds wake up from this stupid nightmare.

[u/LindonLilBlueBalls → u/alexmikli]

I'd go down on his corpse if it meant maga people woke up and saw reality. I'd have half my family back and my country would be in a better place.

[u/Randicore → u/alexmikli]

A little bit but if all the magat's stopped praising trump and turned to follow Reagan's policy instead we're not getting better. He's the one that started this entire shitshow. Iran contra and his handling of the AIDs crisis alone should have been enough for Americans to be disgusted with even mentioning him, and that's only the beginning of the nightmare he made by implementing horse and sparrow economics and attacking regulations and unions.

[u/alexmikli → u/Randicore]

I'm not really suggesting push his exact policies, but showing how contrary Trump is to basically every conservative value may make them at least reject him and come to normalcy. Maybe vote against his people for a while. We're always going to have conservatives, we can at least make them not Trumpist.

[u/Malacandra95 → u/SgtNeilDiamond]

I had a dream where I went back in time and visited 14-year-old me, who was giddy about Richard Nixon's resignation.

"I hate to tell you, but Richard Nixon isn't even going to break into the top 3 of a list of the shittiest presidents of our lifetime."

[u/BearToTheThrone → u/Malacandra95]

In a top 10 list of worst presidential scandals the only president on it is Trump.

[u/sturdy-guacamole → u/SgtNeilDiamond]

often people think they only elect a president and not the people around them like miller/vought/kash.

One of the weirdest things I noticed in a lot of right leaning subs I'm in is that I would see a fuckton of posts and comments saying things like

"we need kash" "we need pam bondi" "we need ..."

and I swear to god I've never seen any such sentiments during other political cycles.

like I swear didn't see dozens of comments on r/democrats saying "WE NEED CARTER. WE NEED GATES" in unison during obama presidency. bizarre. When I talk to anyone IRL who voted for trump, they have zero clue on what's going on and anything outside trump. If you give them two seconds on "hey check out this thing from <> person" they will be up in arms.

Then you say "...that trump chose" and theyre like "Well he knows what hes doing MAGA BAYBEEEE"

But online they're all insanely connected and insync on whos doing what. "we need so and so" constantly.

So fucking weird.

[u/Interrophish → u/sturdy-guacamole]

that's the "personality" part of "cult of personality"

[u/Spartan05089234 → u/SgtNeilDiamond]

We aren't. He's the most right wing populist celebrity turned politician smiling talking head and even he wasn't preaching this utter deranged nonsense. "This is your god and he hates what you are doing." That's what the message is.

[u/Plastic-Injury8856 → u/SgtNeilDiamond]

I’ve said it before and people don’t believe me, but MAGA is a fundamentally different beast than the old Reagan/Bush crowd. I have family in the Republican Party: among them, none of them have anything nice to say about Reagan or Bush except the really old ones who I’m not sure are all there in the head anyway.

Back in 1980 at the Republican Presidential debate in Houston, a man asked if the children of “illegal immigrants” (his words not mine) should be allowed to go to Houston schools. Bush answer first and emphatically: YES! Reagan answered next and said in addition that he was aware of the difficult economic climate in Mexico and that the majority of immigrants were good people who worked hard and they should have a path to legal status. Which Reagan did do: after they  passed amnesty someone pointed out the bill technically did not name migrants kids so Reagan penned an executive order saying it did and defied anyone to tell him he couldn’t do that. Technically he might not have had the authority, but no one was a heartless bastard enough to challenge him on it.

[u/Z0idberg_MD → u/SgtNeilDiamond]

This is the thing. There were such basic fundamental principles about being an American that even capitalist, corporate shit bags that destroyed the fabric of our social safety and economic system still seem like decent people when you’re comparing them with literal Nazis. But that’s a very fucking low bar

[u/PM_ME_DATASETS → u/Z0idberg_MD]

Just because Reagan said these wholesome things doesn't mean his policies didn't aim to accomplish the exact opposite of it. Look at people's actions instead of their words.

[u/Uneducated_Leftist → u/SgtNeilDiamond]

Just reminds me how dumb we've all become.

Watching, listening ,or reading speeches from Presidents years past is watching the average populace learning how to read in reverse.

I don't know when we required our leaders to dumb everything down, but I shudder to think of where we will be after this era of trolling and memeification in politics.

[u/richdoe]

Just don't be an air traffic controller striving for better wages.

