Monday, November 11, 2013

What Would Reagan Do? -- Who Cares?


Former Oklahoma Governor and White House staffer Frank Keating asks the singular (though hardly unique) question about the now-deceased Republican Messiah and standard-bearer: “What Would Reagan Do?” My answer: who cares? Reagan is dead, and the Republican Party may join the Gipper as a stodgy relic of self-pitying nostalgia without a better guide for future policies.

Keating and his Reagan-maniacs should read conservative Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin’s upbeat column: “Tear Down this Icon,” in which she exhorts conservatives to renounce their faith in the conservative ideologue.

It’s one thing to draw inspiration from past examples. It’s quite another to relive the words and deeds of the dearly departed. Such zombie-like politics cannot resurrection a badly bruised political brand in our currently corrosive, divisive national politics. Instead of rallying around the 40th President’s tired legacy, Republican leaders need to recognize current political challenges and outline future aspirations for this country.

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