Books, Arts & Manners: Reagan in the Political Equation

Ronnie and Jesse: A Political Odyssey

By Lou Cannon Doubleday, $7.95 This is the first detailed and responsible study of Ronald Reagan’s career to appear in print, and this in itself is a fact of considerable political significance. At the same time, you will notice, Harper’s did a hatchet job on Reagan in its December issue; and Reagan will be getting more and more space in the media, for he is a factor of prime importance in the current political equation. He is the governor of our largest and most diverse state (only five nations in the world have a larger gross product than California), a state which is crucial to the 1972 national Republican ticket. And just as the Reagan quasi-candidacy was determinative for Republican politics prior to Miami, so the existence of Reagan forecloses any leftward options the national Administration might entertain. In 1970 Reagan undoubtedly will obliterate the hapless Jesse Unruh. (Naturally, the theme of the Harper’s article is that Reagan is unreal.)

About the Author

Jeffrey Hart

Jeffrey Hart is a contributor to National Review.

Featured Tags

Ronnie and Jesse: A Political Odyssey

By Lou Cannon Doubleday, $7.95 This is the first detailed and responsible study of Ronald Reagan’s career to appear in print, and this in itself is a fact of considerable political significance. At the same time, you will notice, Harper’s did a hatchet job on Reagan in its December issue; and Reagan will be getting more and more space in the media, for he is a factor of prime importance in the current political equation. He is the governor of our largest and most diverse state (only five nations in the world have a larger gross product than California), a state which is crucial to the 1972 national Republican ticket. And just as the Reagan quasi-candidacy was determinative for Republican politics prior to Miami, so the existence of Reagan forecloses any leftward options the national Administration might entertain. In 1970 Reagan undoubtedly will obliterate the hapless Jesse Unruh. (Naturally, the theme of the Harper’s article is that Reagan is unreal.)