Is Trump just a "Rude" Reagan

Is Trump Just a “Rude” Reagan?
The View from the Middle

I will argue that the greatest President in my lifetime was Ronald Reagan, and I would be in good company. According to C-SPAN’s survey of Presidential historians, Reagan already ranks as the 9th best of all 44 Presidents we have had since 1789. This puts him above every President of my lifetime except John Kennedy, which Reagan should pass in the next survey if trends continue. This will put Reagan behind only the historical titans like Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and the Roosevelts.

Why do these historians rank Reagan so high? As I inspected the criteria these scholars used to rank these giants, I have to believe that the economic results of the country during his leadership had to play a big role. After extinguishing the Carter recession, Reagan lead the country to six years of phenomenal growth with annual GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth averaging 5.2%!! For Perspective the country’s average since 1929, when this measure was first utilized, has been 3.2%, and Obama’s last seven years averaged just 2.1%. 

He did all of this with a strategy that included lower taxes, reduced governmental regulation and a strong military. Sound familiar to anyone? His military build-up delivered what he promised – “Peace Through Strength’. Iran immediately released their American hostages after Reagan was elected. Russia took a backseat to the US in terms of global influence and was forced to “tear down” the Berlin wall. And Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan terrorist dictator, dismantled his nuclear weapons program after Reagan put a few cruise missiles in his ear. His tough but compassionate approach lead to one of the few war-free Presidencies since 1900 (Granada doesn’t count as a war, does it?).

The Gipper also shared a cynicism of the federal government that matched that of the common person in those days. He famously said that the 10 most dangerous words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.” Outside of the military, he wanted to shrink government to get it out of the way of the American citizens. He believed that personal freedom, responsibility and motivation would deliver the American dream to more people than any governmental program. Would he be trying to “drain the swamp”? Absolutely, so that Americans wouldn’t have to get bogged down in it on the road to that dream.

But most importantly he united the country behind his unapologetic, patriotic love for this country. He believed in “American Exceptionalism” and planted a positive vision for all our citizens as he declared, “It’s morning in America”. If he would have said “Let’s make America great again”, he would have done it with a twinkle in his blue, Irish eyes and a warm smile on his face. He rarely, if ever, publicly spoke poorly of others and especially not of members of his own party. Because of his respectful attitude towards even his political opponents and the authentic fondness he had for the average American, he ended his Presidency with the third highest approval rating since they created that measure, behind only FDR and (you guessed it) Bill Clinton. His average approval for all eight years of his administration was five points higher than media darling Barack Obama.

So, here’s the good news for Donald Trump. His policies are very similar if not identical to Ronald Reagan’s. He has already delivered a tax cut that is driving consumer and corporate confidence and more normal growth in our economy. He has slashed government regulations and that is encouraging business investment from around the world. Plus, he has just signed a $700 billion package for our military (while holding his nose, he says) that will not delight Russia, North Korea or Iran. This should start to give us the “strength” we need to deliver the “peace” that Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un are so desperately trying to prevent.

The problem for “The Donald” is that he doesn’t seem to know how, or have the desire to unite the American people as Reagan did. It’s not that he doesn’t have passionate followers. He does. But they are matched by extremely ardent opponents on the other side. We are becoming so polarized that it is almost impossible to have a respectful discussion of the issues. Now, Trump is not the only person adding to the toxic environment that has been created. Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton love pouring gasoline on this ideological fire, but Donald IS the President and I believe he needs to turn down the temperature of the political rhetoric.

Immigration seems to be the perfect place to start. The path to citizenship for almost two million dreamers was a very generous offer that the country seems to support. I have recently heard the President state categorically that the wall doesn’t have to be from the Gulf to the Pacific, but only about 700 miles. That again is reasonable and something that most Americans will support. And who wants chain-migration to include someone’s twelfth cousin’s neighbor’s barber. There is room to maneuver here, and we need a leader like Reagan to bring the parties together. Come on Donald! Be a Ronald!


Post article trivia bonus – In the first paragraph of this article I stated that there have been only 44 Presidents of the US, including Donald Trump. That is not a typo. He should be wearing a baseball cap with the number “44” on it. Why? Because Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. He is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms. Two terms, but just one person!! This should really be on jeopardy.