“I think that Reagan guy turned out okay.”
Indeed he did. However, I often think that the real “Ronald Reagan” could not live up to the legend that has become RONALD REAGAN. I think were he able to see what has happened to his image, he would be amused. One of the best real men we ever had in office.
I agree. President Reagan has been mythologized to such an extent that you’re probably right. He would definitely be amused at the caricature that has evolved of himself. The sad thing is that every candidate has to live up to this mythologized person that not even Reagan himself could live up to.
I do believe one thing, Congress is much more partisan now than in his day. People talk about how he got so many things done and it is true. However, I wonder how much conservative idealogy he could have gotten passed before the assisination attempt. The plain truth is that his tax cuts were dead in the water before the attempt. When he recovered and came back, Tip O’Neil had to give in to the tax cuts and that started a snowball effect of generating the economy back to life. Today he would be passing the jar of jelly beans around a lot more than in his time.