There has been considerable talk on what Senator McCain has to do in order to prevail in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election, and how the last Presidential candidate to pull out a victory from being so far behind in the polls was President Reagan. Unfortunately, for the Republicans at least, this belief that McCain can pull off a Reagan is grasping at straws that are old and brittle and will not stand the test of time.
President Reagan is a sore spot for a number of liberals here at DKos. They call him a sociopath and other unpleasant things (though when you get down to it, are not most talented leaders sociopaths? It seems to be a character trait of those who achieve control of the masses, both among cults and on a political scale). The thing to remember is that Reagan is remembered fondly by a number of older Americans. It is these fond memories of a leader who brought us through tumultuous times (leading to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. becoming ascendant on the global theatre), and these memories helped the Republican party gain considerable power... power that the Neocons and Religious Right have perverted. It is these very Republicans who are so angry with the party right now. And this is a reason why Senator McCain raises the spectre of Reagan's triumph back in 1980.
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