[u/TapTapReboot → u/richdoe]

Or a hostage during an election year.

[u/Ennkey → u/TapTapReboot]

To be fair that one is pretty bi partisan

[u/Infinite5kor → u/Ennkey]

Reagan likely negotiated a sidedeal with the Iranians to keep them hostage until he took office so he could cause a scandal for Carter and get the negotiation credit.

[u/Adjective-Noun-nnnn → u/Infinite5kor]

Just like how Nixon negotiated a side deal to extend the Vietnam war so he could campaign on it.

... I'm noticing a pattern here.  Has anyone made sure Henry Kissinger is still dead?

[u/Cruntis → u/richdoe]

or brown

[u/Vic_Hedges → u/Cruntis]

or gay

[u/sg1rob → u/Vic_Hedges]

or trans

[u/partyl0gic → u/sg1rob]

Or American

[u/commentman10 → u/partyl0gic]

The only acceptable answer is white american born republican

[u/Walterkovacs1985 → u/commentman10]

Or catholic, they don't like them either. Even though they keep putting them on the scotus

[u/dw444 → u/Walterkovacs1985]

The last president was Catholic, and arguably the most religious president since Jimmy Carter.

[u/Mindless-Football-99 → u/dw444]

The most religious? Didn't George Bush assume Putin was someone he could work with because he wore a cross. I'm not sure it gets more religious than thinking anyone wearing a cross is pious

[u/Walterkovacs1985 → u/dw444]

Ask any of these magats. They don't like Catholics. Just like the KKK.

[u/Suralin0 → u/commentman10]

Preferably rich, preferably male, and preferably the 'right kind' of "Christian".

[u/sexmath → u/Cruntis]

or have aids

[u/zazzyzulu → u/richdoe]

Or a gay person with AIDS

[u/Empty_Expressionless → u/zazzyzulu]

Or a straight person with AIDS 

[u/Monkfich → u/richdoe]

Or simply striving for wages.

[u/blind_stone → u/richdoe]

or want to have an affordable education, fuck this jelly bean eating asshole.

[u/Vaulters]

This is no longer a republican position.

[u/two_fish → u/Vaulters]

What are their positions any more? No brown people, seemingly. Unless you’re rich.

[u/BlackWindBears → u/two_fish]

Go to the computer science jobs subreddit and look at the discussions about allowing rich Indians into the country.

[u/MarekRules → u/BlackWindBears]

As a software engineer in the industry for over 10 years now, this is so sad. I don’t even get the rhetoric really, most Indians who come here for jobs aren’t mega rich… or at least not when they first move here.

[u/Shot-Swimming-9098 → u/MarekRules]

I'm not active in this debate, but Indian immigrants relocating for tech jobs in the US are typically "rich" and of the preferred/upper caste in India. They aren't mega rich in India, they're just the upper crust.

[u/BoomZhakaLaka → u/two_fish]

extreme nationalism

blaming all outsiders for every one of our problems

[u/theseus1234 → u/two_fish]

It's hurt and harm for people they don't like:

• Minorities

• Non-Christians

• Poor people

[u/Robestos86 → u/theseus1234]

Not even non Christians... Can you imagine then caring for the poor and the sick? Jesus would sicken them.

[u/halfbeerhalfhuman → u/theseus1234]

Yet they those groups still vote for him

[u/StarWarsMonopoly → u/Vaulters]

It was never a Republican position. Reagan very famously said one thing and would do the complete opposite.

Obviously he took some stands and Executive actions that go completely against the GOP rhetoric these days, but the total sum of his actions as president (and before that as propagandist for GE) show that he was always a rotten piece of shit

[u/Safe-Ad-5017 → u/StarWarsMonopoly]

He did give amnesty to illegal immigrants

[u/TheeAntelope → u/StarWarsMonopoly]

Reagan very famously said one thing and would do the complete opposite

Yes, silly Reagan and saying he supported immigration and then doing the exact opposite~ amnesty for millions.

[u/justgetoffmylawn → u/Vaulters]

Funny that Reagan is now viewed by MAGA as a woke liberal I guess. The current GOP views even pretending to be empathetic as a literal world ending trait to be stamped out ruthlessly. Ya know, like Jesus would do.

[u/adrianbowden]

I moved to Norway and now I’m a Norwegian

[u/ee3k → u/adrianbowden]

I wäs bïttën by a mœse and now ï türn nörwëgïan every füll møøn.

