Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina had introduced legislation Tuesday that will change the face of the $50 bill from President Ulysses S. Grant to President Ronald Reagan.
"Every generation needs its own heroes," McHenry wrote. "One decade into the 21st century, it’s time to honor the last great president of the 20th and give President Reagan a place beside Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy," but Democratic Representative Brad Sherman of California, who is on the House Financial Services Committee said he is not prepared to allow the legislation to proceed for "someone whose policies are still controversial."
While McHenry points to a survey from 2005 that shows Reagan polling higher then Grant, this is not the first time this issue has come up. Five years ago, Republicans tried to make the change but it eventually died in the House Financial Services Committee.
"Our currency ought to be something that unites us," Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., told the Los Angeles Times.
In my opinion, it appears that Republicans have been on a quest to bring Reagan to the forefront of that national scene, evoking his name whenever the opportunity arises, and regarding changing the face of our currency, I believe this act in particular to be a form of passive advertising, putting a well-known recent Republican in your pocket, as a reminder of conservatism each time you pull out a bill. While seemingly benign, the GOP will use our own currency as a propaganda tool...
Any information about what other presidents poll higher than Grant? I'm sure Clinton would, and he might poll higher than Reagan too.
ReplyDeleteWhile I too think it is purely an advertising ploy (clever one at that), will it really be that effective? How many voters walk around with $50 bills in their pockets? My highest denomination is usually a $20 but I $10s are more common, and I usually carry neither as I use a Debit card for most of my purchases.
Many Republicans apparently do... Democrats only cater to the poor, remember your GOP history lessons?!
ReplyDeleteWhile 20s are the most common bill, They can't change the 5 because that has another Republican staple - Lincoln (and their only cred with the African-American community)...
As for ranking, I have come across several. One places Grant at 38 and Reagan at 26 (Clinton was 23)...
ReplyDeleteTeddy Roosevelt is number 5, but the GOP don't like him anymore because the teabaggers don't (because he's progressive)...
Ike is also in the top 10, AND he was a war hero...
Essentially, Reagan is God to the GOP, even though the modern incarnation of the GOP is more of a bastardization of Reagan's party. The religious right has made sure to help along the way, with the Bush administration facilitating the right wing desires...
That's a terrible idea that would devestate the economy. So many people would use fifties as toilet paper that the money supply would plummet.
ReplyDeleteFunny... conservatives are constantly blasting Obama, calling him another Jimmy Carter, but according to this ranking of presidential greatness, Carter ranks 19th - 7 places higher the lord Reagan.
ReplyDeleteHere is a wikipedia ranking:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_United_States_Presidents
While Reagan is higher, you could also use the George Bush approach to determining greatness - wait and then see how things measure up, but I would think that the right's infatuation with #40 might skew the numbers...
Bush is ranked from 19 - 36 on these polls, but the right believes time will prove it to be higher... Maybe the lasting effects of the Reaganocracy will prove to be a negative mark on his ranking...
Personally, I don't think Reagan was all that special. I would rank him above average, but think that he could have performed better under the circumstances. When compared to his successors, I would probably be inclined to view Clinton as a stronger pres.