An apt comparison Steve. Thanks for the thought provoking commentary. In my opinion Reagan's failure to decimate the federal Leviathan was due to the Democrat Congress that inhered in the 1980s. Reagan I think focused his energy on getting defense spending and probably was intentional in horse trading with Dems to let them keep their welfare state in exchange for missiles and aircraft carriers.
Congress squandered a once in a generation trifecta opportunity in 2017 by accomplishing almost nothing, much to the delight of Dems and Rinos. Primarily failure to repeal "Obamacare" but also across the entire spectrum, with the exception of getting a tax cut and marginally conservative judges. It looks like we now will have another such "once in a generation" opportunity a mere 8 years later. Congress is generally less Rino-y than in 2017, but Rinos still exist in sufficient numbers to derail real reform. Let us hope they see the writing on the wall that they will be the next to be primaried if they fail at this moment.
Trump increased his popular vote in two subsequent elections, by 18% in 2020 and 6% in 2024. No U.S. presidential candidate has ever done that, not even Franklin Roosevelt, whose popular vote declined in his third election in 1940. The vaunted Obama lost 5% in his second election in 2012 and Harris managed to squander 6% of the inflated good will extended to her boss, Joe, in the 2020 election. Trump may be the most historically significant president since Lincoln. By the time his second term is done, I expect he will have accomplished more good for our country than any Republican president—even Ronald Reagan—since Abraham Lincoln.
It would be useful for Steve to extend this analysis to speculate about 2028 and beyond. Can Trump accomplish what few transformational presidents have done -- transfer their vision and mandate to his successor?
Roosevelt accomplished this by completing three terms and then setting up Truman as his successor. By barely winning 1948, Truman was able to extend the new deal era for two entire decades. (How did Truman end up getting selected?)
Reagan bungled this when the two leading Republican primary candidates for 1988 were GHW Bush and Dole. Kemp never took off.
If Trump can't hand the presidency off to a successor who embraces core MAGA beliefs, the transformation of the GOP into a conservative populist party will fade. The uniparty may be on its heals, but they will be reluctant to be out of power for more than four years.
In the wake of the Plandemic, what the electorate seems to have divined is that the Democrats have succeeded in making the federal government into a giant money laundering operation for their oligarch masters, of which Trump is antithesis. And now they seek to use the power of the government to censor us so we can’t talk about their grift and graft.
BTW, I have a signed copy of Age-2 I picked up at the Reagan library years ago!
An apt comparison Steve. Thanks for the thought provoking commentary. In my opinion Reagan's failure to decimate the federal Leviathan was due to the Democrat Congress that inhered in the 1980s. Reagan I think focused his energy on getting defense spending and probably was intentional in horse trading with Dems to let them keep their welfare state in exchange for missiles and aircraft carriers.
Congress squandered a once in a generation trifecta opportunity in 2017 by accomplishing almost nothing, much to the delight of Dems and Rinos. Primarily failure to repeal "Obamacare" but also across the entire spectrum, with the exception of getting a tax cut and marginally conservative judges. It looks like we now will have another such "once in a generation" opportunity a mere 8 years later. Congress is generally less Rino-y than in 2017, but Rinos still exist in sufficient numbers to derail real reform. Let us hope they see the writing on the wall that they will be the next to be primaried if they fail at this moment.
Trump increased his popular vote in two subsequent elections, by 18% in 2020 and 6% in 2024. No U.S. presidential candidate has ever done that, not even Franklin Roosevelt, whose popular vote declined in his third election in 1940. The vaunted Obama lost 5% in his second election in 2012 and Harris managed to squander 6% of the inflated good will extended to her boss, Joe, in the 2020 election. Trump may be the most historically significant president since Lincoln. By the time his second term is done, I expect he will have accomplished more good for our country than any Republican president—even Ronald Reagan—since Abraham Lincoln.
It would be useful for Steve to extend this analysis to speculate about 2028 and beyond. Can Trump accomplish what few transformational presidents have done -- transfer their vision and mandate to his successor?
Roosevelt accomplished this by completing three terms and then setting up Truman as his successor. By barely winning 1948, Truman was able to extend the new deal era for two entire decades. (How did Truman end up getting selected?)
Reagan bungled this when the two leading Republican primary candidates for 1988 were GHW Bush and Dole. Kemp never took off.
If Trump can't hand the presidency off to a successor who embraces core MAGA beliefs, the transformation of the GOP into a conservative populist party will fade. The uniparty may be on its heals, but they will be reluctant to be out of power for more than four years.
In the wake of the Plandemic, what the electorate seems to have divined is that the Democrats have succeeded in making the federal government into a giant money laundering operation for their oligarch masters, of which Trump is antithesis. And now they seek to use the power of the government to censor us so we can’t talk about their grift and graft.
BTW, I have a signed copy of Age-2 I picked up at the Reagan library years ago!
America has won that coveted "R" rating at last.