Chambliss: Republicans should return to Reaganism

I love the small government myth- Reagan outspent anyone in history when he took over. Furthermore, taxes were about the same as Carter's in relation to GDP per capita in Reagan's last years.

He was a good President in that he made Americans feel hopeful for the future, but he didn't really do much to shrink government or inhance freedom.

Thank God and Sarah Palin for helping Chambliss keep the Dims from running too wild. Now, to get that unfunny comedian in Minnesota out of the way. Then at least there'll be a fighting chance of a voice representing the conservative middle class in Washington.

CONGRATULATIONS ON HIS SUCCESS....

Regan fixed one of the biggest financial messes in US history - thats costs money. As far as enhancing freedom.... Didnt he end the cold war all by himself and essentialy bring down the Berlin wall?

Didn't "W" run on smaller government and increased individual freedoms (ie Reaganism). How did that end up playing out?

Unfornately for the GOP, they have never really tried to implement this "Reaganism" once in power. As such, people will associate the GOP with massive deficits, intrusive government, a misguided war and incompetence for a long time and any calls for return to Reagan will be seen as a return to the prementioned problems.

The President-elect is not the all knowing campaigner. Jim Martin was the one who was running in Georgia not Barack Obama. Besides, his coat tails are only so long. It would be nice if the media would stop making drama out of everything.

I respectfully disagree Michael. Reagan lowered many taxes and helped people have hope for their future, which created a greater desire to work, which are three things that are needed for greater freedom. The unemployment rate went from well in the double digits down to more manageable rates because of his policies. There is a stark contrast from the 1970s and the 1980s through 1990s. It's a statement to Reagan's policies that prosperity continued from his policies for 20 years or so after he left office. It was only when government started intermixing and messing with the economic system in ways that were unjust that things started going haywire. IMO.

Repubs don't give a twig about "individual freedoms." Bringing down the Berlin Wall, to whatever extent Reagan can claim credit for that, did nothing for the individual freedoms of Americans. Trying to legislate what people do in their bedrooms and what goes on in a woman's body is not perpetuating individual freedoms. Nor is cutting access to mental health services or family planning clinics.

Chambliss is about six years late on this call. He should have voted against the Iraq war and the deficits now would not be so burdensome. He should have voted against the 2003 tax cut and then it would not have been necessary to vote against the war. But after being the cause of the current deficits and the loss of financial well being of the middle class, it is too late to get religion now. He was irresponsible and you can't go back and be responsible now. First you have to clean up the mess in this economy and then you can talk about doing it right.

The people of GA made a stupid choice when they chose Chambliss in 2002 and they repeated it again in 2008. I am not willing to say that Martin is good but I will say that Chambliss is undistinguished, just like our president.

The first comment defies logic. Reagan took over in similar times to Obama. Low country morale, lack of consensus and major worldwide issues that needed immediate attention. Reagan lowered unemployment, modernized our military (which in the past 15 years has saved thousands of American military lives), raised the morale of the entire nation and ,uhh, hmmm, oh yeah, lead the dismantling of the Soviet Union, which freed millions of people from communism and moved forward the causes of freedom and democracy. Just admit that you dont like the man or republicans in general.

chambliss win will hold obama in check (fingers crossed) and hold us over till 2010..

Hey I understand wanting a republican to win in GA but what I don't get and will never understand or forgive is the way Chambliss ran his campaign 6 years ago by equating Max Cleland to Hussein and Bin Ladin, while demeaning Muslims for just that, being Muslims. How soon people forget.! The guy is absolute garbage and doesn't deserve the great distinction of being a senator.

John, I do believe Reagan to have been a very effective and good leader- I just don’t believe that many of those in the GOP are being honest when they look back at the Reagan years.

Ronald Reagan made people feel comfortable, hopeful and proud of their country and its economy. This may sound trivial, but given the impact of consumer spending on the economy it’s incredibly important. It is possible that if this current President had the same understanding of the media and the same sense of the populace as Reagan did, this current recession would hurt but not be as frightening as it is now. Unfortunately for all of us, the economy is in the toilet (for reasons both in Bush’s control and outside) and the guy behind the wheel appears drunk or stupid.

However, Reagan did little in order to keep his promises in regards to shrinking government. The budget exploded during his tenure and tax rates in relation to average income stayed stagnant. The reasons the economy were out of whack in the 1970’s had a lot more to do with the oil shortage stemming from the embargo and recession that followed the boom period post world war 2, over ambitious spending in the 1960’s coupled with the cost of the Vietnam war and the little faith the public had in government due to LBJ’s lies about Vietnam, Nixon’s corruption, Ford’s pardon and Carter’s lack of effective leadership. The relative prosperity of the 1980’s came from the rebound however also suffered a fairly sick fall out (the recession of 87).

