At Hillsdale College, we have erected statues of historical individuals to honor the principles and courage of those memorialized. Our most recent honoree is President Ronald Reagan, whose wonderful likeness was dedicated this past fall.
The presence of these statues is quite justified; Lincoln, Churchill, Thatcher, and Reagan — indeed, all the figures sculpted had an immense historical impact. Their characters, principles, and actions continue to reverberate today.
Despite their significance, however, we must be careful not to “worship” these historic figures. Conservatives and other right-leaning minds were rightly put off by the nigh-religious enthusiasm generated by Candidate Obama and his cult-like followers. Such a high regard defies one of the most important aspects of the conservative tradition: the fallibility of man.
Yet conservatives cannot be said to be completely blameless in this semi-idolatry. Ronald Reagan, a great leader in many respects, has taken on a status after his death that, by being fashioned into the distilled embodiment of all that is good and conservative, has rendered him politically perfect in retrospect. This status can be seen in virtually any debate of the current Republican Presidential candidates, where we can expect at least one question or response to invoke the memory and legacy of the Gipper.
This is dangerous for at least two reasons. First, by making Reagan seem perfect in hindsight, one ignores the mistakes that not only make him human but also provide us with the ability to learn from him, just as we can learn from all of history. Second, it risks making bipartisan what ought to remain only a liberal fantasy: an abiding faith in the boundless wisdom and finesse of political leaders.
Those who knew and worked closely with President Reagan would, I suspect, reflect his likely discomfort with the invocation of his memory by the current set of candidates or Republican leaders. President Reagan would probably advise these candidates to stop talking about him and start focusing on providing leadership for our country into this century.
Thus, it is the duty of conservatives to strike a delicate balance. Just as we must learn from history, and from the characters — both good and bad — of those who made it, we must also strive, unlike the Common Man of Bolt’s “A Man For All Seasons” to disparage completely neither the aspiration toward noble character nor those who have had it.