Conservative icon Reagan reshaped America
I somehow managed to aggravate a couple of my readers last night with my opinions on the passing of Ronald Reagan. I am not about to apologize for what I wrote, nor the timing of it, because it was an honest reflection of my opinion of the man's politics. Anyone who takes the time to read my post clearly will see that it praised Reagan the man while it expressed my profound distaste for Reagan's political legacy. It should also be said that death does not confer sainthood on a man. Indeed, the passing of a man of Reagan's stature is the perfect time to reflect on his place in history as best we can.
When I was in college, I remember that my general opinion of Ronald Reagan was that he was something akin to the Anti-Christ. Time and perspective have mellowed my perceptions a bit, but I still have a goodly amount of antipathy for the direction Ronald Reagan led this country in. If you want a slavishly adoring view of Reagan's politics, you can go here or here, or you can read virtually any opinion piece on Fox News. I'm not going to grant the man sainthood simply because he is now deceased.
Having said all that, I should also point out that I have a profound admiration for Ronald Reagan the man. His was a truly amazing life, the sort we will rarely see going forward. He grew up in the era of hand-crank telephones, and while in office he met men who had walked on the moon. His was a life that seamlessly bridged the old and the new. To call his life and times something of an American fairy tale would not be inaccurate- and perhaps that was part of his appeal. By the time he became President in 1988, he had already led a very full life. He had nothing left to prove in office, and that approach was part of what so many found so charming.
I am only being honest when I say that I abhorred Ronald Reagan's Cold War world view and the way his policies catered to wealthy Republican friends. I am also being honest when I say that I admired his grace, his humor, and the dignity with which he carried himself. No one could accurately have described Reagan as a craven, self-interested political hack in the manner of the current occupant of the White House.
We are where we are, for good or ill, in large part due to the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Whether that is a good thing or not I will leave to those who write the history books. From where I sit, my country is not a better place for having him as President for eight years. It IS a better place for having someone in office with his dignity, his humor, and his innate sense of grace and good manners. The current occupant of the White House could learn a thing or six from following Reagan's example.
