Description
Book SynopsisTo try to get a clearer picture of what the real Ronald Reagan legacy is, in this book Marcus Witcher details conservatives' frequently tense relationship with Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and explores how they created the latter-day Reagan myth.
Trade ReviewThe legend is that Ronald Reagan unified the GOP and led it to a long string of successes. This outstanding book tells the true story, which is far more complex and fascinating. With depth, balance, and subtlety, Witcher explains how Reagan went from being the leader of a fractious party to a symbol of its aspirations.
Getting Right with Reagan makes a major contribution to the study of American political history, offering rich insights into the history and political uses of the Reagan myth." - John J. Pitney, Jr., Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics, Claremont McKenna College
"Marcus Witcher has written a bold and provocative book. Not everyone will be persuaded by his revisionist portrayal of President Reagan as a ‘pragmatist,’ or by Witcher’s contention that conservative ‘purists’ since the 1980s have constructed an idealized and mythical Reagan who owed his success to an unbending devotion to conservative principles. But readers of this volume will gain a deeper appreciation of Reagan’s immense and continuing impact on the mental landscape of the American Right." - George H. Nash, author of
The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America since 1945"The American conservative movement’s adoration for Ronald Reagan is seemingly limitless and only seems to grow with each passing decade. Yet Reagan was not the unwavering standard-bearer of conservative purity that his contemporary admirers imagine-though his pragmatism and flexibility were reasons for his success. In this valuable study, Marcus Witcher provides a more nuanced picture of Reagan’s presidency, explains how conservative views of the fortieth president evolved in the years that followed, and shows the consequences of the mythical Reagan." - George Hawley, author of
Right-Wing Critics of American Conservatism"Marcus M. Witcher’s
Getting Right with Reagan is a brilliant analysis of the US conservative revolution of the 1980s and beyond. It’s essential reading for anybody interested in the Cold War and the American political system. Highly recommended!" - Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University and author of
American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space RaceTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction: The Evolution of Conservatives' Perception of Reagan
Part I: Conservative Frustration with Reagan, 1945-1988
1. The Origins and Evolution of Reagan's Economic Policies
2. The Battle for Fiscal Conservatism: Supply-Siders vs. Budget Hawks
3. The Origins of the New Right and the Seeds of Future Frustrations
4. The Battle for America's Soul: Conservative Disillusion with Reagan on Social Issues
5. AIDS, the New Right and Reagan's Response
6. Neoconservatives, the New Right, and Reagan's First Two Years of Foreign Policy
7. The Year of Fear: Ronald Reagan and the Transformation of America's Foreign Policy
8. The Battle for the Cold War: Conservative Frustration with the INF Treaty
Part II: The Legacy of Evolving Mythology of President Reagan: 1988-2016
9. Recasting Reagan: How the Fortieth President Framed His Legacy, 1989-1994
10. Remembering Reagan: The Reagan Legacy in Conservative Politics, 1994-1996
11. Memorializing Reagan: Enshrining the Reagan Legacy, 1996-2000
12. Reinventing Reagan: George W. Bush and the Emergence of the Reagan Myth, 2000-2004
13. Reconstructing Reagan: How the Conservatives Created a Mythical Reagan, 2004-2008
14. Resurrecting Reagan: The Tea Party Movement and the Manifestation of the Reagan Myth, 2008-20169
Conclusion: Beyond Reagan?
Notes
Bibliography
Index
