“I hear you saying its OK to fudge on principles to make sure you get the top spot?”
Pretty much. Reagan was forced to promise that his first Supreme Court appointment would be a woman (who turned out to be Sandra D., a disappointment), but he knew he had to do it to sow up his victory.
It doesn’t help to lose as a purist and Reagan knew he could do a lot more good by winning.
You got that right.