Reagan Column, Vitamin Z exclusive
Here was my incredbly biased column from last week:
Let it never be said that Ronald Reagan did not make mistakes.
If one were to write a glowing column of Reagan’s eight years in the White House, they would have to forsake the Iran Contra, the Grenada mess, and other indiscretions.
But even the greatest men can make errors. Particularly in one of the most turbulent periods in world history, it would be unfair to expect perfection.
Reagan took risks. I was a happy child in the 1980s, and thus, never cared much about the continuing arms race. If I were 10 years older, I may have hit that nervous breakdown of mine a bit earlier.
But you know what? It worked.
In 1980, people were still predicting violence from the cold war. Not only did we never see a showdown between the USSR and the United States, the continuing years produced the end of the “war” and the collapse of communism.
He knew when to seek peace, finding a soul mate of sorts in Mikhail Gorbechav. For all the criticism Reagan took for building up the military, he must be given credit for working towards common ground with the leader of the so-called (by him) “evil empire.”
My biggest complaint about Reagan was the Iran Contra. If for no other reason than we had to see Oliver North on television every hour of every day during a period in the mid-1980s. But it was a naive plot, one that didn’t work and is something that was—make no mistake about it—wrong.
Some have argued that Reagan’s main concern was protecting American hostages. But he should have recognized the trouble it would cause.
But then again, America has bargained before in tough times. America fought an entire war in the 1950s only to get things back to the way they were. America believed and supported the Shah of Iran in the 1970s, despite a troubling human rights record.
Reagan was not perfect, but no one—and no country—is.
But I imagine that in the years that follow, it will be the relationship between Gorbechav and Reagan that will be the man’s lasting legacy. The two men realized that things couldn’t continue the way they were.
They say that history is written by the winners. Reagan won two election landslides. He remains the main catalyst behind the conservative movement that began in 1980 and has continued to this day.
Some love him for that, and some hate him for that, but his influence cannot be denied. I couldn’t help but think that most republicans today got into power because of Reagan, while democrats may have gotten into politics despite him.
The man restored America’s confidence after the fall of Iran. He gave America a clear leader, one that could articulate his points so well that even his bitterest of political enemies have lauded his communication skills.
His leadership created a new political faction—The Reagan Democrats—those that voted for liberals like Howard Metsanbaum and then selected Reagan-Bush on their card.
I am a resident public defender for the current president, but I wonder how many non-republicans will be voting for him in November.
Probably not many.
Ronald Reagan is now gone, but his legacy, and the divergent opinions about him, will continue forever.
But from my perspective, he was a main reason for ending the biggest threat to nuclear war, and made America stronger.
He wasn’t perfect, but in my opinion, he was the closest to it a president has come in my lifetime.
And I have to say thank you for that.