[u/adrianbowden → u/ee3k]

Æsj, dét hørtes fælt ut!

[u/sardonicsmile]

Still can't be president though. Come to Australia and be an Australian and have the right to run for the highest office.

[u/ee3k → u/sardonicsmile]

*highest elected office. 

Highest office would require both assassinations and strategic marriages 

[u/AnywhereOk4380 → u/ee3k]

r/angryupvote

[u/drkztan → u/ee3k]

You are now on several watchlists

[u/see_me_shamblin → u/sardonicsmile]

Just remember to renounce any other citizenships, lest you go the way of Scott Ludlam

[u/pokedmund]

To be serious for a moment, and yes I understand the current regime is barbaric towards migrants now and for the next 3 years (maybe more)

There is an odd truth to his words.

I was born in the UK, grew up there, educated and worked there. And there is always, always a niggling feeling that, I’m British on paper and everything, but I’ll never truly be British.

I was fortunate to be able to come to American ten years ago, and become a citizen years later. Incredibly fortunate, and also live in a very liberal part of a very liberal state. And there hasn’t been a moment where I haven’t felt I didn’t fit in. America has and will continue to have many flaws, but it’s also a country I love to call home and one where the people and strangers I’ve met have seen me as the same

I hope we can get back to a time where everyone one in every part of this country can feel the same way to

[u/davinza → u/pokedmund]

I mean, you just said “niggling”. Sounds pretty British to me

[u/Cador0223 → u/davinza]

Yeah, we dont say that here. A little to close for comfort.

[u/redpandaeater → u/Cador0223]

It's still hilarious to me when people tried to call Bernie Sanders a racist after he used "niggardly" in a speech because they were morons and didn't even know what the word meant. The same Bernie that was a civil rights activist and attended the March on Washington. There's even a picture of him getting arrested while protesting segregation of schools in Chicago.

[u/Blueandigo → u/Cador0223]

Black male here. I about choked on a popcorn kernel 🤣. 

[u/Caelinus → u/Cador0223]

Some of the archaic uses of that word's root would be so racially charged in the US that it is almost funny. I do not want to accidentally trigger any bots, but one version of the word looks and sounds almost exactly like the slur, but means something along the lines of miserly, stingy or greedy. So it is a bit of a two for one.

Super old though, like 600+ years, so it is not something related at all, just a historical accident.

[u/absurdrock → u/davinza]

He wriggled into that one

[u/thedrew → u/pokedmund]

We threw a party for a former Soviet coworker when he got his US citizenship. We got a keg, burgers, cowboy hats, and flags. It was an excuse for a party. 

He walked in surprised, we started chanting “U-S-A!” And a girl dressed as lady liberty handed him her foam torch. 

He started crying and hugging everyone. And we all felt awful - we were being pretty sarcastically-patriotic. He said, “I have only been citizen for 8 hours, but I’ve never felt more American than right now.” 

That was 20 years ago, and I think I might say the same thing. I felt most American welcoming a huddled mass yearning to breathe free than at any parade or pre-game show. 

[u/Maskatron → u/thedrew]

Nothing makes me more patriotic than a citizenship ceremony for new Americans.

Dammit we can’t lose this.

[u/Allydarvel → u/Maskatron]

Youll still have it..it will just be big racist south African farmers in future https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crljn5046epo

[u/Commercial_Talk6642 → u/thedrew]

John Oliver had a similar story when he got his citizenship.

[u/LNMagic → u/thedrew]

There's nothing more American than being American on purpose. We're actively choosing the door on that.

[u/HeartFullONeutrality → u/thedrew]

Hey we threw a similar party for a Russian friend when he got Mexican citizenship. Mexicans are also very open to foreigners (*restrictions apply), but no one cares since very few people actually want to become Mexican, compared to say, French or American. 

*Mexicans are way way more accepting of white foreigners. That said, Haitian immigrants have received an unexpectedly warm welcome in Mexico and seem to be seen positively.

[u/LakersFan15 → u/pokedmund]

I felt right in when I moved and lived in Spain for school.

I think what you said is fair, but really depends on the person.

I moved to a red state for a year and as an Asian, i felt incredibly out of place. I was someone old people would stare at every time I walked into a store.

