In addition to being Presidential Debate Day, Tuesday for me was also Ronald Reagan Day, distinguished by two events. The first was the delivery to my home of the same day released biography, Reagan, authored by the noted academic, Max Boot. The second was my viewing of the new movie, “Reagan””, starring Dennis Quaid as America’s 40th president.
I have had significant disagreements with Max Boot, a neocon, over the past two decades. Yet based upon early reviews of the book by noted policy, political, and historical authorities, I anticipate that the book will be the most thorough factual recounting to date of the life and career of Ronald Reagan.
As for the movie, I was most pleasantly surprised. Usually, biopics take significant liberties with the facts regarding the subject portrayed. “Reagan,” for the most part, was remarkably faithful to the truth. And Dennis Quaid, on screen, is the essence of Ronald Reagan, both in voice and appearance. Only one significant omission: The movie made no reference to the landmark oration Reagan made at the last day of the 1976 GOP National Convention after he lost to incumbent Jerry Ford. This speech set the stage for his successful 1980 run.
In a real sense, Ronald Reagan is the posthumous 2024 National Republican Comeback of the Year Award Winner. Yet in today’s Republican Party of Donald Trump, Reagan and Abraham Lincoln would be defamed as RINOs.
I continue to believe that both Republicans Dwight David Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan deserve the designation of great presidents. Throughout my adult life, until the advent of Donald Trump as the fascistic leader of the GOP, my reverence for Eisenhower and Reagan were the prime motivators for my former unflinching loyalty to the Republican Party.
There are six accomplishments of Eisenhower that have, in my view earned him the presidential greatness classification: 1) his successful conclusion of the Korean War; 2) his enactment of the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, which created the Interstate highway system and thus enabled the development of American Suburbia; 3) his decision in 1954 not to militarily intervene in the French colonial war in Vietnam; 4) the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first meaningful federal civil rights legislation since Reconstruction; 5) his sending troops into Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 to desegregate their school system; and 6) his farewell speech in 1961 in which he warned of the possible danger of a military- industrial complex.
As for Reagan, his monumental accomplishments are well – known: 1) his restoration of prosperity to the American economy, which was in a state of deep decline at the time he took office in January, 1981; and 2) his rebuilding of our military forces and firm responses to the former Soviet Union, which resulted in the American victory in the Cold War.
Nevertheless, Dwight Eisenhower is now a virtually forgotten figure among Republicans. Reaganism has in our time been displaced as the governing GOP philosophy by Fascist Trumpism, which is an outright repudiation and denigration of Ronald Reagan in four significant respects.
Reagan was a deep adherent to democracy. Trump, an unregenerate Fascist of the Mussolini model, disdains democracy, attempted an insurrection against the United States government on January 6, 2021 in order to remain in power, and venerates authoritarian Fascist dictators like Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Reagan was a conservative internationalist, dedicated to American alliances. Trump is a reactionary isolationist, even more so than the America First Movement of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Without question, if he wins the 2024 election, he will sacrifice the democracy of Ukraine on the Alter of MAGA and surrender it to the tender mercies of his fellow fascist and good friend Vladimir Putin within a fortnight.
Reagan believed in free markets and free trade. Trump advocates protectionist tariffs, which will 1) constitute a regressive sales tax on the American working class; and 2) cause a severe recession, or perhaps even a depression, as did the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930.
Reagan also believed strongly in liberal immigration policies, understanding how in American history, immigration had strengthened and nourished our nation. Trump is virulently anti- immigrant, motivated by his hateful xenophobia, particularly with regard to People of Color.
Yet aside from these philosophical differences, there is an even more stark contrast to be drawn between Reagan and Trump in terms of fitness for office.
Reagan was supremely fit for the office of President of the United States. He was a man of sterling character, unimpeachable integrity, excellent judgment, and no trace of racism or misogyny. By contrast, Donald Trump continues to be manifestly unsuited for the Oval Office. His unmitigated misogyny and racism, which I have chronicled at length, together with his unsurpassed mendacity, are the ultimate disqualifiers for presidential service.
Above all, Ronald Reagan was the personification of civility in the White House. It is civility which enables cooperation between people of both parties where bipartisanship is necessary. By contrast, the total incivility of Donald Trump renders it impossible for lawmakers to ever place country over party.
The ascendancy of Donald Trump to the White House marked the denouement of Reaganism and the Morning of America motto as central GOP themes. Instead, the core status of both Trumpism and the Republican Party at all levels is now white anti – People of Color grievance. This resulted in my departure from the Republican Party, to which I had dedicated my heart and soul for the better part of half a century.
