GOP Hero Ronald Reagan's Political Record At Odds With Tea Party Ideology

Why The Tea Party's Been Idolizing The Wrong Guy
FILE - In this July 17, 1980, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan stands before a cheering Republican National Convention in Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. Republicans heading to their 2012 party convention in Tampa are eager to hear an earful about the shortcomings of President Barack Obama's record, the woeful U.S. economy and the competing visions of the two presidential candidates. They aren't looking for compromise, which most Americans say is necessary to get the nation on track. The delegates hear rhetoric that is brutal, vitriolic and far from conciliatory. The Republicans want a party like in 1980 when the GOP ousted a Democratic president after one term. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File)
FILE - In this July 17, 1980, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan stands before a cheering Republican National Convention in Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. Republicans heading to their 2012 party convention in Tampa are eager to hear an earful about the shortcomings of President Barack Obama's record, the woeful U.S. economy and the competing visions of the two presidential candidates. They aren't looking for compromise, which most Americans say is necessary to get the nation on track. The delegates hear rhetoric that is brutal, vitriolic and far from conciliatory. The Republicans want a party like in 1980 when the GOP ousted a Democratic president after one term. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File)

Ronald Reagan remains the modern Republican Party’s most durable hero. His memory will be hailed as The Great Uncompromiser by those who insist the GOP must never flag in its support for smaller government, lower taxes and conservative social values.

His record tells a different story.

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