``She's a really nice person.''
I disagree, at least in part. It's not a matter of nice vs. asshole; it's a matter of having your priorities straight.
Being an asshole is generally an impediment to getting anything done -- you end up with enemies that need to be fought at every turn, so that you end up so mired in trying to win those fights that nothing gets done.
If you look at the shambles that is today's Democrat party, you'll see that they're a party of assholes -- and as a result they get nothing done.
By contrast, the Republicans are generally a "nice" party, who get steamrolled because they can't seem to understand that one can be nice, and at the same time be principled -- and that, in fact, to be "nice" without being principled is to become an asshole.
Reagan was a nice man. He got things done because he was very clear about what was important. He was also clear on the fact that you actually need to do what's important. And as a result, he changed the world.
A guy like John Engler