David,
Another factor to remember is that unlike the European countries so many would like to emulate, we don’t have a parliamentary system. Our political parties don’t have elected party leaders who form shadow governments to mirror the real governments formed by the majority party (or by the coalition of governing parties, in many cases).
Plus it’s a case of revisionist history to suggest that Ronald Reagan ever was considered the undisputed leader of the Republican Party before his presidency. He was a favorite among conservatives from the time of his famous 1964 speech for Goldwater until his election 16 years later, but Reagan always faced opposition from elements of the GOP who considered him too extreme, too old, too much of a Hollywood actor, etc.
The search for a single Republican leader seems to me like a media-driven exercise rather than an accurate reflection of the way the American political system works.