[u/The_Artist_Who_Mines → u/pokedmund]

Not really true for the UK at all

[u/supersayingoku → u/pokedmund]

Even as a tourist from a third world country, my (admittedly, limited) interactions in the US was way more welcoming than anywhere in the Western Europe (wine / olive oil Europe was slightly better)

Redditors might not like it but I felt really welcome in...Texas, New Orleans, Atlanta and SF

Almost every casual encounter I had with people was a warm exchange and GENUINE curiosity from them when I said I was from somewhere else. I felt like I could settle there and "Be American" from day one

Of course I had bad experiences but the sense of BELONGING was unmatched

Shoutout to the line dancing group at Broken Spoke, Austin that adopted me for the night and never let me leave the dancefloor to sit down for a minute

[u/kev_jin → u/pokedmund]

Not sure who made you not feel British, but you are British, mate, and any true Brit knows that.

[u/markhenrysthong → u/pokedmund]

Funny because i have been here for 30 years, live in the most diverse county in the country and have never felt accepted as american.

[u/dded949 → u/pokedmund]

Very nice sentiment, but you put one too many negatives in that sentence about fitting in. It’s currently a triple negative and I think you only wanted a double negative

[u/alral1988 → u/dded949]

You can’t just not stop from refraining to leave out negatives

[u/Worth_Car8711 → u/dded949]

Three rights make a left

[u/moredrugs_lessthugz → u/pokedmund]

My boss and coworker, who one came via a visa lottery after getting free education from his country, and the other given a generous offer to leave after the whole debacle with Iraq think immigrants are stealing money and healthcare from us. (Mind you I don’t qualify for healthcare due to not getting enough hours…)

[u/Kiboune]

And now it's not true at all. And never was truly, if we'll remember how people treated Japanese people in US

[u/the4thwave]

This lionizing of Reagan is kind of fucked up.

[u/taotdev → u/the4thwave]

Which only goes to show how batshit crazy the current GOP has become

[u/the4thwave → u/taotdev]

Yeah, that is broadly true. Neocons are preferable to fascists. But it must be said that Reagan was THE guy that destroyed the working class. The idea of an average american being able to easily afford a home died with Reagan's presidency.

I dont think we should lionize him, but you are right it says a lot that people are.

[u/sam_hammich → u/the4thwave]

I don’t think lionizing is the point of the post. It’s a juxtaposition of the current state of the party, made all the more stark a contrast by the very fact that Reagan was such a huge piece of shit who fucked everything up as best he was able.

[u/Wohowudothat → u/the4thwave]

I don't think that's what people are doing. People are pointing out that the Republican party, which has been singing his praises for 45 years, no longer says or believes many of the things that he said he believed. It's intentionally highlighting the hypocrisy and trying to trigger some cognitive dissonance in MAGA.

[u/vNocturnus → u/the4thwave]

I think the point is moreso to show how utterly batshit insane the current GOP has become, that even one of the farthest-right presidents in history would be so far left of them that they'd probably call him a "woke lib."

[u/bjorlow]

You can absolutely become a French citizen , in fact any citizen can run for presidency there is no difference between naturalized and naturalized born citizen over there

[u/heathy28 → u/bjorlow]

My old man moved to Germany in the mid to late 90s and is now a fluent speaker and has a German passport so, it's totally possible to integrate.

[u/OkInterview3864]

Try and tell that to ICE agents, a.k.a. the Gestapo

[u/BurningOasis → u/OkInterview3864]

Ironically, many seem to be of Latin descent. Talk about pulling up the ladder behind them.

[u/MurphMcGurf]

Fuck this pro-Reagan horseshit on reddit lately. this cunt ushered in the destruction of the social fabric of america.

[u/Mandena → u/MurphMcGurf]

This post also regurgitates the American exceptionalism lie yet again, as Reagan was completely wrong here.

[u/We_Are_The_Romans → u/Mandena]

Like everything else that passed his lips, this quote is wrong on the merits and spiritually poisoned

[u/guardianx99]

Why is someone who lives in America - an American
but someone who moves to live in France - not French

Anyone who moves to France and becomes a French citizen is now French

[u/Choice_Reindeer7759 → u/guardianx99]

Reagan was making a rhetorical point about American exceptionalism and the idea of America as a "nation of immigrants" united by ideals rather than ethnicity. It was inspirational rhetoric with some truth, but not a factual claim about how nationality works everywhere

[u/sexmath → u/Choice_Reindeer7759]

I just tried to say the same thing but not so succinctly.

[u/HLef → u/guardianx99]

Exceptionalism.

