It has become a fad amongst many of the “postliberals” (AKA “Post-American Right”) to bash President Ronald Reagan as some type of disaster, much of it cribbed from the Left in the ‘80s, as if he singlehandedly ended some fantasy ‘70s utopia of high morals and economic prosperity for the working man.
O.K., now that you’ve gotten your laughter under control, let us fisk one such fool who either is outright ignorant or glosses over historical reality at the time, such as having a Democratic House of Representatives for all eight years he served and a Senate majority (the first in nearly three decades) for only six of the eight.
“Leaving Reagan off the chart is deserving. An honest assessment of his legacy would make any honest person wonder why he has been so widely considered by the Boomers to be one of the greatest “conservative” statesmen of all time.
“His legacy includes…
“Granting amnesty to around 3 million illegal immigrants as president.”
Remember how the GOP never fully controlled Congress during Reagan’s Presidency? In return for a one-time amnesty which would help clear the deck to focus on enforcement, it became illegal to knowingly hire illegal aliens and created penalties for doing so. Since that one-off, conservatives have opposed amnesty, especially without securing the border before even considering it.
“Strengthening the Voting Rights Act and expanding Section II, including provisions that the Supreme Court just narrowed thanks to the Trump administration.”
Reagan opposed many of the proposals Congress was voting on which would have imposed any effect that could be seen as discriminatory, including a strict “results” test for discriminatory practices that would have resulted in proportional racial representation, which the Reagan administration got prohibited from being used. Considering it passed out of Congress by veto-proof majority (389-24 in the House; 85-8 in the Senate), we can thank Reagan for making the final bill popular. This is also a reminder that a lot of what the fool criticizes as selling out the Left was incredibly popular and had bipartisan support.
Slowing the march of the Left down, while not only tempering it, but laying the seeds for renewal often proceeds real lasting change, and far too many wizz on the heads of the giants, who came before them, upon whose shoulders they stand.
“Increasing the national debt from around $900 billion to nearly $3 trillion dollars.”
And no one has cared about the National Debt since the 20th Century, and unlike modern times where the drivers of the Deficit such as Social Security have become untouchable and insolvency is immanent, Reagan took tough measures to keep it solvent. It should also be noted that George W. Bush also tried to reform Social Security in such a way that would have kept it solvent even today if it weren’t for populist voices against it.
“Promoting unfettered free trade to the detriment of domestic production.”
Free trade helped the economy and Americans. The ‘80s are still known for being economically good times, especially in contrast to the stagflation of the ‘70s. Oh, and manufacturing cratered a decade before Reagan, while it began growing again during his Presidency.
“Directing American foreign policy on the grounds of ‘conservative internationalism’ which the Reagan Foundation describes as a ‘school of foreign policy that supports the expansion of freedom through the use of military force’ thereby laying the groundwork for the Bush doctrine.”
He’s literally complaining about the United States winning the Cold War. Why do these fools always pine away for the Commies? Ideological affinity, perhaps?
“Signing, at the time, the largest peacetime tax increase in American history.”
The top tax rate went from 70% to 28%. This is the opposite of “the largest peacetime tax increase”. Perhaps he was referring to the aforementioned Social Security reforms that kept it solvent? Maybe the tax reforms in ‘86 which helped simplify the tax code?
“Mistaking an electoral victory (winning 49 states) for actual regime change; leaving intact the Civil Rights Regime.”
Reagan also won by almost ten points and brought in a Republican Senate for the first time in nearly 30 years? The 1970s were the lowest nadir for Republicans outside of the Presidency since the ‘58 electoral wipe-out if not the Great Depression. Republicans built the groundwork to retake Congress in ‘94 and kept it for the first time since 1928!
And “Regime change”? We still have the Constitution, as battered as both parties today try to make it.
“Calling on Congress to pass the Federal assault weapons ban after he finished his second presidential term.
“…
“Signing the 1967 Mulford Act as Governor, which prohibited the carry of a loaded firearm in California.”
Back in 1967, gun control was a Right-wing opinion. Almost everyone thought that handguns could be made illegal and that the 2nd Amendment didn’t protect individual rights, including the Chief Justice of the United States. The Mulford Act was intended to publicly disarm radical groups like the Black Panthers. Even the N.R.A. was fine with plenty of gun control until a then-radical group took over during the mid-’70s, and even then gun control was still wildly politically popular until the ‘90s. Under Reagan, the shift towards our modern 2nd Amendment understanding began, which culminated in the Heller decision, by Reagan appointee Scalia and joinded by the other Reagan appointee Kennedy, under George W. Bush’s Presidency.
“Campaigning on abolishing the Department of Education and Energy, but chose not to abolish either as President.”
Can’t abolish by executive fiat what is established by statute. And again, the Democratic majority during all eight years of Reagan’s Presidency wasn’t going to abolish those agencies. Heck, it wasn’t even popular amongst Republicans at the time.
“Signing the 1967 Therapeutic Abortion Act as Governor, expanding access to abortion in California.”
Legalization of abortion on the state-level was widely popular, even in Protestant denominations. The only real opponents were Catholic priests. That didn’t change until Roe v. Wade created an expansive national standard under a Supreme court run by Nixon appointee Warren Burger. Moving American’s public opinion took time and effort, though, and Reagan was the first President to run openly as being Pro-Life.
“Signing the 1969 Family Law Act as Governor, which made California the first state to adopt no-fault divorce.”
Another example of something that was widely popular at the time, and unlike abortion or gun rights, there isn’t a huge political apatite to reverse that.
All in all, the fool tries to peddle the fantasy that unpopular Leftist positions were being championed by Reagan and the “surrender caucus” while ignoring that those positions were actually popular and no one opposing them was going to get everything they wanted. It is only upon building upon what they started that the modern conservative movement has been able to achieve so much.
Reagan saved America from economic stagflation and made it possible to win the Cold War. He also took conservatism from a politically fringe ideology to a mainstream one that continued to rack up victories long after his Presidency.
