AHC: Make Ronald Reagan a Contender for the Worst President

[GeographyDude]

When Warren Buffet takes over TV network ABC via Capital Cities he’s influenced by a chance meeting with Richard Branson to create a news channel modelled on the British way of confronting people—framing the whole thing news as spectacle and dramatic showdowns over lies that politicians and lobbyists and what not are forced to face live.

Essentially CNN but with British reporters teaching Americans how to slam politicians . . .

Fox News comes off as a boring pale imitation and remains a minor player while CNN is for “serious people” with terrible ratings. . .

Holy Shit.

This I'd love to see. The only thing I might add:


"Oh, Wicked Wanda!" was a cartoon which appeared in the porn magazine Penthouse in the 1970s (circulation second only to Playboy). This regular cartoon strip used the old, honorable tradition of pornography to mock public figures, especially politicians.

Unfortunately . . . it wasn't all that good. I'm sorry, but it just wasn't. It was busy, kind of like the above picture. The storylines were complicated, hard to follow, and not all that funny. Yes, of course, some of the pictures had nudity, and seemingly a lot of post sex getting out of bed. In actuality, only the occasional one was really sexy, even to a horny adolescent.

 

[CountDVB]

This right here is the best one. Any thread revolving around nuclear war could result in him ending up with "it was bound to happen and wasn't his fault", A preventable financial collapse could easily be blamed on him, and if you add a public leak of his Alzheimer's when things are spiralling downward it could just fuel to the fire. Plus a worse AIDS epidemic due to a flailing economy and millions of Mexicans streaming across the border as Mexico erupts into banditry, government strongmen and de facto warlords you've got a recipe for the worst.

Even worse still is the fact that the USSR could see this as an opportunity to step in and try to establish influence in Mexico and thus the USA would have to devote extensive forces to pretty much stomp out the Drug War.

Reagan would be viewed with scorn though I pity who would take his place because they have a colossal mess to clean up and it'd likely be a Democrat. Who could do it though? They'd have to be brazen enough to challenge the problems that led to the economic collapse, that requires some leftist talk, along with being seen as strong enough to crush the cartels in Mexico.

 

[The Gunslinger]

So, only takes Five unrelated PoDs to do it.

If the Mexican economy shits the bed and triggers a global financial panic all of those are likely except his mental health being leaked.

 

[wcv215]

But every president since before Ww2 is guilty of most of this..

His reaction the the AIDS crisis alone would be enough to damn him forever frankly. Wanting to let a pandemic run its course as a means of exterminating people you are bigoted against is EVIL. Not a “well everyone does it” sort of thing. Straight up, no excuses, burn in hell forever evil.

The rest is really just frosting on the awful cake.

 

[marathag]

If the Mexican economy shits the bed and triggers a global financial panic all of those are likely except his mental health being leaked.

How does economic collapse from the #10 Economy of Mexico result in larger AIDS epidemic?
In 1980 the USSR was the #2 Economy.
A decade later, they were not, and it didn't cause a global collapse

 

[The Gunslinger]

How does economic collapse from the #10 Economy of Mexico result in larger AIDS epidemic?
In 1980 the USSR was the #2 Economy.
A decade later, they were not, and it didn't cause a global collapse

Did you even read the scenario posted that I quoted? It's all laid very succinctly. If that happens, there's going to be even less impetus to do anything about AIDS because unemployment is going to be soaring from a global market crash.

 

[Barry Bull]

His reaction the the AIDS crisis alone would be enough to damn him forever frankly. Wanting to let a pandemic run its course as a means of exterminating people you are bigoted against is EVIL. Not a “well everyone does it” sort of thing. Straight up, no excuses, burn in hell forever evil.

The rest is really just frosting on the awful cake.

That is a serious allegation. Grateful if you can provide evidence/ support, preferably from peer reviewed academic sources.

Also, such thoughts, if proven correct, is hardly unique to RR and shared by many contemporaneous Americans then and a significant minority around the world today. Horrifying? Yes. Uncommon? No.

