REAGAN IS WHAT THE RIGHT NEEDS TODAY: Donald Devine, the former University of Maryland Political Science Professor who became a campaign adviser to Ronald Reagan in 1980 and then served as his appointed Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 1981-1985, contends the Right desperately needs to rediscover the enduring principles and characteristically American optimism that made Reagan one of the greatest presidents ever.

Devine argues that, while things have certainly changed in key respects since the Reagan era, the Reagan prescription remains the most likely to command an enduring majority of the American electorate:

“Things certainly seem to have changed since Reagan. Republicans have become more defined by cultural matters than economic ones, although, in truth, limited government and a freer economy retain higher support.

“Still, the Trump presidency and Democratic Party wokeism clearly have changed the GOP into more of a working-class party. White voters without college degrees chose Republicans over Democrats in the 2022 elections by a 65 to 32 percent margin, and more Hispanics and Blacks have moved in the same direction, although less dramatically.

“On the other hand, Reagan actually won in 1980 by expanding the GOP base to Main St., European ethnics, and evangelical Democrats, and he added Hispanics in 1984. So, maybe things are not so different. Today’s problems have a similar ring too: stagflation, unsustainable spending, entitlements nearing bankruptcy, failed bureaucracy, racial and class division, a hostile world military threat, and the rest. Reagan increased the age for Social Security retirement, reduced federal employee retirement reimbursements from 44 to 20 percent of payroll, cutting entitlements, and reduced non-defense discretionary spending by 9.5 percent.”

FULL DISCLOSURE: I worked for Devine at OPM from November 1982 until his departure. I left the Reagan administration a few months later after deciding to try my hand as a journalist. That’s what I’ve happily done ever since, but those years working for Reagan with Devine remain the most treasured of my career. Whatever small part I had in it, we Reaganauts made a huge difference for America.