Will the next Ronald Reagan please stand up?

Written by Mike Burns

Published

In an August 31 Washington Times editorial, former Reagan administration official and Heritage Foundation writer James T. Hackett attempted to remedy what has so far eluded conservatives - finding “a new Ronald Reagan.” His suggested “heir” to “the Gipper's” throne? Sarah Palin, who has been nominated for the role in the past by Ann Coulter and Richard A. Viguerie.

Now, you would think that conservative media would approach labeling individuals “the next Ronald Reagan” the same way they purport to approach most things - with a “less is more” attitude. This is, after all, the Ronald Reagan, an iconic right-wing hero. Sadly, however, this is not the case. Observe:

  • Earlier today, Fox Nation featured the headline: Christie's Starting to Look Like Reagan" and accompanied the headline with the following image:

  • In a February 27 article on American Thinker, Bruce Walker wrote that “One Republican in 2008 met all those criteria, and in 2012, he stands out at least as clearly as anyone as our Next Reagan: Fred Thompson.” Walker noted the “remarkable similarity in the lives of these two men,” adding that Thompson fits Reagan's “role perfectly.”
  • According to a September 14, 2009 post at The American Spectator headlined “The Next Reagan? Maybe,” candidate for Governor of California Meg Whitman has the potential to be “the next Reagan” because “she has clear convictions” and “the determination to carry them out against ... state government,” as well as “the optimistic, sunny personality needed to roll with the punches.”
  • In an October 21, 2007 National Ledger column, Accuracy in Media's Cliff Kincaid offered Mike Huckabee as the next potential Reagan, arguing that Huckabee was “demonstrating that he has the Reagan vision” by “denouncing the Law of the Sea Treaty.”
  • Right-wing radio host Neal Boortz wrote on his website, “I truly believe that Rubio could very well be the next Ronald Reagan for the GOP. Democrats believe that too ... that's why they're pulling out all the stops to derail him.”
  • As documented by the blog Think Progress, Rush Limbaugh has repeatedly referred to Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) as “the next Ronald Reagan,” adding that Jindal represents “100% conservatism.”

Considering that most rising conservative figures are compared to Reagan by their counterparts in the media, maybe the question isn't who is “the next Ronald Reagan,” but who isn't it?