Feels exactly like 1979 all over again...but different.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

the world is in a transistional phase, the US is without a way to put a man into space and it's influence is receeding, the ME is in revolution, the Democratic POTUS can't buy a break but still leads the GOP field, music and fashion suck, the economy is in shambles and getting worse...and the GOP is about to nominate the most conservative nominee for POTUS in a generation.

Groovy!

[bullmoose88]

No one in the GOP field is, for better or worse, Ronnie Reagan.

[J. J.]

No one in the GOP field is, for better or worse, Ronnie Reagan.

"Ronnie Reagan" wasn't Ronald Reagan in 1979.

Just in keeping with the analogy, which is apt, if not a bit premature:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FabM1RJTkrY

[Kevin]

the world is in a transistional phase, the US is without a way to put a man into space and it's influence is receeding, the ME is in revolution, the Democratic POTUS can't buy a break but still leads the GOP field, music and fashion suck, the economy is in shambles and getting worse...and the GOP is about to nominate the most conservative nominee for POTUS in a generation.

Groovy!

Still at least in 1979 Republicans had better canidates to choose from then a washed up 1 term governor of MA, a governor of a large state with a mixed record, and a batsh*t 2 term Congresswoman.

[J. J.]

the world is in a transistional phase, the US is without a way to put a man into space and it's influence is receeding, the ME is in revolution, the Democratic POTUS can't buy a break but still leads the GOP field, music and fashion suck, the economy is in shambles and getting worse...and the GOP is about to nominate the most conservative nominee for POTUS in a generation.

Groovy!

Still at least in 1979 Republicans had better canidates to choose from then a washed up 1 term governor of MA, a governor of a large state with a mixed record, and a batsh*t 2 term Congresswoman.

You wouldn't be saying that if you were around in 1979.

[Kevin]

the world is in a transistional phase, the US is without a way to put a man into space and it's influence is receeding, the ME is in revolution, the Democratic POTUS can't buy a break but still leads the GOP field, music and fashion suck, the economy is in shambles and getting worse...and the GOP is about to nominate the most conservative nominee for POTUS in a generation.

Groovy!

Still at least in 1979 Republicans had better canidates to choose from then a washed up 1 term governor of MA, a governor of a large state with a mixed record, and a batsh*t 2 term Congresswoman.

You wouldn't be saying that if you were around in 1979.

Perhaps,

Even then those candidates and their rhetoric was much better then anything we have today.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

some things are different though, back in 1979, Paul Volcker was seen as a tone deaf economic scrooge and Jerry Brown was governor of California...wonder where those two are now?

...and, according to Wiki, the "[Democratic POTUS's] critics saw him as an inept leader who had failed to solve the worsening economic problems at home. His supporters defended the president as a decent, well-intentioned man being attacked for problems that had been building for years."

[Link]

the world is in a transistional phase, the US is without a way to put a man into space and it's influence is receeding, the ME is in revolution, the Democratic POTUS can't buy a break but still leads the GOP field, music and fashion suck, the economy is in shambles and getting worse...and the GOP is about to nominate the most conservative nominee for POTUS in a generation.

Groovy!

Wrong.

Interests rates were in the mid teens in 1979.  They are hovering near 3% today.

Space shuttle development started at least in the 60's and was launched in 1981.  That is in no way analogous to our situation today.

Today's fashion sucks?  I'm going to assume you've never seen pictures from the late 70's.

To a right winger the US' influence is always receding and we have to build more bombs and tanks to correct the situation.  Yeah, yeah we've been hearing this for decades.

Groovy?!  I think by 1979 that word was only used by out of touch over the hill types.

[courts]

the world is in a transistional phase, the US is without a way to put a man into space and it's influence is receeding, the ME is in revolution, the Democratic POTUS can't buy a break but still leads the GOP field, music and fashion suck, the economy is in shambles and getting worse...and the GOP is about to nominate the most conservative nominee for POTUS in a generation.

Groovy!

Ron Paul is doing better in the polls but that's a bit premature bro.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Wrong.

Interests rates were in the mid teens in 1979.  They are hovering near 3% today...

what part of "Feels exactly like 1979 all over again...but different" do you not understand?

to continue from Wiki...during the convention speech in the run-up to his supposed re-election, the renominated Democratic POTUS declared that the GOP nominee's conservatism posed a threat to world peace and progressive social welfare programs from the New Deal to the Great Society...

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Wrong.

I like how eager you are to invalidate all that he just said without actually comprehending any of it.

[bullmoose88]

So Jmf, do you think there's going to be another "Morning in America?"

[Link]

Wrong.

Interests rates were in the mid teens in 1979.  They are hovering near 3% today...

what part of "Feels exactly like 1979 all over again...but different" do you not understand?

to continue from Wiki...during the convention speech in the run-up to his supposed re-election, the renominated Democratic POTUS declared that the GOP nominee's conservatism posed a threat to world peace and progressive social welfare programs from the New Deal to the Great Society...

...but TOTALLY different.  Yes, that works better.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

...and to top it off (again from Wiki):  

"[the Dem POTUS] was criticized by his own aides for not having a 'grand plan'; he often criticized [the GOP nominee's] economic plan, but did not create one of his own in response."

[Link]

Wrong.

I like how eager you are to invalidate all that he just said without actually comprehending any of it.

Sorry.  Next time I'll PM you my response so you can edit it before I post it.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Wrong.

I like how eager you are to invalidate all that he just said without actually comprehending any of it.

Sorry.  Next time I'll PM you my response so you can edit it before I post it.

well played.  you just might have a future on this board. 

[Marston]

So, is this basically a thread where you can cherry-pick similarities while concurrently dismissing differences? You can do all that with ANY YEAR and/or time period.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

So, is this basically a thread where you can cherry-pick similarities while concurrently dismissing differences? You can do all that with ANY YEAR and/or time period.

yes, the thread is exactly as you described it, but different.

[The Mikado]

Fun game: pick any election between 1948 and present featuring an incumbent running for reelection and tell us how 2012 will be just like it.

The hardest one would be 1956.

[J. J.]

I can picture folks having this conversation in the bar next to the disco in 1979. 

[opebo]

The difference is the economy is far worse now than in 1979.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

The difference is the economy is far worse now than in 1979.

...and OHC was an acronym most Americans had never heard of

[J. J.]

The difference is the economy is far worse now than in 1979.

Actually, no, in terms of unemployment and inflation.  Also, the Dow might have been down as a higher percentage than it is now.

[Mr.Phips]

The difference is the economy is far worse now than in 1979.

Actually, no, in terms of unemployment and inflation.  Also, the Dow might have been down as a higher percentage than it is now.

In 1979, the unemployment rate was around 5.8% and almost two million jobs were created that year. 

[J. J.]

The difference is the economy is far worse now than in 1979.

Actually, no, in terms of unemployment and inflation.  Also, the Dow might have been down as a higher percentage than it is now.

In 1979, the unemployment rate was around 5.8% and almost two million jobs were created that year. 

And increasing, as it would into 1980.  As noted, the misery index was substantially higher.