The Reagan mystique is as much a testament to our own life wonderment and expectations as people - 20 years younger than now - as it is accurate historical context. He's the last Republican many of our "True Conservatives" ever voted for. And the GOP abandoned ... them???
Reagan beat the Russkies. He caved to O'Neal and the Dems to do it. We didn't have cable TV and the internet back then, or FR would be a "House Afire" of Conservative anti-Ronnie angst in 1984 as it is at times a home of anti-Bush angst in 2004. It's called governing in a 50-50 Republic, where the true believers, left and right, will never get their way in one fell swoop.
God bless those dandy elitist wigged lawyers who hated each other, and could care less about the peon citizenry, in 1787. Our pendulum NEVER swings too far left, or right. Bush is swinging right wit' a purpose. He's not particularly loved by the lefties, I have observed. If the righties hate him too, well, they can go to the crying room with the skinny socialists.