Friday’s theme in the Republican presidential primary was a battle for the legacy of Ronald Reagan.
The Romney team hosted a conference call with ex-Reagan staffers who claimed Newt Gingrich had no claim to the Gipper’s legacy. The Gingrich team fired back with ex-Reagan staffers of their own (and a former biographer of Reagan) who claimed Newt was the evident heir of the GOP hero.
How to arbitrate this division? TPM reached out to Lou Cordia, the head of the Ronald Reagan Alumni Association.
In 2007, Cordia told World Net Daily that he “considers Gingrich, along with Reagan, one of the ‘two conservative revolutionaries of the last 100 years.’” But he told the website back then that it would be hard for Gingrich to get the nomination because of his personal history.
This time around, Cordia told me Gingrich is leading the way among ex-Reagan staffers. Here’s his explanation of the breakdown among the association members from an email exchange we shared Friday afternoon:
“In my conversations with many, my informal survey would conclude that Reagan Alumni support is in the following descending order (and I’ve added the most often-stated reasons):”
1. Newt Gingrich - “primarily for his leading the 2nd wave of a conservative revolution in 1994 and folks believing we need fundamental change from Obama’s direction. And having Michael Reagan endorse him helped tremendously.”
2. Mitt Romney - “for successfully advancing a number of conservative policies in the Democrat-dominated State of Massachusetts, including “taking MA from billions in deficits to billions in surplus” (said by a few folks, but I personally didn’t fact check).”
3. Rick Santorum - “for working closely with conservative groups on legislation while in the Senate, including leading on Welfare Reform.
4. Ron Paul - “for his limited-government principles that libertarians espouse.”
So: each of the candidates gets their slice of the Reagan legacy according to Cordia. But, like in the nomination hunt itself, there can be only one winner. And according to the man who stays connected with thousands for former Reaganites, that winner is Gingrich. But will it really help him in Florida? Odds are that if Romney triumphs there, Reaganites will find plenty of similarities between the Cold Warrior and the former Massachusetts governor. Some of them were elaborated on the Romney call today by former Reagan administration Ambassador Rich Williamson. He explained that Romney’s less-than-stellar past when it comes to hewing to conservative principles and even voting for a Democrat in the 1992 presidential primary actually makes him more like Reagan than those who revere him in the GOP might think.
“Reagan was a Democrat,” Williamson said. “President Reagan had Democrats in the administration…but he, as he got older, he got wiser and became a consistent and the most effective voice for conservative principles.”
“I think Gov. Romney last night [in the Jan. 26 debate] explained that during the ’80s and early ’90s he was engaged in business and not that politically active,” Williamson added. “He also said that during his governorship, he became more conservative as he wrestled with these issues. So we’re not trying to claim one is closer or not closer to Reagan, we’re simply saying…Newt Gingrich exaggerates his role and relationship [to Reagan].”
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
the idea that "as he [Reagan] got older, he got wiser..." is, especially in light of what we now know about his mental status over time, hysterical on its face.
Go smoke some more weed, weedy. There is no evidence that Reagan had any diminished mental status while he was in office. He was diagnosed with alzheimers in 1994- 5 years into retirement. And you were not his doctor
they're all about 150 years old now so they must be for newt cuz he's such a 19th century man...
Back to The Gilded Age!
Only after the names of the ex-staffer's are released should we care. We need to know which were part of the Firewall built to protect Reagan from Impeachment re: Iran Contra. They will lie until the day they die about the cover-up.
And yet, the lie persist's - just ask GHWBush! He was a co-conspirator!
Unions make rich people share !
Unions impose onerous work rule and make employees insolent and lazy.
Just to set the record straight, way down below, I referred to my late mother as a blue dog democrat, as opposed to a yellow dog democrat. (These colors! I get so confused during primary season.) Mom, stop rolling in your grave.
Carlos Fiance Carlos, you gave mom good reason to be rolling over in her grave! Very careless of you. But after impressing me with your use of "a priori" in a previous post it's nice to know I'm not the only phenomenologist here at TPM.
thisisjusttosayy Ha! You give me too much credit- I thought you wrote "phrenologist" at first.
I guess TPM is closed down for the weekend. And then there's livefyre......
This tells one all one needs to know about the modern GOP. The current candidates all vie for the imprimatur of an Alzheimer's riddled former President who oversaw the worst Dow collapse since the Great Depression.
After midnight, great truths emerge... it is now clear that the four surviving Republican candidates actually are the mascots for General Mills' monster cereals.
Mitt Romney is Frankenberry
Newt Gingrich is Count Chocula
Ron Paul is Boo Berry
And Rick Santorum (soon to be withdrawn from the shelves) is Fruit Brute.
Mittenberry and Count Newtula debate:
David oh, for shame! thanks for totally messing up my cherished trips down the cereal aisle.
Are those staffers still coherent? I'm just saying, considering who their boss was & they are 30 years older. Plus, you've got to question anyone that doesn'r remember enough about Newt Gingrich that they could endorse him today.
leftflank one thing is clear: Newt Gingrich is a 100% neo-conservative. He is just fine with Big Government so long as it's on *his* side, doing what *he* wants.
This nation rejected neo-conservatism pretty decisively in 2006 and 2008. We are still paying the costs of neo-conservative policies like the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and of course the security policy short-sightedness that was fixated on re-fighting cold war struggles with Russia rather than the threat of terrorism, which led to 9/11.
