The Reagan legacy

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In thought-provoking essays, seven journalists study the Reagan erathe changes it produced in politics, economics, law, diplomacy and cultureand its legacy for the future. Edsall of the Washington Post gives a dry but well-supported analysis of the shifting balance of political power and the increased polarization of voters along regional, religious and economic lines. In a sweeping piece, William Schneider of the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., argues that Reagan has altered the terms of American political debate by weakening such long-held principles as progressive taxation, and by ``creating new facts,'' the most important of which is a budget deficit that will sorely constrain Democrats as they try to pursue their own agendas. Reagan's legacy to law is dangerous, claims Lincoln Caplan ( The Tenth Justice , etc.) because his administration has attempted to subvert the ``rule of law'' upon which this nation is built, denying that the Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the Constitution. And, in an entertaining essay, Blumenthal of the Washington Post suggests that the President's ``neokitsch'' esthetic has inspired few creations of enduring artistic value. The volume is an insightful and authoritative contribution to the political debates of this election year. (September)

Library Journal

The Reagan revolution failed to create a permanent political realignment and establish an entrenched conservative bureaucracy that would support future Republican presidents, contend five of the seven essayists represented in this excellent collection. David Ignatius calls Reagan's foreign policy an oxymoron because diplomacy has been sacrificed for style; John Judis describes Reagan's administration as more corrupt than that of Harding or Nixon; Blumenthal caustically analyzes Reaganism's failure to inspire the flowering of literacy and artistic achievements. Here is a sound work for assessing the long-term impact of the Reagan years. Karl Helicher, Wolfsohn Memorial Lib., King of Prussia, Pa.