Reagan and Civility
It deserves mention that Ronald Reagan was a creature of Hollywood, and certain elements of Hollywood superficiality infused his presidency. The late Michael Deaver was the guardian and projector of the president's image, which was as calculated as the images that came out of the Kennedy White House. For instance, Lyn Nofziger and William Casey didn't look quite right for certain roles, while James Baker did, and as a consequence Casey and Nofziger were denied more public roles. One could also note other elements of Hollywood superficiality and wackiness weaved into the fabric of the Reagan years, including Nancy Reagan's reliance on astrology and Reagan's friendship with the psychic Jeane Dixon.
Nonetheless, Ronald Reagan was a prince of a man; and like his hero Franklin Roosevelt, he had a first class temperament. He was a man of civility who could reach out to Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill even after O'Neill publicly criticized Reagan's wife. He was generous to his partisan critics, including Edward Kennedy and his family, and he frequently praised and cited John F. Kennedy, and raised money for the JFK Library. His massive electoral victories were based on his ability to woo millions of Democrats into his fold, including large numbers of union members. He connected to them in a way that drove his opponents to distraction. He offers a corrective to those in these hyper-partsian times who view their opponents as somehow un-American. Reagan understood that politics was not a blood sport.
At his core Reagan was a descendent of the anti-Federalist, Jeffersonian streak in American politics. He believed in limited government, and his favorite quote was from Thomas Paine to the effect that we have it in our power to make the world over again. For Reagan, government was the problem; it was THE obstacle that prevented Americans from pursuing happiness. Yet this anti-federalist admirer of state rights and an advocate of strict judicial interpretation immersed himself in Hamiltonian trappings and followed a strain of Hamiltonian power politics in his approach to international relations. Whatever your take on Reagan's policies, he personified a strain of thought that is deeply American, for better or worse, and is not likely to fade away.
The real Reagan legacy is likely to fade away, if Obama succceeds at his task.
The skirting of congressional authority, the law-breaking and anti-intellectualism of the Bush years, all inherited from Reagan, are hopefully at an end.
It is telling how hard Reagan's supporters here have tried to separate him from Bush, his truest heir.
February 20, 2009 12:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr. Knott is being too kind; Reagan's Hollywood personae was conjoined to his political personae from the womb, and, indeed, formed the glib and genial shell that represents the totality of Reagan's personality for some people.
Indeed, Reagan had a natural persona and way of relating that charmed many, including Yiztak Shamir and Simon Wisenthal, who both became great admirers of Reagan, after he told both of them of his Army experiences in filming the Nazi death camps, in the wake of their liberation. Unfortunately, this is a falsehood made up by Reagan, as it is well documented that he never left the States during or after the war. (see President Reagan: Role of a Lifetime by Lou Cannon for details).
This is a prime example of what the Reagan detractors, here and everywhere are saying: Reagan's sunny personality was a mask, and that he prevaricated when it suited his interests.
Lastly, I wonder if Reagan really 'connected,' or if he 'disconnected,' because he eagerly dove into class and generational warfare, with his middle-class pitch relying heavily on resentment and reactionary feelings towards hippies and welfare queens. As for bloodsport and union support, Mr. Knott's assertions take a beating by the way Reagan handled the PATCO union strike.
February 20, 2009 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink