BUT President Reagan COULD have DUMPED Bush in 1984 and didn’t!
You don’t fix what’s not broke. He had a successful coalition going and the country was starting to see ‘Morning in America’. RR was not one to change what was working and he had the GOPe showing him a lot of respect.
We should remember one other thing: it was rare, extremely rare that a VP would go on to be President. Not since Martin Van Buren had it happened. Therefore, for all intents and purposed, GWH Bush was considered to be neutered.
The one thing RR could have done better in his 2nd term is to promote persons and endorse them as his successor. Jack Kemp comes to mind. But RR was becoming twisted and tangled in the kangeroo court of Iran-Contra by the middle of his 2nd term so it wasn’t easy for him to promote and clear a path for a successor.
GWH Bush won election for one reason, because he was seen as RR Part II. He had RR’s afterglow going. And he was at first humble and respectful. In his first year of office he had a 90% approval rating. But then he reverted to his GOPe cult and we haven’t recovered since.
I believe Ted Cruz will be a better President than RR because he has the advantage of hindsight.