Reagan's enduring value as a conservative icon stems from his resolute preaching of the conservative gospel, in words that still warm the hearts of the most zealous conservatives. Yet Reagan's value as a conservative model must begin with recognition of his flexibility in the pursuit of his conservative goals.

H. W. Brands

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More Quotes From H. W. Brands

Abraham Lincoln spoke out against the Mexican War. But once Americans were under fire, people who were on the fence felt obliged to support it.

H. W. Brands
supportfirewarpeople

George W. Bush has shown himself to be a decent guy, not exploiting his former office to make top dollars giving speeches.

H. W. Brands
topguyofficegiving

Harry Truman's decision to fire Douglas MacArthur at the height of the Korean War in April 1951 shocked the American political system and astonished the world. Much of the world didn't realize the president had the power to fire a five-star general; much of America didn't realize Truman had the nerve.

H. W. Brands
decisionpowerfirewar

Once you become president, you don't even have to stop for red lights. And if it looks like traffic's too bad, you just take a helicopter.

H. W. Brands
badlightsyoured

I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.

H. W. Brands
americanthinkrevolutionclass

I've probably written some books - I know I've written some books that were more interesting to me than to a large audience, but that was mostly when I was first getting started in academia and writing for a narrow audience.

H. W. Brands
knowmewritinginteresting

I read in all forms: paper, computer, phone, audio.

H. W. Brands
readphoneaudiopaper

Reagan refused to demonize his foes. Instead he charmed them, with a few exceptions, including Tip O'Neill, the Democratic Speaker of the House and the embodiment of the liberalism Reagan sought to reverse.

H. W. Brands
heliberalismdemocratichouse

The president of the United States from the 1940s until 2017 was considered the leader of the free world - probably the most powerful person in the world - not simply in terms of America's military might but in terms of the moral authority of the president. Donald Trump has largely abdicated that.

H. W. Brands
freepowerfulleaderworld

The historic dearth of labor was perhaps the central feature of the American economy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

H. W. Brands
perhapsamericaneconomylabor

Although this should not be so, historians reconsider presidencies based on how the presidents conduct themselves after leaving office.

H. W. Brands
afterhowleavingoffice

Americans knock themselves out, especially since 9/11, praising the military.

H. W. Brands
themselvesknockoutmilitary

Everything that happens today is like something in the past, but it's also unlike things in the past. We never know until an event happens if it's the similarities or differences that matter more.

H. W. Brands
nevermattertodaypast

If it's a good story, it's a good story, and it draws readers in.

H. W. Brands
readersstorygoodgood-story

I never admit to wishing I'd written something by another author, but if my name mysteriously appeared on the title page of 'The Guns of August,' I wouldn't complain.

H. W. Brands
namesomethingneveradmit

The more of my readers I encounter who say, often apologetically, that they are actually listeners, the more I write for the ear rather than the eye. Small things like identifying speakers in dialogue rather than relying on paragraphing to mark the shifts.

H. W. Brands
saysmallsmall-thingseye

I'm the farthest thing from a bibliophile. I purge my collection regularly: If I haven't read a book in a couple of years, I try to give it to someone who will.

H. W. Brands
willsomeonetrybook

When the Constitution was written in 1787, there was this supposition that American politics would be above party. The people who would staff the positions in government would have the interests of the country, or at least their states and congressional districts, at heart, and so they wouldn't form permanent political parties.

H. W. Brands
politicsgovernmentheartpeople

Even when candidates have degrees from Harvard and Yale, they try to run as the candidate of the common man.

H. W. Brands
candidatetryrunman

You can always find people, ordinary people, who will support your particular view, so it becomes a politics of personality, especially at the presidential level. People often go for somebody that they like or somebody that they can identify with.

H. W. Brands
youpoliticspersonalitypeople