Proof that no candidate is perfect…

…Obama is now comparing himself to Ronald Reagan.

?Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not, and a way that Bill Clinton did not,? he said, describing Reagan as appealing to a sentiment that, ?We want clarity, we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing.?

OK. Well, I guess I get what he’s trying to do here – appeal to centrists (and even right-wingers) the same way that Reagan was able to reach into the middle and draw significant support by being able to speak to people in a way fundamentally different from other politicians. But what’s inescapable, at least for me, is the fact that Reagan was an unmitigated disaster for America. Iran-Contra. Union-busting. Heck, George W. Bush’s government is a direct legacy of Reagan. Perhaps the best example of Reagan’s putrid legacy is this:

So while Obama is still my guy, I’d prefer if he cribbed more of his talking points from John Edwards, rather than the conservative right. Reagan does not deserve praise.