Diggins (and presumably approved by Will) raises a straw man in Reagan's putative Emersonianism. Reagan's strength was not in "telling people what they wanted to hear," or that desire for government entitlements was "good." Any hack columnist or college professor can do that. But like Emerson, his strength was to call people to their higher nature, their self reliance, their aspirations, and inspire them to attempt to live up to it.
And, like Emerson, he was an American original. When Reagan spoke of "the people" he was speaking of Americans. Perhaps kindred spirits elsewhere, but he was not indiscriminately concerned about the human race at large.