[antisocial]

"Do you remember the Reagan Democrats? Reagan got a lot of votes from Democrats (probably because he was a Democrat for a time) and he got a lot of votes from moderates."

Reagan got a lot of support from people who felt that the Democratic party had left them. (Just like it left Reagan)
He won their support by expressing CONSERVATIVE values. With Republican leading candidates trying to move the GOP to the left, how is that going to attract conservatives?

[Strategerist]

Reagan got a lot of support from people who felt that the Democratic party had left them. (Just like it left Reagan) He won their support by expressing CONSERVATIVE values.

Social Conservatism as it's understood today was hardly a focus of his campaigns. I'm sure you can produce a huge number of speech statements and written material with Reagan supporting an assortment of Social Con views, but it really wasn't what he was campaigning on, which was:

1) Strong Defense and opposition to Communism

2) Lower taxes

3) Reducing the size of the welfare state and government handouts.

[Coldwater Creek]

Exactly the reason that this Reagan Democrat changed their party affiliation.