I just wonder how Ron and Patti ended up so liberal, with a dad like the Gipper. Mike is conservative, as was Maureen (God rest her soul). Perhaps Nancy had liberal genes and Jane Wyman didn't??? Of course Mike was adopted so there goes that theory.
I've read that Jane Wyman became very religious after her marriage post-Reagan failed. Maybe there was some influence there that made a difference (although Michael indicated in his eulogy he came by his religious faith through his dad). It's kind of interesting the children from Reagan's failed marriage seemed to turn out as such solid citizens (despite early failed marriages) than the children of his long-term happy marriage. Go figure.
I heard somewhere that Nancy OK'd Buckley taking Ron to task -- the end of Novak's column seems to confirm this. Interesting. I wasn't clear if Novak was quoting a personal exchange Buckley had with Ron or a column by Buckley (I couldn't find such a column by Buckley in a Google News search).
Although she approves of stem cell research -- despite what seems to me clear evidence her husband would never have approved same (William Casey wrote a great column on that) -- I wonder how she feels about Ron appearing at the Democratic Convention on this issue, after his slams of the President in his eulogy and on CNN.
From what I've read, mostly on FR, Michael didn't get along with his mother possibly on the political views and had to transfer to his father's home. I strongly suspect that all of the Reagan women, rather like all of the Bush women, are more liberal than their husbands. Opposites attract, or so I'm told.