I’ve said before that historians should not write about their own times. I believe that they are too close, too intimately involved in their own age as to be, in any sense of the word, objective. I am of a mind that it takes at least a good 50 to 75 years to be able to put the past into perspective, at least into a realistic perspective. This means that, as of October 7, 2008, we should just be starting to understand 
Eisenhower, and his role in history.
Still, because like any other historian I am a product of my times, and because I said on Wednesday that I was going to write about my favorite presidents (as opposed to the most historically significant presidents) I have to be okay telling you about #3 on my list: Ronald Reagan.
Now, you all likely know Reagan’s stats; I don’t need to tell you about his career as an actor, his marriages, his time as governor of California. If you can read this, you were probably around when Reagan died, too.
By way of disclosure (because every honest historian ought to disclose such things) let me tell you that I come from a working-class union family in Michigan. My family, with rare exception, have been Democrats; many of them lamented the day that Reagan lost to Carter. As a junior in High School, as part of a free-writing creative exercise, I composed the following poem:
America down, down, down
Nancy gown, gown, gown,
Ronald clown, clown, clown.
I can’t recall the exact details, but essentially there was some news story about Nancy Reagan’s taste in clothing that week. As a youth, I would have had nothing positive to say about Ronald Reagan, except perhaps that he handled the Challenger disaster well.
At any rate, I experienced, as many young people do, a political conversion in college. Instead of converting left however, as is the common practice, I converted right. So, today, I am a conservative who typically votes Republican. Obviously, then, I’m a fan of Reagan’s political ideology.
But beyond all of that, here are some things that I like about Reagan as a president:
- Stamina. For a man his age, especially, this guy worked like a dog. Heck, he got shot and was up and running in days.
- Conviction. I respect conviction, be it on the left or the right. Bill Clinton was a politician, not an ideologue; I can respect a Howard Dean more than a Bill Clinton in this regard. However, Reagan takes the cake. He knew what he believed to be right for the country, and followed through with it. When he said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” everyone knew he meant it. And, Reagan knew how to shut up a mouthy little worm of a dictator, too. Just ask Quadaffi.
- Flair. Reagan knew how to handle his public image, something that George W. Bush has never done well. Whether it is “I paid for that microphone,” or “there you go again,” Reagan had a way with handling his opponents with finesse.
- Impact. Republicans will, for a long time, be looking for the “next Reagan” the way that Democrats have been looking for the “Next JFK.”
- The political miracle. Reagan was a dark horse for the presidency, and even for the Republican nomination at one point. But, at every step, history favored his election. In this way, he had something in common with Polk, I think.
- Finally, the way that Reagan handled the Cold War was masterful. While I think it really is too early to know for certain, I do believe that Reagan’s handling of the Soviets, from walking out of summits to SDI, played a role in the collapse of communism.
Well, there you have it, the big 3. Other candidates included T.R., John Adams, and Cal Coolidge, all of which I’m sure I’ll write about here at some point.
