What? Reagan gave us James A. Baker, III, Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony Kennedy, King Day, quite a bit of GOP liberalism there.
And Coolidge gave us Harding. The point is that the country’s been a mess since Harding and it keeps getting worse. The solution isn’t going to come solely from DC. As a matter of face, DC is the problem.
When one looks back at the Reagan presidency, the strongpoints are anti-Communism reflected in Grenada, building up national defense and forcing the USSR to keep up and helping to bring it down. Reagan also helped the freedom fighters in Nicaragua fighting the Sandinista Communist regime.
The tax cut early in his presidency was good, but Congress did not cut spending.
You mention some negatives of his presidency like that one likely to bite us with his opinion on gay marriage in several months (Anthony Kennedy). I could find more.
Reagan had his heart in the right place, a big problem was he surrounded himself with not so conservative people in the name of GOP unity.
A President Cruz had better firm up his staff with real conservatives and take quick action like FDR with his first 100 days.