You know for someone who chooses a name like "Reagan Man," I would think you would follow more in the Great Man's path and observe the 11th Commandment.
ML/NJ
Do you mean the same 11th Commandment that Rudy used to vocally supported and publicly/proudly endorse a far-left, liberal, big-government, socialist, democrat like Mario Cuomo over the Republican candidate for governor (because the Republican wanted to cut taxes ‘too much’)?
FACT! Reagan didn't create the 11th commandment. California state GOP chairman Gaylord Parkinson created that slogan in 1966 during the race for Governor. It was meant to counter the attacks on Ronald Reagan from his GOP primary opponent, liberal San Francisco Mayor, George Christopher. For the next ten years that slogan was dormant in the political arena. To my knowledge Reagan didn't use it once.
"The personal attacks against me during the primary finally became so heavy that the state Republican chairman, Gaylord Parkinson, postulated what he called the Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican. It's a rule I followed during that campaign and have ever since."
In 1976 Reagan broke his own rule. Conservative Reagan challenged Pres Ford for the GOP nomination. Reagan savaged Ford with attacks on both his domestic and foreign policy agenda and rightly so. The Ford campaign slung some mud at Reagan as unqualified to be POTUS. Said he was a cowboy. This contentious campaigning went on through the primaries and into the GOP convention. In the primaries, Ford won 15 states and Reagan won 12 states in the closet primary election phase in US history. Ford beat Reagan for the nomination, 1187 delegate votes to 1070. Reagan lost the nomination by 60 votes!
My point being, not criticizing and/or attacking your political opponent has not been the case throughout US political history. That includes the political campaigns of Ronald Reagan. The Founding Fathers were real good at taking down their political opponents too. Just look at US history.