GOP, It's Time to Ditch Blind Faith to Reagan

Plenty of Republicans have "unfailing reverence" for Ronald Reagan, writes conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post. In fact, too many of them do, and it's threatening to destroy the party, she warns. They forget, apparently, that Reagan served in the 1980s—and he acted in ways that were "time-specific." Try telling that to the "old guard" of today's GOP, who are "convinced that Reagan’s solutions to the problems of his time were the essence of conservatism—not simply conservative ideas appropriate for that era." Times have changed, dramatically, but they can't accept it. As a result, the GOP isn't truly conservative anymore, merely "reactionary."

Rubin ticks off a few ways that modern Republicans can adapt: They can push for "low taxes, not taxes that never increase" and they can acknowledge that, sometimes, the "electorate expects government to solve problems, not merely stand aside." Some younger Republicans are trying to bring the party up to speed on other issues such as same-sex marriage and immigration, and the GOP better hope they succeed. "The Republican Party can remain a Ronald Reagan historical society, or it can try to endure as a force in national politics." Click for Rubin's full analysis. (More Ronald Reagan stories.)