Probably not, but there were enough moderate or conservative Democrats and enough moderate or liberal Republicans in Washington that the conflict between the two parties was more muffled than it is today.
It wasn't that Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan were friends, it was that neither could count on getting everything his own way, and they had to work maybe with each other, but certainly with people who didn't agree with them 100%.
The GOP establishment was solidly against Reagan. He was too inexperienced or too conservative to suit them. They never did warm up to him, witness GHW Bush’s veiled insult in his “kinder, gentler America” theme.
Really? They voted for him. He may not have been their dream candidate or president, but they generally supported him.
Who was in Reagan's cabinet anyway? Schultz, Baker, Schweiker, Brady, Thornburg, Peirce, Brock? Plenty of moderates.
Tax cuts plus a hard-line on Russia (at first anyway): that was acceptable to pretty much all Republicans and most Americans.
If you've sniped at other Republicans down through the years, you've done what you reproach the '80s Establishment for -- probably more -- so what's the problem?
“Probably not, but there were enough moderate or conservative Democrats and enough moderate or liberal Republicans in Washington that the conflict between the two parties was more muffled than it is today.”
Yeah, Lowell Weicker and Bob Packwood were such a pleasure to have in the GOP. The sniping was more muted because there was no internet and no social media.
“Really? They voted for him.”
I guess you missed the primary.
“If you’ve sniped at other Republicans down through the years, you’ve done what you reproach the ‘80s Establishment for — probably more — so what’s the problem?”
My, aren’t you the superior specimen. I see the infghting for what it is, I don’t whine about it. You’ll need to try your little game on someone else.