Yet there is renewed hope for the resurgence of Reaganism within the GOP. Unless there is an unforeseen event occurring between now and Election Day, the decisive victory of Kamala Harris in the debate this past Tuesday put her on an irresistible road to the White House.
The key moment in the debate signaling Trump’s political demise was his claim that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio are stealing and eating dogs and cats. This statement has created an irrebuttable presumption that Donald Trump is a person of unsurpassed mendacity, a hater of People of Color on the level of a Ku Klux Klansman, and a person of remarkable stupidity. He is now an individual of total ridicule.
After the anticipated Harris victory, there will be a revolt in the GOP at both the national and state levels against Trumpism. The fear factor of Trump will be gone. Republicans formerly intimidated by Trump and his MAGA thugs will complain loudly in the media about how Trump and Trumpism have caused the GOP to lose a staggering number of elections at all levels.
The cry will emerge from traditional GOP conservatives, centrist Republicans, and Never -Trumpers that the GOP should cast Trumpism on the ash heap of history and reclaim the proud legacy of Reaganism. The movie and the Max Boot book described at the beginning of this column will play a vital role in fanning the flames of Reagan GOP nostalgia.
This internecine GOP warfare will result in hotly contested GOP state primaries throughout the nation in 2025 and 2026 between Reaganite and Trumpist candidates. In New Jersey, in 2025, this conflict will manifest itself in an intense GOP gubernatorial primary contest between the two leading contestants, Reaganite Jon Bramnick and Trumpist Jack Ciattarelli.
Center-right Jon Bramnick is the ideal candidate to wear the mantle of Reaganism, both in terms of his record and style. He has been the leading Profile in Courage in the New Jersey GOP over the past two decades, by boldly refusing in any election to endorse Donald Trump. His service in the State Senate and previously in the Assembly has been distinguished by excellent leadership, supreme policy insight, noteworthy capacity for bipartisan cooperation, and an outstanding reputation for civility. He brings to his job as a legislator his peerless skills as a lawyer. His outreach to young voters far surpasses that of any other prospective GOP gubernatorial candidate.
Bramnick is by far the most electable prospective NJGOP gubernatorial nominee. He is the candidate his potential Democratic rivals most fear. Yet until recently, the State House cognoscenti perceived him as having no path to the 2025 NJGOP gubernatorial nomination, due to his status as New Jersey’s leading Never-Trumper.
The anticipated Kamala Harris victory, however, will convert this perceived Bramnick liability into an unquestionable asset. His path to the nomination will be paved by an army of rank-and-file Republicans dedicated to removing from the NJGOP body politic the stench and malignancy of MAGA racism and cult-like worship of Donald Trump.
Above all, Bramnick has a stellar reputation for Reaganite civility. As a prime example, he is able to vigorously argue against Governor Phil Murphy’s legislative proposals on the floor of the Senate and still be invited by the Governor to join him for cocktails in the evening.
This is in sharp contrast to Jack Ciattarelli’s less than civil behavior towards Governor Murphy. Jack has a habit of ad hominem insults towards the Governor, featured by facile and tasteless comments about the way Murphy eats pizza. All these comments are designed to prove that the Boston – born Murphy is not truly a Jersey guy. These comments have failed to make any significant political impact.
Jack Ciattarelli will be running for governor while wearing the albatross of Trumpism. It is an albatross he richly deserves.
In 2017, Ciattarelli ran in the GOP gubernatorial primary courageously as a Never-Trumper. After he lost the primary, he reversed course prior to the 2021 election, casting himself as the ultimate MAGA acolyte. Ciattarelli, unlike Trump, is a profoundly decent and good man. Yet like Esau in the Torah, he basically sacrificed his Never-Trumper birthright for a mess of MAGA pottage. He went out of his way to pander to MAGA, even going so far as to stealthily attend a MAGA Stop – The – Steal rally.
Doubtless, if Ciattarelli senses that Reaganism is having a revival, he will, in chameleon- like fashion, try to transform himself into both a Reaganite and Trumpist. That will not work. As the Yiddish saying goes, “with one tuchus (buttocks), you can’t dance at two weddings.”
Political America will be watching closely the 2025 New Jersey Republican and Democratic gubernatorial primaries. Each may be a harbinger of events to come.
Alan J. Steinberg of Highland Park served as regional administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as executive director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. He graduated from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
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