 

[marathag]

Did you even read the scenario posted that I quoted? It's all laid very succinctly. If that happens, there's going to be even less impetus to do anything about AIDS because unemployment is going to be soaring from a global market crash.

Words have meaning.
An Epidemic means that when CDC records morbidity from selected cities, more than 7.7% of the Deaths from a cause, gets called an epidemic.
If its new cause, then it's called an outbreak. When it spreads to other countries, its a pandemic.

In the early '80s, they didn't know what was causing the 'Gay Cancer' as some put it back then, other than it was nearly all in homosexual Men and IV drug users, followed by blood transfusions. 1984 is when the first screening of that population to block Blood donations from them.

So how does a bad economy cause AIDS transmission to skyrocket outside the initial group, to full bore epidemic, enough deaths to trigger the CDC notification?

 

[jack_donaghy_is_the_shado]

Have legit proof of Jeanne Dixon and/or Joan Quigley advising Reagan's schedule and actions leaked and talked about during his presidency. Especially if it comes out around Beirut or Iran-Contra.

 

[M79]

Could we please stop the nonsense that Reagan was suffering from Alzheimer's while in office:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/opin...in-office-opinion-heubusch-shirley/index.html

Following his presidency, he went to the Mayo Clinic for extensive annual exams starting in 1989 and was given an annual test for dementia and mental deterioration. Each year, he passed the exam without showing any signs of dementia beyond normal aging until his disease was diagnosed and revealed in 1994.

Among the 66 million documents in the Reagan Library archives are schedules that track every minute of Reagan's presidency, along with his own handwritten daily diary of his activities. It's clear from the documents that Reagan fully carried out the responsibilities of his office and was actively occupied in that role throughout his two terms.

Dr. Lawrence Altman, longtime New York Times medical correspondent, looked for just such evidence and found none. Altman, who examined the subject in the wake of Ron Reagan's 2011 book suggesting that this father may have shown signs of illness in his presidency, wrote, "In my extensive interviews with his White House doctors, key aides and others, I found no evidence that Mr. Reagan exhibited signs of dementia as president," he wrote. "No other family member -- and not Edmund Morris, the biographer who spent seven years with Mr. Reagan in the White House -- publicly hinted that he showed evidence of Alzheimer's as president.".

Actually he may have shown signs of concerns as early as 1983 even per his own son Ron. Given the Cold War sotuation and tensions with the USSR at the time there was reason not to reveal this or any other potential weaknesses. I think it is possible he had at least early signs before he left office though it would be tricky to be sure.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/side-effects/201101/when-did-reagans-first-signs-alzheimers-appear%3famp

 

[The Gunslinger]

Words have meaning.
An Epidemic means that when CDC records morbidity from selected cities, more than 7.7% of the Deaths from a cause, gets called an epidemic.
If its new cause, then it's called an outbreak. When it spreads to other countries, its a pandemic.

In the early '80s, they didn't know what was causing the 'Gay Cancer' as some put it back then, other than it was nearly all in homosexual Men and IV drug users, followed by blood transfusions. 1984 is when the first screening of that population to block Blood donations from them.

So how does a bad economy cause AIDS transmission to skyrocket outside the initial group, to full bore epidemic, enough deaths to trigger the CDC notification?

Epidemic was a poor word. But it doesn't change the fact that an America (and western world) seeing the biggest economic upheaval since the Great Depression isn't going to have the resources to deal with AIDS compared to OTL.

 

[Histor32]

His reaction the the AIDS crisis alone would be enough to damn him forever frankly. Wanting to let a pandemic run its course as a means of exterminating people you are bigoted against is EVIL. Not a “well everyone does it” sort of thing. Straight up, no excuses, burn in hell forever evil.

The rest is really just frosting on the awful cake.

But it wouldn't damn him then.. And hasn't damned him now..