The prosperity of the 1990’s had more to do with technology (much of it government subsidized btw) than Reagan (or Clinton for that matter). Additionally, cheap labor from China, Mexico and India benefited American corporations much in the beginning stages of globalization.

The only thing I fault Reagan for was that he played too much off the fears of the populace in regards to Government. Growth and big governments are not mutually exclusive. I do get annoyed though when I hear current members of the GOP talking about how much Reagan shrank government, Reagan was like most other Presidents. Big government was fine when it suited him. He (and Clinton) were just also effective leaders (though for very different reasons) and because Reagan’s mantra was “Government is the problem,” those who came after him assume he was right and shrank government while in power. He didn’t and he wasn’t right. A more accurate statement would be: Bad government is the problem. Building roads, bridges, new technologies, better education, better health care isn’t.

Saxby Chambliss
The untimate Chickenhawk
Five student and one medical deferments.
He had the gall to smear war hero and triple-amputee Max Cleland in 2002.
Despicable

Republicans suck

Reagan left office 20 years ago, so it's pretty funny to watch Republican hearken back to him as their model. Reminds me of the way Democrats used to have to hearken back to JFK.

If Republicans ever actually delivered on the Reagan principles they claim to espouse, then maybe they'd be more successful at governing. In reality, "small government" means defense spending through the roof, "more freedoms" means guns and forget it if you're not white and heterosexual, "lower taxes" means tax cuts for the rich only, and "fiscal responsibility" means let the Democrats clean up the mess when we leave office.

Michael,
Cleland was no war hero. His injuries in Vietnam were self-inflicted when he dropped a grenade ON HIMSELF WHILE DRUNK. Similiar comment to Ryan. Chambliss didn't equate Cleland to bin Laden or Hussein; he stated that Cleland was weak on national security issues. It should also be pointed out that when Cleland won his first (and only) term in the US Senate, he BARELY won it. Cleland was a very vulnerable incumbent with nothing to run on after 6 years in the Senate.

In Post #8, "Repubs don't give a twig about "individual freedoms." Bringing down the Berlin Wall, to whatever extent Reagan can claim credit for that, did nothing for the individual freedoms of Americans. Trying to legislate what people do in their bedrooms and what goes on in a woman's body is not perpetuating individual freedoms. Nor is cutting access to mental health services or family planning clinics."

1) Reagan presided over the creation of a huge military engine powered by a big economic engine, which helped bring down the Berlin wall, and the USSR. Amazing to me that people would deny that freeing millions from totalitarian regimes is mocked today.

2) Trying to legislate what goes on in bedrooms? Not sure what is being referenced here, but appears to reference an activity, not the same as the color of your skin. One is a volitional choice, the other is part of your DNA. I don't see the how you relate the two. Government does and should regulate activities if they are harmful or detrimental to society. Murder is an activity.

3) "what goes on in a woman's body is not perpetuating individual freedoms". Unbelievable. How is killing the innocent unborn perpetuating individual freedoms? It is certainly curtailing the freedom of the babies murdered.

very predictable win by saxby.other predictable win republican win in arizona governors race.jeb wins florida senate election.republican win in california governors election.republicans win michigan governors election.mitt romney has a house in michigan.first governor since sam houston to govern two diffrent states

Michael you are extremely wrong about your facts. The reason that Reagan's budgets were overfunded was that he had to compromise with Democrats who controlled the House and the Senate at that time. Just imagine if Republicans controlled the House and the Senate at that time what Reagan would have been able to accomplish. To push through what he essentially did with his tax cuts and defense spending through that period of time with as much flak as he handled from obstinate legislators was nothing short of genius and he was the only president to directly go to the people and ask for their help to get his agenda through. We may never know how brilliant and strong he ever was. He was by far the most effective president we ever had.

"I love the small government myth- Reagan outspent anyone in history when he took over. Furthermore, taxes were about the same as Carter's in relation to GDP per capita in Reagan's last years.

He was a good President in that he made Americans feel hopeful for the future, but he didn't really do much to shrink government or inhance freedom. "

Oh really? what are you? stupid? He lowered our taxes he made us strong defence wise until Bush 1 started to un-do what Reagan had done. Reagan didn't

go after our personal freedoms such as the way Clinton and Bush 2 have done. More people became well to do under Reagan then in any other time in recent history. Where yoiu alive when Regan was in office? Or are you getting yiour info from some left wing website?

Stop blaming W. The real blame rests with the inept, free-spending ex-Speaker DENNIS HASTERT, who is nowhere to be seen, for good reason. Poor W could only do so much to educate the many clunk-headed Americans who refused to use their brains in the last election and were willing to be conned into believing in undefined, superfluous promise of "CHANGE."