Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. Implicit in the idea that he was a failure is the idea that you are what your parents instill in you. That is not too far from the tabula rasa/blank slate theory. The facts are everybody is hard-wired for certain things. People are a mix of nature and environment. Maureen Reagan came out okay, but Ron Jr. and Patti were screwed up. I doubt Reagan Sr. taught separate things/values to his childen.
Same for me and my six siblings. Some of us are conservative and some are libs.
I think also upbringing of wives
Probably Jane Wyman was conservative with Maureen and Michael
Nancy raise her kids to be libs
You can’t put blame on Ronnie