Reagan was a great man for anytime, as he proved every decade of his long life, from student politics in college to Hollywood and national politics of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970, 1980s, and 1990s.
Romney never liked Reagan or his politics, was always against him and has smeared him since his death.
Romney has never been a great man, or had good politics or been successful at winning people over as a 20 year politician.
Reagan would have rolled over Carter the second, won the Senate and smashed the democrats.
America has changed to the degree that Reagan would not have been alone this time, this time Reagan would have the tea party and Sarah Palin, conservative media, the Congress, Governorships, state houses, talk radio, advantages that he didn’t have, and that Mitt largely rejected as they were the hated conservatives.
Reagan was principled and high minded (and I mean that as an admiring compliment) but that no longer sells in certain high population density areas of this country.
I was saddened to see the Tea Party marginalized and do think it could have energized more conservatives. But the stark political reality of today is that America is now a left-of-center country. Reagan’s vision would be a tough sell to the increasingly large number of Takers in our society.
Those people want a nanny state, and they want income redistribution. They could care less about individual liberty, personal freedom, or even upward mobility. Until that system breaks down (and it inevitably will) true conservatives are going to have strong political headwinds against them.