Stephen Knott argues that Reagan's "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-partisan times who view their opponents as somehow un-American. Reagan understood that politics was not a blood sport."

Undoubtedly, there is a kernel of truth to this; and it's point I made in my earlier post. But before the mythologizing of Reagan gets out of hand let's take a step back. There was also a dark side to Reagan's conservative appeal - it was rooted in the white backlash that came out of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

In 1980, half the electorate thought the government was "too powerful." That was the highest anti-government sentiment since the question was first asked in 1964. But if you look inside the polls what you will find is that voters didn't have a problem with Social Security, or anti-crime initiatives or spending on education; they were upset about money going to welfare and public housing. These, of course, were programs that disproportionately impacted poor, minority populations- and they were programs that conservatives railed against for years. Indeed it was the white backlash against public housing initiatives in California that helped Reagan win the Governor's Mansion in 1966.

While these sort of big government/racial connections were first being made by George Wallace and Richard Nixon, it would be foolish to argue that Reagan didn't benefit - or contribute to them.

After all, the man announced his candidacy for President in Neshoba, Mississippi, the place were three civil rights workers had been murdered. On the campaign trail he railed against Cadillac-driving "welfare queens." And of course, as President he shredded the social safety net. Perhaps worst of all, Reagan's conservative populism was directed at white middle class Americans who, as Stephen points out, were wooed into the Republican fold. But under Reagan's tax policies it was not middle class America, but in fact the nation's wealthiest citizens who won the greatest reward.

Reagan didn't necessarily demonize his opponents or engage in hyper-partisanship, but in Reagan's politics there was most certainly a scapegoat and a rhetorical punching bag. It just happened to be the most vulnerable Americans in our society.