In his latest Washington Examiner piece, Byron York discusses Ronald Reagan’s continuing influence on the Republican Party, more than two decades after he left office:
For today’s Republicans, the problem is that it’s easier to talk about lower taxes and strong defense than it is to guess what Reagan would do were he alive now. What would he do about health care, the deficit, immigration, and terrorism? Even his old confidantes can’t say for sure.
That uncertainty is one reason we see so much yearning among Republicans for another Reagan. “I’m always asked, ‘When will we see somebody like Reagan again?’ ” says Peter Hannaford, a longtime Reagan aide and author of “Recollections of Reagan”. “My answer is never. He was sui generis. Someday you’ll have somebody with some of his qualities and with that bigger-than-life aspect — but not yet.”
Meanwhile, Republicans are very much living in Reagan’s party. For Craig Shirley, the longtime conservative activist and author of “Rendezvous With Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America”, today’s GOP still reflects the man who was elected president more than 30 years ago. Back then, so-called “country club Republicans” were a powerful force in the party. “All these moderate-to-liberal Republicans considered conservatism the province of Neanderthals,” recalls Shirley, who is a consultant to The Examiner. Now, it’s the moderates who are virtually extinct. The result, Shirley believes, is “a more vigorous debate and a more honest choice for the American people.”