Can you *please* put another story "above the fold"; seeing that guy makes me almost physically ill. I lived through the Reagan years; they sucked. They were the beginning of a long period of right-wing economic suckitude, where insane, disproven theories have held sway. Put up something less depressing, like a bank robbery or something. Jeez.
dougom Heh. I can just see how the right-wing blogs will read that: "Liberals support bank robbery: is this what they mean by 'redistributing our wealth'"?
David If only the crew from "Leverage" were available in, ya know, real life. (Speaking of bank robbery.)
Of the nine announced candidates, five have dropped out: Pawlenty, Cain, Bachmann, Huntsman, Perry. Pawlenty and Huntsman have endorsed Romney, Perry and now Cain have endorsed Gingrich, making them even in hopeless ex-candidate endorsements. Is an endorsement from Bachmann expected, or has she given any indication of where her sympathies lie? Who is Rick Santorum likely to endorse when his campaign inevitably collapses?
David whomever is in the rear, er, of polls?
Nobody's cooler than the President from 5 administrations ago...
andrewrbussiere Actually, there is plenty.
=D
The Ronald Reagan Alumni Association? Your kidding right? I think I'm gonna puke!
Republicans have a history of stale, static, status quo. Don't change, new ideas are bad. It's why the fundies climbed on their band wagon.
When things were pretty good why mess with them? Democrats seek a progressive utopia, based on american "ideals" that were never really embraced by the majority.
bills8259 The GOP "ideals" of killing the middle class, worshiping greed, f*cking your community, endless-war-for-profit, welfare for millionaires, and shallow, truth-imapired News-Of-The-World newscasts, weren't "really embraced by the majority," either. It didn't stop your party, the GOP, from dragging America into a ditch though.
Hypocrite.
bills8259
Democrats seek an America that's just a little bit better than the one we have today, based on the idea that there's always room for improvement.
Reagan, an elitist Hollywood actor (ouch), debt exploding-tax hiking establsihment politician that gave comfort to our enemies. This is the Golden God held on high by the entire right-wing. And btw, they've had 30 years to come up with a relpacement rather than lionize the barely coherent St. Ronnie & they've got zero, I mean Newt.
Better than the effete, wimpy, indecisive community organizer who currently occupies the white house
bills8259 Once again, you're characterizing some kind of straw man. If it came down to a wuss like any right-wank dimwitted lout, such as yourself, vs. the actual terrorist-butt-kicking, think-circles-around-your-best-candidate, ninja, handsome, hot, well-spoken, gentleman, President Obama, you'd be like that fly he caught and just as soon forgotten.
Bwakfatbills8259 You forgot, and Al Green sing-a-like.
Bwak: first--Hi, how are you? It's been a while but I still like your fire ; )
Second; thanks for getting my back, I don't really like feeding the haters. Our President is everything these so-called conservadopes say that they want , a family man, militarily fully capable, self made, etc etc....... Just what could it be that enrages them so?
One truth is, the more he accomplishes the bigger their denial.
leftflank The more he accomplishes, the more disconnected from reality they become.
Very nice to read you, LF. I hope you and yours are well.
=)
Bwak; thanks again. On being well, I've been way down & back up several times since we last spoke. I got diagnosed with leukemia in November, spent a month in Denver and had all type of strange reactions since & now I'm just about to complete the chemo regimen with a prognosis of long life. So, in a way I'm well & definetly closer with my kids, brothers & all around me. There are many positives as strange as that may sound..
That's kind of a bomb to throw out there I know but I just wanted to get it out once.
leftflank Thanks for telling me. My bestest of best thoughts are beaming at you. Congratulations for getting through it. Your news is heartrending and heartening.
(hugs)
Bwakfatbills8259 constitutional law expert, self made man,
bills8259 he got Bush's man that Bush failed to get, he took out the Pirates to. Got us out of the lie Of Bush and Company of Iraq you know when we went looking for all for those WMD's that were never ever there.
Dawn Swift-Sadlowskibills8259 WMDs that the liars KNEW were never there.
Sarah P. accuses Republican establishment of Stalinism for beating up on poor li'l Newtie.
Grizzly Momma to the rescue! Hurrah!
David There you have it. Nothing like having Caribou Barbie on your side to insure success at the voting booth.
HoodathunkDavid Bible Spice.
David But she stopped short of actually endorsing Gingrich. She is making a play to the "anybody but Romney" crowd, trying to stay relevant to them. I still strongly suspect its prep work for a 3rd party run if Romney gets the nomination. One that will be quietly endorsed and funded by the republican establishment just to ensure the base gets out to vote..and votes for Republican house, senate and state officials while they are there....
David
She's looking to jump on somebody's ticket
The Republicans will spend the next 50 years trying to find the next Reagan. As the times change and values change the circumstances that allowed Ronnie to get elected also change. To get elected as in life you really need to be who YOU are not a past legacy that was a lot of Hollywood to begin with.
patco13 The whole blessed thing is just a myth. He beat Jimmy Carter, when Jimmy had 53 hostages in Tehran and when Jimmy had sent a disastrous, underorganized mission to free them. Jimmy was one of the weakest, strangest Presidents we've had, whatever one thinks of him morally.
So he beat Jimmy, the bankrupt USSR fell apart, and he got re-elected. So what?
OverreachTHISpatco13 And Charlie Wilson had far more to do with the USSR falling apart than Reagan did.
OverreachTHISpatco13
Jimmy was a Baptist and born again christian(sic)!
So what could one expect!
“Reagan was a Democrat,” Williamson said. “President Reagan had Democrats in the administration…but he, as he got older, he got wiser and became a consistent and the most effective voice for conservative principles.”
Somehow I think he just forgot more & more as he got older and just read his script.
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