“Reaganmania Revives, But He’d Be Out of Step in the Trump GOP”

The Republican party prides itself on its long-standing legacy of being a party “of principles, not of men.” The reverence with which Ronald Reagan is held by some Republicans is evidence of their loyalty to that legacy. But today’s GOP is a far cry from how it was when Reagan was in the Oval Office, a fact which has many challenging the party’s embrace of its 40th president’s legacy. Reagan’s principles—small government, a strong defense and an appreciation of free trade—were forged in an era that most today’s GOP leaders and supporters could barely imagine. The world in which Reagan operated was much different from today’s. The Soviets were still a superpower, free trade agreements were just emerging, and the conservative base of the GOP was largely filled with ideologues with a deep distaste for government interference. The landscape of the GOP has since changed. Republican-controlled states have shown a willingness to expand government, albeit much more slowly than Democrats. On the flip side, the Republican base has drifted away from Reagan’s free-market ideals towards a more protectionist stance, andDonald Trump’s “America first” policy takes on even more extreme nationalist overtones. Meanwhile, the party’s newfound love of limited government has stalled in the face of unprecedented economic pressures. Instead of wholeheartedly embracing Reagan’s brand of fiscal conservatism, the GOP has strayed into anti-government politics, while simultaneously embracing large federal government programs like Social Security. Today’s GOP, then, is a much different party than the one Reagan presided over. Its embrace of free-market policies may appear on the surface, but in reality, it has strayed significantly from Reagan’s message. Republicans may be honoring Reagan’s legacy, but in many ways, his policies would be far out of step with the party he once led. The Republican party prides itself on its long-standing legacy of being a party “of principles, not of men.” The reverence with which Ronald Reagan is held by some Republicans is evidence of their loyalty to that legacy. But today’s GOP is a far cry from how it was when Reagan was in the Oval Office, a fact which has many challenging the party’s embrace of its 40th president’s legacy. Reagan’s principles—small government, a strong defense and an appreciation of free trade—were forged in an era that most today’s GOP leaders and supporters could barely imagine. The world in which Reagan operated was much different from today’s. The Soviets were still a superpower, free trade agreements were just emerging, and the conservative base of the GOP was largely filled with ideologues with a deep distaste for government interference. The landscape of the GOP has since changed. Republican-controlled states have shown a willingness to expand government, albeit much more slowly than Democrats. On the flip side, the Republican base has drifted away from Reagan’s free-market ideals towards a more protectionist stance, andDonald Trump’s “America first” policy takes on even more extreme nationalist overtones. Meanwhile, the party’s newfound love of limited government has stalled in the face of unprecedented economic pressures. Instead of wholeheartedly embracing Reagan’s brand of fiscal conservatism, the GOP has strayed into anti-government politics, while simultaneously embracing large federal government programs like Social Security. Today’s GOP, then, is a much different party than the one Reagan presided over. Its embrace of free-market policies may appear on the surface, but in reality, it has strayed significantly from Reagan’s message. Republicans may be honoring Reagan’s legacy, but in many ways, his policies would be far out of step with the party he once led.