Ronald Reagan has often been called the greatest President in the history of the United States. His centrist social policies, aggressive foreign policy that lent to the downfall of the Soviet Union and Reaganomics that restored American financial strength were all well and good. But, that was 20 years ago. A lot of things have changed since then. For one, California doesn’t vote Republican anymore.
Yet, Republicans and conservatives remain obsessed with Ronald Reagan and his legacy. The RNC under Michael Steele sent out the following mail on his 99th birthday:
Today, I am pleased to honor the 99th birthday of President Ronald Reagan. Through his commitment to freedom, leadership and hard work, President Reagan spent his life serving our nation and the public good. Ronald Reagan’s accomplishments for our country are endless, and his unwavering commitment to the conservative principles is what enabled him to achieve so much. As we remember our former president on this special day, we should take time to learn from his example and remind ourselves and the nation that anything is possible for this country
This is just another example of shunning reality. Republicans under Reagan were a lot more moderate. George H. W. Bush, Reagan’s VP, typified the Rockefeller wing of the party that is sorely needed today.
The GOP of today has gone so far to the right that the majority of Americans still don’t trust it entirely. While Democrat approval ratings may have gone down, Republicans still sit at well under 50% according to Rasmussen.
The lesson to learn from Reagan is not that “anything is possible for this country,” which is just plain cliched. But that the GOP needs to return to its moderate center-right roots to win back voters. Scott Brown’s victory in MA shows that people are tired of the DNC. It does not show that the GOP is resurgent on its own merit.
