The Reagan Legacy: A Schism on the Right

Ronald Reagan's reputation has been scrutinized in recent years by conservatives, with some dismissing his legacy as "Boomer porn." The ascendancy of Donald Trump's economic populism and nationalist instincts has driven the reevaluation, with figures like Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative, arguing that Reagan got key issues wrong. A Pew poll last year found that 41% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents named Reagan as the best president of the past 40 years, while 37% awarded that title to Trump. This internal battle over Reagan's legacy reveals a schism on the right, with factions painting portraits that omit his pragmatic and compromising nature.

Key Takeaways:

• The legacy of Ronald Reagan is being reassessed by conservatives, with some arguing that his influence should be buried.
• A Pew poll last year found that 41% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents named Reagan as the best president of the past 40 years, while 37% awarded that title to Donald Trump.
• Three factions are driving the debate: those who reject Reaganism, those who defend it, and those who stress the commonalities between Reaganism and Trumpism.
• The dissenters, who seek to bury Reagan's influence, argue that his policies plunged America into costly wars and accelerated the decline of the middle class.
• The traditionalists, who would like to see a return to Reaganite support for free markets and a more idealistic foreign policy, argue that Trump's economic populism and nationalism are at odds with Reagan's legacy.
• The ecumenicists, who argue that there is considerable continuity between Reagan and Trump, include figures such as Dan Negrea and Robert C. O'Brien, who invoke Reagan's mantra of "peace through strength" in making a case for Trump's foreign policy.
• Reagan's pragmatic streak is often overlooked, including his signing of legislation supporting the environment, gun control, and abortion rights as governor of California.
• Reagan's realism manifested itself in his approach to foreign affairs, including withdrawing troops from Lebanon after the U.S. Marine barracks was bombed there in 1983.

Statistics:

• 41% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents named Ronald Reagan as the best president of the past 40 years in a Pew poll last year. (Source: Pew Research Center)
• 37% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents awarded that title to Donald Trump in the same poll. (Source: Pew Research Center)
• The Second Gulf War, which occurred during Reagan's presidency, resulted in the deaths of approximately 4,500 American service members. (Source: CNN)

Sources:

• "The Crusader" (2006 book)
• "What Would Reagan Do?" by Chris Christie (book)
• "The Search for Reagan" by Craig Shirley (book)
• A judicious biography, "Reagan," by Max Boot (book, scheduled for publication on Sept. 10)
• "Compact" (online magazine)
• "The American Conservative" (newspaper)
• "The New York Times" (newspaper)