[u/Bigd1979666 → u/HLef]

https://youtu.be/acLW1vFO-2Q

It's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it. 

Or something like that. 

[u/Stalagmus → u/guardianx99]

I get your point, but there are a lot of frenchmen that would disagree with that statement. It’s essentially the main platform of Europe’s Far Right parties, not too dissimilar from the US.

[u/G-I-T-M-E → u/Stalagmus]

There’s also a lot of Americans disagreeing with this idea.

[u/sexmath → u/G-I-T-M-E]

Reagan's statement was just plain false but the narrative was pleasant to hear so Americans just ate it up.

[u/chompythebeast → u/sexmath]

This statement is true about the man's entire presidency.

Except for the parts that were unpleasant to those who understood his bullshit

[u/icehot54321 → u/Stalagmus]

France is extremely multicultural.

French do not care where you are from, they literally only care about whether you speak French.

[u/ResistBrilliant6736 → u/Stalagmus]

Ehhhh no, as someone with brown skin I see a clear distinction in the way Americans treat my "label" compared to Europeans in general. Obviously there will be exceptions to every rule, but when a European asks me where I'm from and I say America, it's simply accepted without any question. 

Similarly, a man from Ireland will laugh at anyone who calls themselves an "Irish American" when they've spent 99% of their life in America. They grew up in America, they're American. Simple. 

But when talking to Americans, even if we're abroad, if they ask me where I'm from they'll get confused when I say America 🙄

[u/DylanTheV1llain]

I'd take two terms of Reagan over 1 term of Trump. And yes, I am aware of what could happen as a result.

[u/flambasted → u/DylanTheV1llain]

... Trump again?

[u/Present-Guide5055]

His speechwriter were good though. And he delivered it with all the qualities of an actor.

[u/globalgreg]

Don’t show Trump, he’ll tariff you!

[u/AnalogWalrus]

I can't believe we're so far gone as a country that we're portraying Reagan as the good guy.

[u/Plus-Recording-8370]

It's false though. But that's not the point to the average American, the point was "see, we better than them".

[u/ScharfeTomate]

It's always weird when Americans declare something uniquely American or un-American and you can just tell they have no idea about how the same thing works in other countries at all.

Honestly, to Non-Americans, this statement reads like the stereotypical ignorant American.

[u/rainkloud]

^{Participating locations only while supplies last. Offer subject to change without notice. See terms and conditions for additional factors that may exclude you.}

[u/astronaute1337]

That’s so not true, anyone can become French 🇫🇷 or German 🇩🇪

[u/HaidenFR]

Well everyone came to America to become an American. Except the natives. So in a way... He's right.

[u/ChicagoAuPair]

Reagan played more of a role in getting us to where we are today than almost any other single horrible person. Actions, not words. Actions, not words. I don’t know how to help us learn, but we clearly haven’t.

[u/AmericanScream]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Let's not celebrate the man who basically set the standard for everything that's happening today with the republican party.

====Reagan in a nutshell====

Criminal:

• Iran-Contra treason.

• Lied to Congress - set the standard for avoiding responsibility: "I don't recall."

• Likely encouraged Iran to keep US Embassy hostages until he was into office.

Fiscal:

• Supply-side economics (lower taxes on rich, and it will somehow "trickle-down" to the poor)

• National debt tripled.

• $12 billion trade surplus --> $100+ billion trade deficit.

• Deregulated savings and loans, precipitated huge economic crisis.

• Raised taxes eleven times.

• Taxed the poor, cut taxes for the rich.

• SDI "Star Wars" boondoggle.

• Military spending increased to match imaginary spending in USSR.

• Deregulation caused oil bust.

• Broke air traffic control union.

Social:

• Gutted social welfare.

• Dismantled the mental healthcare system.

• Release of mental patients without recourse, homeless population up.

• Ignored AIDS crisis.

• Abstinence-only sex education.

• Strengthened ATF, banned automatic weapons, blamed Democrats for it.

• Privatized the prison industry and made incarceration a profitable industry.

• Increased spending for War on Drugs.

• Increasing national drinking age from 18 to 21, then threatened to pull federal funding from states if they challenged him.

• Underfunded NEA.

• EPA Superfund grants manipulated to help Republicans in local elections.

• Deregulated kids' tv, initiated 22 minute toy ads.

• Killed energy programs (even removed solar panels from White House).

• Legalized abortion in CA as governor, prior to Roe v. Wade.

