He is not a traitor. He is an independent thinker. Apparently Reagan valued that. He let his daughter Patty on a pretty loose leash too. After a while she chilled.
Apparently he was too busy being the politician to be the involved dad. Margaret Thatcher had the same kind of problems with her son.
My understanding is that both Ronald and Nancy were avid liberal democrats until Ronald became a conservative Republican in the 1960s. Son Ron takes after his mother. The adopted son, Michael, is a wingnut.
CLARIFICATION: Michael Reagan was adopted by Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman.