Republicans have abandoned the legacy of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan once served as a pole star for the Republican Party. How far has the current party departed from its longtime icon?
One measure can be found in the inaugural address Reagan delivered in January 1981. He began with an extended salute to “the orderly transition of authority as called for in the Constitution.” He described this transfer of power as “a solemn and momentous occasion,” and yet “commonplace,” too.
He stressed that this event “we accept as normal is nothing short of a miracle.” He thanked his predecessor, Jimmy Carter, the incumbent he defeated, for his “gracious cooperation” in the transition, for “maintaining the continuity which is the bulwark of our republic.”
In January 2021, a defeated Donald Trump abandoned this miracle. He trampled the bulwark, unleashing a violent mob on the Capitol, as part of a broader effort to overturn the result of the presidential election.
The political tumult since may obscure the menace posed by Trump and his collaborators in violating the country’s founding principles and values. They had no evidence of the stolen election they claimed.
Initially, many Republicans joined Democrats in expressing horror at the scene.
Yet today, Trump remains atop his party, again its presidential nominee, his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, an enthusiastic election denier, that stance something of a passport for Republicans in good standing.
Amid the clashing sounds of the presidential race the next three months, this betrayal merits a place front of minds. This was a profound test. Trump failed miserably, as Reagan understood.
Reagan said something else in that inaugural address. He declared, as many no doubt recall, that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” This was simplistic, even demonizing, in alluding to liberal excesses. The country has since relearned, at times painfully, the harm in unchecked and consolidating markets. Recall the 2008 financial crisis and deep recession.
Even Reagan seemed to grasp that things can go too far. He noted: “It is not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work.”
Unfortunately, too many in the current party show little affinity for the making-it-work part. They have doubled down on the theatrics first amplified by Newt Gingrich, notably in the government shutdown fiasco that failed to bully Bill Clinton. Perhaps the most obvious example is, again, the Jan. 6 insurrection, so many congressional Republicans rejecting the outcome of a fair election.
Yet there are other instances, larger and smaller. For example, Republicans have cudgeled the Biden White House for neglecting an “invasion” at the border. They overstate the problem. At the same time, the president proved slow to act. When he finally did, he backed a bipartisan effort to strengthen border enforcement as he and fellow Democrats made substantial concessions.
How did Republicans respond? They backed away from the proposal they played a leading role in crafting. Trump ordered them to cease. He worried about losing a potent campaign issue. Republicans balked at actual governing, or problem-solving.
Biden eventually opted for executive action. That is helpful. It is not sufficient.
Consider the posturing of Vance. The senator has made a practice of delaying the confirmations of career diplomats nominated to serve as ambassadors. As the Washington Post reported, he has deployed a questionnaire for nominees concerning social issues such as gay rights, gender affirming care and diversity hiring.
Put aside that career diplomats follow the lead of the administration. More troubling is that Vance neglects the outcome of the election. Voters selected Biden. Thus, Vance and fellow senators have an obligation in the main to honor that result by giving the president the team he seeks.
There are other episodes of Republicans going from a critique of big government to a disinterest in governing — from playing chicken with the debt ceiling to resisting sensible steps to slow gun violence. More, it hardly takes a leap to guess that Reagan would be appalled at a Republican ticket seemingly ready to abandon Ukraine, not to mention Trump’s flattering words
Even Reagan seemed to grasp that things can go too far. He noted: “It is not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work.” Unfortunately, too many in the current party show little affinity for the making-it-work part. They have doubled down on the theatrics first amplified by Newt Gingrich, notably in the government shutdown fiasco that failed to bully Bill Clinton.
for Vladimir Putin, among other autocrats.
Look no further than Ohio to see the path of the party. Rob Portman, a highly skilled legislator with a record of working with Democrats, chose not to seek reelection to the U.S. Senate. His pragmatic approach reflected the likes of George Voinovich and Bob Taft. Now the state party features front men such as Vance, Jim Jordan, an ideologue and provocateur, and Bernie Moreno, who said last year he wouldn’t bother to work across the aisle.
Ronald Reagan was an optimist, another striking distinction from the darkness of the Trumpian party. Surely, he wouldn’t be sunny about how Republicans have left his legacy behind.