They saw Reagan as the frontman/figurehead that he was. Bush 41 had the understanding of policy. Reagan didn't have the capacity. He surrounded himself with people who easily persuaded him, like Casper Weinberger, James Baker, Edwin Meese, George Schultz, and especially Don Regan, of Goldman Sachs, who basically engineered the massive transfer of wealth to the rich, which started under Clueless Ronnie. Even Nancy was alarmed at Regan's influence, and organized his ouster.
Reagan
brilliantly cash cropped Nixon's "silent majority" aka the white protestant belly of America. Ronnie was the Great American Cowboy, come to take America back from the atheists, hippies, and policy-elites, who were destroying a great nation with bra burning, dope smoking, free love, and welfare. He was sick of hearing complaints about our treatment of the Indians or Vietnamese, sick of those who would apologize for America's benevolent power; sick of seeing the Left attack the nuclear family; sick of seeing our cities turn into welfare slums, filled with drug dealers, crime, homosexuals, and festering ghettos. Ronnie rode in on his horse and he said: "I want my country back"
You have to credit Reagan. He was able to merge the libertarians, looking for tax cuts and less government, with the Evangelicals, looking to put Pat Robertson's Greasy hands all over America's art, schools, wombs, and souls. Only a Machiavellian evil-genius could combine such opposing camps. Reagan's charisma solidified a money machine which would spawn an industry of think tanks, publishing groups, political action committees, and lobyists . . . all of which would combined to move corporate money into government & media more effectively than any other political movement in history.
People don't understand Reagan's wizardry. He started as an FDR loving Hollywood elitist
who not only passed California's most liberal abortion policy but never set foot in a church. He stumped hard for Truman before his eventual political rebirth on the Goldwater campaign -- "A Time For Choosing". By the 70s he had transformed himself into a religious Conservative in order to steal the heartland from the Liberals, who sold FDR's working man down river in exchange for welfare queens and black panthers. He opened his campaign for president in Philadelphia Mississippi, telling white folk -- who were disgusted by the Civil Rights Movement -- that he was gonna get the fed off their backs.
You'd think that the Conservative base -- who pride themselves on political skepticism -- would have seen-through Reagan's highly choreographed, transparent metamorphosis into a religious savior. Nope. The Conservative base tends to turn their political leaders into God-like figures. Don't take my word for it. Use your Google. Their love for Reagan and Palin is all the evidence you will ever need.
Reagan seized white backlash better than any president before him. He moved populist anger from corporations to government. Palin is trying to co-opt the same white resentment, but she lacks Reagan's skill.
Love that woman....