Even though it's recent. It's still a different time. The start of a bad disease / epidemic..
It's whack I agree

 

[David T]

In a thread from 2018, on "what if Reagan had an obvious Alzheimer's episode while in office, I replied "What does "obvious" mean here? Edmund Morris acknowledged that "There were ... days late in his Presidency when he drifted off, as old men do. On May 29, 1988, for example, he emerged from an extended one-on-one with Gorbachev unable to recall a word that had been said." Yet Morris argued that "such lapses were rare, and could usually be ascribed to fatigue...." and claimed that "in all the years I observed Ronald Reagan until 1992--when he suddenly became weird--I never saw any sign of cognitive dementia."

 

[Histor32]

In a thread from 2018, on "what if Reagan had an obvious Alzheimer's episode while in office, I replied "What does "obvious" mean here? Edmund Morris acknowledged that "There were ... days late in his Presidency when he drifted off, as old men do. On May 29, 1988, for example, he emerged from an extended one-on-one with Gorbachev unable to recall a word that had been said." Yet Morris argued that "such lapses were rare, and could usually be ascribed to fatigue...." and claimed that "in all the years I observed Ronald Reagan until 1992--when he suddenly became weird--I never saw any sign of cognitive dementia."

ever have a parent or close lived one suffer from this?

I have, it starts and you don't know it and pass it off as hey the bastard is xx years old.. Give him a break he still ties his shoes and no diaper..

Not saying he did or didn't.

Not saying he was a bad president either...

I personally think he was a decent to good president at most times.. I don't agree with several items
.
War on drugs
The aforementioned aids crisis
Give to the rich
His first 3 years of foreign policy... Instead of engaging the soviets with transperency and helping them to change and learning to live together it was evil empire let's build a billion nukes.


Iran contra.. Hey I can even understand that one... Its still not right.. But I can get it..

But to make the man worse would be quite easy.. Thankfully he wasn't

 

[Alstein]

Able Archer is most likely.

Most likely non-doomsday scenario: he wins in 76 and makes stagflation crisis worse.

Another possible scenario: collusion with the Iranians comes out early in 1981, and he gets impeached over it.

Most boring scenario: wait 50 years and watch textbooks be rewritten.

 

[Barry Bull]

ever have a parent or close lived one suffer from this?

I have, it starts and you don't know it and pass it off as hey the bastard is xx years old.. Give him a break he still ties his shoes and no diaper..

Not saying he did or didn't.

Not saying he was a bad president either...

I personally think he was a decent to good president at most times.. I don't agree with several items
.
War on drugs
The aforementioned aids crisis
Give to the rich
His first 3 years of foreign policy... Instead of engaging the soviets with transperency and helping them to change and learning to live together it was evil empire let's build a billion nukes.


Iran contra.. Hey I can even understand that one... Its still not right.. But I can get it..

But to make the man worse would be quite easy.. Thankfully he wasn't

Personal anecdotes are usually not regarded as good evidence in medical diagnostics. You are letting your emotion interfering your analysis.

 

[Zheng He]

Actually he may have shown signs of concerns as early as 1983 even per his own son Ron. Given the Cold War sotuation and tensions with the USSR at the time there was reason not to reveal this or any other potential weaknesses. I think it is possible he had at least early signs before he left office though it would be tricky to be sure.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/side-effects/201101/when-did-reagans-first-signs-alzheimers-appear%3famp

According to his other son, that is not true. Regardless, neither one of his sons are doctors. The evidence I provided is supported by medical professionals. Like I said, this nonsense needs to stop.

 

[Histor32]

Personal anecdotes are usually not regarded as good evidence in medical diagnostics. You are letting your emotion interfering your analysis.

Again I never stated he had or didn't have.. But my assumption would be that early stages were beginning.

Also again I'm also not saying he was a bad president... Nor an idol

He made mistakes like everyone else and was skillful enough to not get us all blown up thankfully

 

[Tre' T.]

I think this is my most popular thread! 1K views! Thanks

 

[SonOfSharknado]

I thought this was supposed to be Alternate History.