Was President Ronald Wilson Reagan a Racist?

[Torie]

I am aware of no evidence to suggest any such thing. Now, granted, he did not have much contact with blacks, but he was quite popular with Hispanics, and Asians for that matter. Asians swung more Dem later.

[JSojourner]

Yes.  But I believe most people in the majority are.  But that's changing, thank God.

True, but it's important to separate racism from having prejudices.  Everyone has prejudices, and lacking them would be almost inhuman.

I pretty much agree, Paul.  I still haven't discerned what, if any, differences there are between bigotry and prejudice.  But racism is an entirely different kettle of fish altogether.  For one thing, I would suggest that to be a racist, one must have power (to some degree) over the object of his or her hatred.

I met racist blacks when I lived in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.  But very, very few.  More were just bigoted (or prejudiced) against white people.  Since then, I came to see how bitterly prejudiced I was against African-Americans.  That was more than 20 years ago and, thank God, maturity, time and faith have changed me. 

But was I racist?  The word is a tough one to pin down.  I had no power over anyone, except that I enjoyed majority status -- until I moved to the ghetto. 

As to Reagan, the original poster seemed to be saying his "welfare queen" stereotype (which continues to be a favorite of the Beck/Limbaugh crowd) was not racially bigoted.  Because, the OP tried to say, "whites can be lazy welfare cheats, too.".

And that's quite true.  But methinks the Gipper was being too cute by half. I find it very hard to believe he was sincerely talking about ALL people who abuse the welfare system...and was not trying to perpetuate a brutal stereotype for the sake of gaining traction among more bigoted majority voters.

[Psychic Octopus]

No, not in the sense of the era. Buta he may have held attitudes toards different ethnicities and races, as that was normal for the time. But no, he was not a true racist, he just simply didn't take positions on the issue.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I think Reagan was more ambivalent then anything else refarding race. He was not a racist.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I think Reagan was more ambivalent then anything else refarding race. He was not a racist.

I agree.  He expressed mixed feelings on civil rights.  If he did, in fact, oppose civil rights legislation, it was because he believed that it was an unconstitutional expansion of the federal government's power over the states (it wasn't-- the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment allows Congress to pass any legislation to ensure equal protection under the law). 
Oh, and before anyone cites evidence of Nixon using racist appeals in his infamous "Southern strategy", please read some of his quotes on civil rights, including his first inaugural address in 1969.  Pat Buchanan, who arguably created the Southern strategy, has said that it was an attempt to convince Southern moderates who supported civil rights (many of whom had relocated from other parts of the country) to vote Republican as a protest against the Democratic segregationists.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Holy bump, Batman!

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Personally? I don't think so. But he certainly blew the dog-whistle for political effect.

[Nhoj]

So this thread is basically JSojourner arguing with himself.

[Svensson]

Holy Mary mother of necroposts.

[Purch]

Reagan wasn't a racist. Reagan seems to me like the kind of president who was very conflicted, I've read books on him and he seems like the guy who came into the presidency truly beliving he could save everyone and that his economic plans would provide the means for that. Reagan truly belived in Reagannmics and I don't believe he forcasted that it would have the long term impact it did on the poor. Reagan seemed to be very disconnected from this country during his second term because the threat of the soviets truly haunted him so I don't think he truly understood that below the economic boom there was economic disparity in the making. Reagan was the kind of guy who seemed genuine whether he was talking to blacks, whites or Hispanics.

I wouldn't call Reagan the best republican president but overall I do think he was a good president who had good intentions and never truly accomplished what he set out to do. He has a lot of accomplishments but some crucial failures.


He's not the God republicans make him out to be but he was one of our better presidents. And I get the feeling if so much of his budget was spent on obsesion over the soviets than he would have been able to adress more of the problems happening within the country.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I would argue that the increase in poverty in the 80s was more the result of increases in drug abuse than Reagan's economic policies.

[ingemann]

He was quite likely not a racist, but honestly that just make him so much worse a person. I prefer anyday a politician who believe in the hate he spread, to a politician for who it's pure opportunism.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States%27_rights_%28speech%29

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I don't want to start a flame war, but states' rights could not constitutionally prevent Congress from passing civil rights legislation.  The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment states that Congress may pass any legislation to ensure equal protecting under the law.  I asked one of my PoliSci professors this same question and he said that the "states' rights" argument would have only held up in the case of segregation under the Articles of Confederation, which were a complete failure because it made the federal government too weak to be effective.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Note where he gave the speech, however.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I don't know if he was a racist deep down, but he did exploit racism for political gain, which is almost worse.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Does anyone remember that it was Reagan who, as President, made Martin Luther King Day a national holiday?

[ingemann]

I don't know if he was a racist deep down, but he did exploit racism for political gain, which is almost worse.

Almost? It's worst, give me a honest racist any day, over someone pretending to be it for political gain. A racist can be delegitimated and can learn to think differently, the pretender will just adapt and find some new hateful message to sell.

[hopper]

No I don't think he was. He did have minorities like Linda Chavez and Alan Keyes I think working under him.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Does anyone remember that it was Reagan who, as President, made Martin Luther King Day a national holiday?

He didn't want to do it, though. In fairness, niether did MLK's Family.

[Cory]

"Welfare Queens" is an obvious dog-whistle about black people. Let's face it, when you think of a "welfare queen" what do most people think of? A black woman with several children living off the government. It's a blatant play into the right-wing narrative that black people all cheat welfare and are criminals and drug-addicts. It was part of an overall ploy to frame the Democrats as the party of blacks, gays, minorities, hippies, ect. Whereas the GOP was portrayed as the party of white, hard-working "real America".

[Oldiesfreak1854]

"Welfare Queens" is an obvious dog-whistle about black people. Let's face it, when you think of a "welfare queen" what do most people think of? A black woman with several children living off the government. It's a blatant play into the right-wing narrative that black people all cheat welfare and are criminals and drug-addicts. It was part of an overall ploy to frame the Democrats as the party of blacks, gays, minorities, hippies, ect. Whereas the GOP was portrayed as the party of white, hard-working "real America".

Seriously, I think all these charges of "dog whistles" and "racist code words" are little more than conspiracy theories.  By the time Reagan became President, racial issues had mostly been resolved.

[Zioneer]

"Welfare Queens" is an obvious dog-whistle about black people. Let's face it, when you think of a "welfare queen" what do most people think of? A black woman with several children living off the government. It's a blatant play into the right-wing narrative that black people all cheat welfare and are criminals and drug-addicts. It was part of an overall ploy to frame the Democrats as the party of blacks, gays, minorities, hippies, ect. Whereas the GOP was portrayed as the party of white, hard-working "real America".

I recently read something that something along the lines of this: The specific "welfare queen" that Reagan referred to was also just a fusion of three people Reagan had heard of, who all were in jail for, guess what? Welfare fraud. So his point was made useless because the ones abusing the system were already in jail. All it was useful for was dog whistle racist code words, which really did exist. Look at Lee Atwater's thoughts on the strategy.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

By the time Reagan became President, racial issues had mostly been resolved.

I didn't know Reagan became President after the Rodney King beating and riots.

[LastVoter]

This poll would probably have different results now that Obama became President and racism is on the rise.