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The Last Jeffersonian: Ronald Reagan's Dreams of America

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I had long ago all but dismissed Ronald Reagan as an amiable and polished speaker of lines he had been given to read. Still I was curious about his appeal, even to such intelligent critics as George Will. Will and others had written columns over the years defending Reagan's views, but I wanted more: a coherent defense of the man's principles in view of his (to me) obvious callousness towards the have-nots. It was for this reason that I read Dr. Greffenius's impassioned championship of Reagan. Through Greffenius's presentation of the principles Reagan defended--all stemming from his radical belief in the importance of individual freedom--I began to think of Reagan, for the first time, as a brilliant conduit for the principles of democracy first espoused by Thomas Jefferson. Greffenius does not ignore Reagan's critics, but engages them directly. And as I read this book, I found myself thinking often of F. Scott Fitzgerald's conclusion to The Great Gatsby. The Last Jeffersonian opened my eyes to the ways in which Ronald Reagan gave us, perhaps for the last time in history, a view of our America from "somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night." I can't, even now, describe myself as a Reagan fan. But The Last Jeffersonian was nevertheless an interesting and very worthwhile read.

In The Last Jeffersonian, Steven Greffenius persuasively contends that Ronald Reagan articulated the values of American democracy as understood and defined by its great Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson. It's a unique and valuable analysis. (Lou Cannon)

The succession of essays, each on a facet of Reagan's philosophy, reveals an inspiring amalgam of contrast and comparison among Reagan, Jefferson, Jackson and FDR. Even Gatsby, Willy Loman, Horatio Alger, Micawber and Mr. Magoo are pointedly drawn into the mix. Indispensible if you wish to know Reagan.