February 6th 2011 marks the centennial of the birth of America’s 40th president, Ronald Wilson Reagan and it is an appropriate time to reflect on the legacy of a man whose presidency altered the course of his party, his nation and the world. It is no exaggeration to say that events set in motion by the Reagan administration are still unfolding today and the ideas and values championed by Ronald Reagan continue to shape our public policies and frame our political discourse.
Therefore, to commemorate and debate this important legacy, the Ronald Reagan Roundtable, hosted here at Chicago Boyz will begin February 6th and end on the 16th.
Past Chicago Boyz Roundtables have featured discussions about specific books – On War by Carl von Clausewitz, Science, Strategy and War by Col. Frans Osinga and The Anabasis of Cyrus by Xenophon. They were well-regarded and thought-provoking enterprises. This roundtable will be a little more like the last one on Afghanistan 2050, in that there is no set book to evaluate but a wide-open and free-wheeling discussion of Ronald Reagan, his administration and the historical record.
Contributors will be free to address the topic narrowly or broadly, from Left, Center or Right, in scholarly or polemical tone, with a focus on the present or the past, at whatever length or number of posts they feel is required. Book reviews of the burgeoning number of titles related to Ronald Reagan and his times are also very welcome.
Participants will be encouraged to comment upon one another’s posts and interact with the readers who leave comments but that is not obligatory, contributions can also stand on their own.
Those interested in in joining the Ronald Reagan Roundtable should contact me, Jonathan or Lexington Green and we will make the arrangements with a final “head count” to be announced on or about February 1st
Hope to see you there!
“Do they mean peace, or do they mean we just want to be left in peace? There can be no real peace while one American is dying some place in the world for the rest of us. We’re at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it’s been said if we lose that war, and in so doing lose this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening. Well I think it’s time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers.”
– Ronald Reagan
I’m in.
Excellent!
Maybe we should invite someone from the Washington Monthly so we can see what the hard left is thinking. It is often enlightening, just not as they think it is. For example.
An example of one of my comments over there:
What I wonder is why you want to brag about your candidates losing to all those drunken, retarded, demented Republicans. Seems like I would want to hide that.
Also, I could have used you experts on the effect of blood loss on the brain in my trauma center.
Posted by: Mike K
The latter statement was in response to many comments about how Reagan was brain injured by the Hinckley assassination attempt in 1981.
For a while I was banned but they have relented.
The Gipper is my president.
Once upon a time, we had a president.
I’ve never quite understood the demonization, or the canonization of Reagan.
At the time he seemed like quite a mixed bag, and nothing really exceptional one way or the other. I was frequently embarrassed by him at the time, though even then I realized that much of his rhetoric and behavior was calculated for effect. He wanted people (especially abroad) to think he was a little unstable.
It is in retrospect that Reagan shines. We didn’t know at the time that his gamble with the Soviets was going to work, but it did, and I think he deserves much credit for the fall of communism. That’s probably his “legacy”. As a young man (I still am really. really.) I thought he was only an average president. Looking back I can see he has been surrounded by such poor competition that he easily stands out as the best president in my personal memory.
Dr. Kennedy,
I have reached out to some folks on the Left to participate, we’ll have to see if they do or not. Most bloggers don’t feel comfortable walking in to the lion’s den and I’m asking them to come put their views on Reagan on a conservative-libertarian forum on the man’s 100th birthday. Takes some stones.
Didn’t ask Kevin Drum; I used to interact with him when he was Calpundit but not since.
John,
It has been a very weak field since Ike. JFK was overrated. LBJ was the most capable politician of his generation but failed. Nixon was the most brilliant statesmen but failed. Carter…enough said.
Hmmm. I have an idea in mind. I’ll see if I can put it together in time for the Roundtable :)
– Madhu
Excellent topic, I will await with interest the list (and articles, of course) of contributors
I shall definitely try to do a posting from this side of the Pond and the British attitudes.