Reagan spoke from his core beliefs, and he had much exposure to normal Americans.
From a lower class childhood, a common college, saving lives on a river as a major lifeguard of the region, 8 years of rubbing shoulders in the military, Reagan knew a lot about regular joes, and while he was personally first generation successful, he remained true to his humble, old fashioned Americanism.
Reagan knew who he was talking to and about.
I would suspect that philosophically, many that voted for Reagan in 80 and 84, had serious differences with him....you simply don’t win with the kind of margins he had unless you take a lot of votes from people that are normally politically on the other side. So what was it? Winning the office frankly is a lot about likability........that explains why Obama’s likability gap over Romney mattered. It’s not just about being right on the issues. Not to diminish Reagan, but in many ways the battle for the Presidency is somewhat of a “beauty contest.” Fortunately, behind Reagan’s facade, was a lot of substance.
We need a candidate with some “sizzle to go along with the steak.”