Sorry, Mr. Consultant, but for a good 80 percent of those who call themselves Republicans, this is the Party of Reagan, not of either Bush, or of Ford, or of McCain or of Dole. We remember a leader who stood for something, whom a recent poll named as the Best President of the past 100 years, who brought prosperity, employment, low/no inflation and an end to the Soviet Union, and whether some liked it or not, made Americans respected, if not liked, overseas. Sure, he had his faults and errors (he was human, as are we), including Lebanon and Iran-contra, but overall the Republican presidential alternatives are VERY pale pastels.
Reagan was a fluke, unfortunately.