Hillary supporter (historian) Wilentz authors positive Reagan book

[Shakespeare]

Pointed out mostly as an object lesson in the importance of thoughtful, nuanced discussion, and the utter lack of the same around here lately. Wilentz does what many around here refuse to do: makes an objective and often positive appraisal of Ronald Reagan.

http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/05/13/ronald_reagan/

A snippet:

In the end, though, what fascinates Wilentz is not what Reagan did or didn't do but Reaganism itself: "an outgoing, energizing, even sensuous ideal of a bountiful, limitless American future open to everyone who was determined to succeed." Reagan, a former New Deal liberal, managed to co-opt the "bold, unapologetic nationalism" of FDR and John F. Kennedy on behalf of distinctly right-wing causes: paring back government, freeing up corporate enterprise and advancing American might and right, most especially against Communism. What Goldwater began, Reagan finished, and yet he was more than just the sum of his parts. "Reaganism," writes Wilentz, "was its own distinctive blend of dogma, pragmatism, and, above all, mythology. Although it had tens of millions of followers, its theory resided not in a party, a faction, or a movement, but in the mind and persona of one man: Ronald Wilson Reagan."

[ellisonz]

1. lol

[anonymous171]

2. Wilentz wrote that ridiculous "Race Man" article