Let's also not forget how he spent his first term rather recklessly playing brinkmanship cold war games with the Russkies, to the point where a lot of normally intelligent level headed people thought he was actually planning to carry out a preemptive nuclear strike against the Soviets.  And thus the Sane Freeze anti nuke movement of the early 1980s and the landmark Hollywood film The Day After, perhaps the most directly influential movie ever made.

I've either worked directly in politics or been politically active for almost 25 years. And if I've gained anything regarding personal wisdom over that period of time, it's an understanding that all politics is relative -- meaning that we each have our personal views and opinions, which are shaped by both our individual and collective experiences.

Back in the late 1980s, when I helped lead the effort to preserve the Ka'iwi coast of east Oahu from resort development by convincing the public that it should become a state park, I learned that if I desired to effectively shape political consensus in a positive manner, then I had to first find the common ground amongst people, and then respectfully appeal to the better angels of their nature.

So, you can either patiently impart knowledge and build consensus in a respectful manner -- or you can harangue the crowd with "the truth," and thus offer up your own stridency to others as all the excuse they'll ever need to dismiss you as some sort of militant and / or extremist.

I think you need to ask yourself this question, just as I once did: Is my goal here is to actually work for positive and progressive change, or is it more important to me to always be right or be proven right, regardless of the potential fallout?

Speaking for myself only, if someone thinks that I can somehow be bullied into believing in the righteousness of his cause, I'm afraid that person is going to find me an awfully tough nut to crack. Indeed, it's my personal nature to either tune out or push back -- hard.

Just remember that when it comes to politics, you do not enjoy the monopoly on "the truth," any more than I do on "politically expedient bromides" -- a product which, I might add, you've doubtless managed to offer more than your share over the years, as well.

Yes, a lot of people still like Reagan and, unfortunately, "some of them want abuse you...some of them want to be abused.."

Cause and effect. The Demos blocked Repub attempts to reform F&F. The Demos blocked Repub attempts to increase drilling in 5/2008 and pop the speculators who right fully thought the Demos were anti drilling and would force a shortage. (They were right on the first, wrong on the second.) Bush finally issued his EO around 8/1/08 and the bubble popped. Gasoline prices dropped like a rock to $1.81 when Obama took power.

But the oil mavens took note of what he said on MSNBC that slow price rises would be okay and look what happened!

Slow but steady increases. And, of course, he made it plainer by Salazar's shutting down what Bush had done.

Link

And the point is that Obama was elected to fix the problems. He has not. In fact he has made it worse. That's real time stuff. And that's what people live and buy groceries and gasoline in.