“...of Ronald Reagan, who saw the wisdom of leaving Beirut and getting out of Middle Eastern political affairs.”
Getting out? Is this the same Reagan that bombed Libya and set up an alliance with Egypt (including frequent military exercises there?)...the same Reagan that vocally supported Israel?
Your Reagan never wooed evangelical groups. Your Reagan never embraced Christian conservative morality. Your Reagan never opposed personal drug use.
Your Reagan is a libertarian fantasy that didn’t exist.
“Your Reagan is a libertarian fantasy that didn’t exist.”
While you are correct in that Ronald Reagan never declared himself a libertarian, he regularly spoke very highly of libertarianism as an ideal and an ideology.
Have you read the Reagan Diaries? Most of the rightwing political leaders Reagan blasted and/or complained about in his writings are/were those who were more associated with the Christian conservative movement, ie: Richard Viguerie and others of the New Right ilk.
For the most part, Libertarians liked Reagan - and Reagan liked Libertarians. Just the way it is...
As for Ron Paul’s win in MD, I drove through MD over the weekend - and there were “Ron Paul: Revolution” signs hanging off of bridge overpasses on routes leading to their State Fair, where the MDGOP straw poll took place. Also, MD has a pretty active libertarian contingent - both within and outside of the GOP.
Well, I’m a Christian, and while I’m opposed to the drug war, it’s because the drug war does more harm than the already harmful drug use! Ron Paul supported the invasion of Afghanistan. Ron Paul supports Israel, by advocating no more money go to Palestinian terrorists!
“My Reagan”... sorry, you can’t paint me with that brush.