Reagan's most significant accomplishment was to set the country on a rightward path for 30 years

[andym]

-- well really 28 years, until 2009. The key to his success was successfully spreading the ideas that "government is the problem," taxes should be cut whenever possible (the wealthy included), and that government-mediated corporate regulation was the main hindrance to the success of American business. The underlying ideas are that the individual is responsible for his/her own welfare and that free market competition is the key to everything.

He was influential enough to help load the word "liberal" with negative connotations. So much so that Bush senior used the word as weapon against Mike Dukakis.

Thanks to him, conservatives own the word "freedom" and use it against liberals and progressive policies at will.

It is very important to note that these cultural values are continually brought into play to impede progressive legislation, even today. Which means that they still resonate with the American public.

Ironically, his actual conservative legislative success is at best very modest, and a strong case could be made that the current administration has been more successful at achieving progressive goals than Reagan was at achieving conservative ones.

So why was he successful at moving the country to the right? He was a great salesman and stagflation was finally conquered during his term (see Paul Volcker for why), which made his economic polices appear good.

Modern progressivism is informed by many ideas. Two of the strongest are that government can make a positive difference in people's lives and that large corporations have too much power that must be reduced (by the government). It is clear that the current administration does not embrace the anti-corporate plank of progressivism. However, it does believe in the potential of government to make lives better, and has enacted many laws predicated on this principle. The success of the economy under this administration is closely tied to how liberalism and progressivism will be seen by the American public, no matter how moderate many of this administrations policies may appear to us. Therefore, ironically there is a chance that President Obama may be seen as the left's Reagan in the future.

[DJ13]

1. Obama may be seen as the left's Reagan in the future.

He's not On the left, he's a right leaning centrist.

Those kinds of Presidents (centrists) tend to be overshadowed by history because they lack a bold vision and the courage to push for them.

[andym]

2. Ironic isn't it that he may define the "Left" for our times. nt.

[Kahuna]

3. He got lots of help from "the left." Don't ever forget that. nt

[andym]

4. He got help from the "Reagan" Democrats

both voters and House members.
But I don't remember that the Left helped him very much. How did the Left help him?