Turning Reagan into a Monument Is Only Going to Hurt the Conservative Cause

Recently there has been a public flap, first reported in the New York Times but subsequently receiving a great deal of attention, over the CBS "biopic" called "The Reagans" that portrays the lives of the former president and first lady. Conservatives protest that the made-for-television movie is unfairly biased against Reagan. In the face of these protests CBS decided air the movie on cable rather than on its primary channel, causing liberals to denounce CBS for caving into political pressure. One might wonder why there is such a concern over a made-for-television movie. On the surface it seems that a made-for-television movie will hardly have a lasting impact on how Americans remember and understand Ronald Reagan. Would it not be more appropriate if presidential legacies were debated in the musty halls of academe over the finer points of policy? There can be no doubt that this will be part of the Reagan legacy debate. However, historical reputations are also formed outside the academy as well as inside it. We need to recognize that history is made in many different ways, especially when it involves the commemoration of a controversial leader.

The movie has become one of the flash points on cable television in the myriad of shows that pit liberals against conservatives. The single most controversial part of the yet-unseen movie is a line in which the movie-Reagan said of those suffering from AIDS, "They that live in sin shall die in sin." A line that script writer Elizabeth Egloff has conceded is fictional but she defends it for raising issues about Reagan's attitudes during the early days of the epidemic. The MSNBC television program "Buchanan and Press," which aired on October 21, was typical of the coverage. The discussion included several themes, including Hollywood's liberalism, focusing on the sensational and the personal to increase profit, and whether or not the AIDS quotation captured the broader reality of Reagan's attitude. The discussion (all the participants served with Reagan in one capacity or another with the exception of co-host Bill Press) was partisan and thoughtful. Buchanan worried that history was being distorted, comparing "The Reagans" to Oliver Stone's JFK, which implied that Lyndon Johnson had used the CIA to murder John Kennedy. Buchanan, implying that there is a higher standard for history, said of the Stone movie: "it's a lie." As the liberal representative, Press argued that the movie could offset the tendency of conservatives to treat Reagan as an icon. Over the course of the discussion it became clear that the participants were struggling with the lines dividing history, commemoration, and politics.

The debate over the movie demonstrates the increasingly narrow gap between popular history, journalism, and politics. As for the focusing on the personal, one has to think that Ronald Reagan the movie star would have understood the celebrity status of modern politicians. The situation improves only slightly with historical figures. The public's huge appetite for history does gravitate toward the personal (and the dramatic). Those who are currently debating the merits of this movie are pundits who know that sensationalism will increase ratings and profit. Ironically the protest over the "liberal" interpretation of Reagan is appearing on shows like "Buchanan and Press," which are based on the premise that ideological debate makes for good ratings.

On another level legacies are important precisely because they provide legitimacy to policies in the here and the now. George W. Bush has positioned himself as the heir to Reagan's policy and image. If Reagan seems cold-hearted, then by implication the compassionate part of Bush's compassionate conservativism dwindles. Similarly, Reagan's defenders wonder if the movie credits his policies for the economic recovery of the 1980s. Why? Again, Bush is pursuing similar economic policies.

There is also a concern that Reagan will not receive credit for winning the Cold War. The current war on terrorism bears striking parallels with the Cold War. Bush's policy of preemptive strikes has been compared to the Truman Doctrine, a Democratic policy that many argue led to the Korea and Vietnam wars. Republicans might prefer a comparison to Reagan's final triumph over the "evil empire" of the Soviet Union.

Finally, it is worth noting that for Republicans, Reagan was the last president to have a useable legacy that can shape their future. The elder Bush's presidency was, in many ways, an extension of Reagan's presidency and, of course, he was defeated after one term. Prior to the Reagan/Bush years the most recent Republican president was Richard Nixon. While Nixon may have rehabilitated his legacy after resigning, his historical reputation is hardly the example that the Republican Party would choose for itself.

While it might pain conservatives to watch "The Reagans," they should realize that the movie also gives them the opportunity to assert their interpretation of history. That Americans are debating the meaning of Reagan's life and presidency speaks to his continued importance. When Americans no longer debate his lasting impact there might very well be agreement, but it will likely also mean that Reagan has lost his relevancy for most people.