A Name of My Own

OF all the things Ronald Reagan did for me, maybe the best was that he gave me something to call myself. I am a Reaganite. It can be difficult to answer when someone says, “What are you, politically?” The word “conservative” is subject to a thousand interpretations. You don’t want to launch into a lecture about the Scottish Enlightenment, the strange journey of the word “liberal,” the advent of Frank Meyer, etc. So, instead you can say—if it’s true—“I’m a Reaganite.”

Everyone has an idea of what Reagan was: Some think of him as a mainstream conservative, others think of him as a right-winger, or as a genuine liberal, or as a Neanderthal—whatever. The point is, people know what you mean.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

OF all the things Ronald Reagan did for me, maybe the best was that he gave me something to call myself. I am a Reaganite. It can be difficult to answer when someone says, “What are you, politically?” The word “conservative” is subject to a thousand interpretations. You don’t want to launch into a lecture about the Scottish Enlightenment, the strange journey of the word “liberal,” the advent of Frank Meyer, etc. So, instead you can say—if it’s true—“I’m a Reaganite.”

Everyone has an idea of what Reagan was: Some think of him as a mainstream conservative, others think of him as a right-winger, or as a genuine liberal, or as a Neanderthal—whatever. The point is, people know what you mean.