Reagan’s underrated, according to UD historian

Raymond R. Wolters, Thomas Muncy Keith Professor of History

4:58 p.m., June 10, 2004--In the Nov. 16, 2000, issue of the Wall Street Journal, a story appeared that rated the performances of American presidents from George Washington to William Jefferson Clinton. According to the nationwide poll of 78 historians, Ronald Reagan was ranked eighth and was listed in the “near great” category.

Among the respondents was Raymond R. Wolters, Thomas Muncy Keith Professor of History at UD, who felt that if anything the rating of Reagan would only improve with the passing of time.

With the death of the former president on Saturday, June 5, at age 93, Wolters was asked by UDaily where Reagan stands today and if the former president would indeed increase in stature for his performance in the White House from 1981-89.

UDaily: You said that Reagan’s reputation would only improve as time passes. Do you still believe this to be true?

Wolters: I still think that Reagan’s reputation will increase with time.

In his book “The Media Elite,” Robert Lichter noted that about 85 percent of the journalists who worked for seven of the most elite media outlets (The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NBC, CBS and ABC) voted against Ronald Reagan in 1984, although Reagan carried 49 of the 50 states and won almost 60 percent of the popular vote. My guess is that the about 85 percent of the nation’s historians also voted against Reagan.

It is interesting to speculate about why so many of the intelligentsia were anti-Reagan. For complicated reasons the intellectuals of the 1980s were almost reflexively opposed to Reagan’s policies. Unlike most intellectuals, who favored an expansive welfare state, Reagan favored only the limited programs associated with the New Deal of FDR but opposed the additions of LBJ’s “Great Society,” which he thought undermined family stability and the work ethic of the intended beneficiaries.

Most intellectuals also favored extensive regulation of business and “soak the rich” taxes, but Reagan thought those policies led to economic stagnation. Most intellectuals also favored détente, a policy that emphasized the importance of negotiating with the Soviet Union rather than a policy of containing and confronting communism. Reagan was not altogether opposed to negotiation, but he wanted to do so from a position of strength—after modernizing our military, a buildup that most intellectuals opposed.

My point is not that the intellectuals were mistaken and Reagan correct (although I think that is the case). It is that as the current generation of historians passes from the scene, Reagan’s reputation probably will rise because more people will be inclined to judge Reagan by the results, his success in reviving the economy and overcoming communism, and less predisposed to consider Reagan a failure because he did not conform to the policies favored by most liberal intellectuals.

I think that Reagan’s reputation will rise in comparison to that of other presidents. My memory is that three presidents were ranked as “great,” Washington, [Abraham] Lincoln and FDR [Franklin Delano Roosevelt]. My guess is, that as the liberal historians pass from the scene, FDR will fall from his perch because his New Deal policies did not succeed in lifting the country out of the Great Depression, and because he was so devious in the way he handled the nation’s foreign policy.

UDaily: Do you feel there are any areas that may cause problems for Reagan’s historical reputation?

Wolters: Judged in terms of results, it seems to me that Reagan’s economic and foreign policies have to be regarded as great successes. However, the final judgment is not in on Reagan’s approach to immigration. Perhaps because he had a sunny disposition, Reagan was not especially concerned about this issue. Coming from California, he had to know that the policies established by the Immigration Act of 1965 were transforming our country from the biracial, 90 percent Caucasian society of Reagan’s youth to the predominantly nonCaucasian, “multicultural” nation that is predicted by the middle of this century. It is still too early to know how this will turn out, but it is a profound departure from the earlier history of the United States, and, if it turns out badly, it will tarnish Reagan’s reputation.

UDaily: What do you feel are Reagan’s greatest legacies?

Wolters: Reagan’s policies contributed significantly to the revival of the American economy and to our victory in the Cold War. In addition, almost everyone, friend and foe alike, understood that Reagan was a hopeful, decent, fair-minded man who embodied much of what is best in the American character. He lifted our spirits out of the doldrums of “malaise.” He reminded us that character is king.

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Duane Perry

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