Sorry, not conservative enough for the folks here, Reagan and Gingrich are downright socialists according to the prevailing purist standards.
Gingrich did the "drunken sailor" thing and backed the socialist Medicare D.
Reagan would never make it to the White House... as governor he raised taxes, passed gun control and signed abortion law that caused the number of abortions to surge in CA. And forget immigration, as President Reagan signed a massive amnesty for illegal aliens.
I'm not quite sure who is perfect ENOUGH to meet the standards around here anymore, but Gingrich and Reagan wouldn't survive any purist primaries nowadays. Too pragmatic, and that is just "selling out" and "no principles", ya know.
I see no ~sarcasm~ references in your post, so you must be serious. I'd have to disagree with you. Most FReepers give Newt Gingrich high marks in recent FR poll questions on candidate support for 2008. Newt's Contract With America was a stroke of political genius.
And what Reagan did as Governor of California was trumped by what he accomplished as POTUS. The abortion bill Reagan signed into law as Governor was limited to rape, incest and the health/life of the mother, or about 5% of all abortions. Reagan never supported abortion on demand as a birth control option.
Reagan didn't support open borders. Reagan said: "A nation without borders is not a nation." Reagan did sign into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 that granted amnesty to 2.7 million illegals. It specified prosecution and punishment for employers who hired illegals. If that law was enforced, the IRCA of 1986 would have turned out to be what it was meant to be, a one time amnesty deal. Instead, the Feds lack of enforcement led to a ongoing series of liberal immigration policies under Bush41, Clinton and Bush43, that has led to the 10-15 million illegals we have living in the US today.
I think the Reagan agenda from 1976,1980 and 1984 would be embraced by cosnervatives today. Just like it was back then. Strong defense, tax reform, limiting the govts welfare state and support for pro-life issues still stand out in the minds of conservatives. And having made an error in judgment on immigration refrom in 1986, I seriously doubt Reagan would make that same mistake again.