Ronald Reagan marks his 91st birthday today, making him the longest living president in the history of the nation. Reagan, suffering from Alzheimer’s in California, is expected to commemorate his birthday with his wife, Nancy, and a few other close friends and family. The rest of the nation, meanwhile, will mark his birthday facing headlines similar to the early 80s, when Reagan requested a defense buildup and tax cuts.
While today’s Washington atmosphere is rife with repeats of Reagan, the 40th president is largely a vague childhood memory for the vast majority of the current college-age population.
For some students, the notion of Reagan implies all that is America when life was simpler and the man with the gravy-stained forehead was perhaps more evil than Oscar the Grouch himself. For others, his face on television brought the wrath of an unemployed father or a mother dismayed by the proliferation of guns instead of butter.
“What better way to celebrate Ronald Reagan’s birthday than a return to fiscal irresponsibility. The White House is doing its best to undo the eight years of progress of Clinton/Gore administration,” said Jason Stestephany, vice chair of the UW College Democrats. “This new era of tax cuts for the wealthy and huge budget increases that dip into social security — its almost the Reagan administration all over again. Happy Birthday, Ron!”
However, some of today’s College Republicans revere Reagan with near worship.
“He is one of my favorite ex-presidents,” said Julia Kraschnewski, vice chair of the UW College Republicans. “What I admire most about him is his inspirational messages to the American public. He had quite a career in the mass media. He had a lot of experience with that and used it when he was president. He was just beautiful behind a microphone, and he made Americans believe in themselves again.”
Many contend the secret to Reagan’s success may have lain as much, or more, in his persona than his policy.
“I very much remember Jeanne Kirkpatrick, and I discussed what is his appeal with her at one point ? . She said to be in his presence and to interact with him is to be excited about the man. There was such an appealing quality to him that is hard to describe,” Jones said.
Despite the disdain among many sects of American political thought, his image and his principles have become a near ideal for many contemporary conservatives.
“Ronald Reagan was a complete president in this sense: he had successes both in the domestic sphere and international sphere,” Jones said. “Compare that with his successor, George Bush, who only had one. The present president is perhaps more sensitive to Reagan than he has been to his own father.”