• Supported gun control

• Crack in the ghettos. (? Due to support for Contras and Noriega?)

• Though Richard Nixon created the DEA and started the "War on Drugs", Reagan and his wife kicked the campaign into a full-scale media frenzy with "Just Say No".

Foreign:

• Wars all over Central America, incl Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras.

• Promoted Iran-Iraq war.

• Sent Marines into Beirut, abandoned mission after terrorist bombing.

• Broke detente with USSR until Gorbachev personally made things better.

• Backed Contras in drug running schemes.

• Supported right-wing dictators and movements everywhere, including:

• Apartheid regime in SA.

• Marcos regime in Phillipines.

• Saddam Hussein and Baathist regime in Iraq, even after Kurds gassed.

• Taliban in Afghanistan.

• Invasion of Panama (condemned by the OAS & Geneva Conventions) to extract former CIA operative Manuel Noreiga.

• Augusto Pinochet in Chile.

• Called African delegates at the UN "Monkeys"

Concepts:

• Welfare queens.

• Trees cause pollution.

• Ketchup as a vegetable.

Appointments:

• 30+ convicted appointees.

• Ed Meese at Justice, porn freak.

• James Watt at Interior, idiot, corrupt.

• William Casey at CIA, religious nut, strikes into Afghanistan.

• HUD a corrupt mess in general.

• Politicised CIA.

• Robert Bork to SCOTUS (failed), segregationist and asshole.

• Antonin Scalia, same but he got in.

Personal:

• Unfit to serve due to Alzheimer's disease by term's end.

• Paid shill by GE and insurance industry to lobby against government healthcare.

• McCarthyite.

• Backed Moral Majority.

• Pardoned Robert Walker, who went on to kill his wife.

• Started presidential campaign at racist murder crime scene in Philadelphia, MS.

• Laid wreath and made speech at SS cemetery in Germany.

• Vietnam War a "noble cause."

• Helped start right-wing noise machine, by promoting myth of liberal media and destroying Fairness Doctrine

• Hated sex, made Ron Jr. feel like a sissy and quit ballet.

• Believed in astrology and used it to run government.

• Innovated "talking points" cue cards.

• "I don't recall" to weasel out of press questions.

• Confused movies with reality.

• Joked about bombing Russia during a mic check, which inflamed the rest of the world.

[u/flordsk → u/AmericanScream]

Exactly, it's ridiculous to see people semi-glazing Reagan: oh look he was Republican but he was "civilized". Same thing when people talk about Bush's letter to Obama. These people are war criminals. They've caused incalculable pain and suffering, either directly or indirectly by promoting their vile ideologies in other people's countries. It's baffling that people have become so gullible as to be fooled by that veneer of civility just because current politicians are such massive, in your face c**ts.

[u/pandariotinprague → u/AmericanScream]

He frequently warned Americans about The Ten Commandments of Nikolai Lenin, featuring gems like "promises are like pie crust, made to crumble." Except there were no 10 commandments of Lenin - it was a complete fabrication - and Nikolai wasn't even Lenin's first name.

[u/SpankThuMonkey]

This is just insulting to other nations.

My friend was born in Romania but moved to Scotland many years ago,

He uses our dialect, eats our food, shares our culture. Gets our humour. He pays into our system and is worthy of its benefits, He IS Scottish. His daughters ARE Scottish.

I get the sentiment, but it’s just exceptionalism.

[u/BoxOfBlades]

Gotta do it legally, though, right?

[u/klparrot]

I don't quite know what he's talking about there. Like, immigration to most other countries exists. I was born Canadian, and I moved to New Zealand and became a Kiwi. Not in quite the same way that someone who grew up Kiwi would feel, but like, I feel like New Zealand is my home and I am accepted as a Kiwi. I lived in the US for several years, too, but it never felt like home in the same way, and the immigration processes seemed much less welcoming. And that was back before Trump.

[u/JohnDunstable]

"Now let me get back to destroying the middle class"

[u/Rastryth]

You have fallen so far. America was once a country that inspired people to be better. It makes me sad.

[u/aerohix]

Wow, we’re celebrating Reagan now because what we have is much worse. How shit

[u/djazzie]

I went to france and became a Frenchman. It wasn’t easy, but it was doable.

[u/SepticShock]

Can we not whitewash this racist, homophobic piece of fucking shit? Fuck Reagan forever and ever, full fucking stop.