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Getting Right with Reagan: The Struggle for True Conservatism, 1980-2016
Republicans today often ask, “What would Reagan do?” The short probably not what they think. Hero of modern-day conservatives, Ronald Reagan was not even conservative enough for some of his most ardent supporters in his own time—and today his practical, often bipartisan approach to politics and policy would likely be deemed apostasy. To try to get a clearer picture of what the real Reagan legacy is, in this book Marcus M. Witcher details conservatives’ frequently tense relationship with Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and explores how they created the latter-day Reagan myth.
Witcher reminds us that during Reagan’s time in office, conservative critics complained that he had failed to bring about the promised Reagan Revolution—and in 1988 many Republican hopefuls ran well to the right of his policies. Notable among the dissonant acts of his Reagan raised taxes when necessary, passed comprehensive immigration reform, signed a bill that saved Social Security, and worked with adversaries at home and abroad to govern effectively. Even his signature accomplishment—invoked by “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”—was highly unpopular with the Conservative Caucus, as evidenced in their newspaper ads comparing the president to Neville “Appeasement is as Unwise in 1988 as in 1938.”
Reagan’s presidential library and museum positioned him above partisan politics, emphasizing his administration’s role in bringing about economic recovery and negotiating an end to the Cold War. How this legacy, as Reagan himself envisioned it, became the more grandiose version fashioned by Republicans after the 1980s tells us much about the late twentieth-century transformation of the GOP—and, as Witcher’s work so deftly shows, the conservative movement as we know it now.
Witcher reminds us that during Reagan’s time in office, conservative critics complained that he had failed to bring about the promised Reagan Revolution—and in 1988 many Republican hopefuls ran well to the right of his policies. Notable among the dissonant acts of his Reagan raised taxes when necessary, passed comprehensive immigration reform, signed a bill that saved Social Security, and worked with adversaries at home and abroad to govern effectively. Even his signature accomplishment—invoked by “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”—was highly unpopular with the Conservative Caucus, as evidenced in their newspaper ads comparing the president to Neville “Appeasement is as Unwise in 1988 as in 1938.”
Reagan’s presidential library and museum positioned him above partisan politics, emphasizing his administration’s role in bringing about economic recovery and negotiating an end to the Cold War. How this legacy, as Reagan himself envisioned it, became the more grandiose version fashioned by Republicans after the 1980s tells us much about the late twentieth-century transformation of the GOP—and, as Witcher’s work so deftly shows, the conservative movement as we know it now.
- GenresHistory
448 pages, Hardcover
Published November 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 6, 2020
i am not rating this book highly because i agree with reagan's politics, but rather because it is cogently written, mostly unbiased, and informative! it shies away from really unpacking the more distasteful things that reagan did—it doesn't analyze the iran-contra scandal well, or ever touch the heavily racialized and racist policies of the reagan administration—so it's best as a supplement to reagan's history, rather than a complete work, but it's done well all the same. however, it can be repetitive at times with the central thesis that reagan succeeded because he was pragmatic and diplomatic rather than permanently principled and unyielding; it gets repeated a lot. what i enjoyed the most is the fact that it explicitly unpacks and analyzes the mythology of the reagan administration and really strives to get at the heart of why conservatives have a reverence for what is largely an inaccurate memory of the man himself. definitely a serviceable read for scholars on either side of the aisle.
January 3, 2020
Wonderful book for anyone interested in our 40th president and the conservative movement! Most of what I have read about Ronald Reagan has been very partisan and controversial. Dr. Witcher, in a simple and coherent way, expels many myths regarding Reagan and tells the story of the "Reagan Myth" using facts and historical evidence. I highly recommend reading this book, and I look forward to reading more from Dr. Marcus Witcher!
January 21, 2024
Very detailed look at Reagan vs the conservatives.
Read it for the thorough notes section.
Read it for the thorough notes section.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews