Reaganizing the Republicans. (Politico).(Brief Article)

When Ronald Reagan took the oath of office in 1981, there were very few Reaganites in Washington. Even congressional Republican leaders were not active supporters of Reagan's drive for a less intrusive government and freer markets. Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee called the new President's 25 percent across-the-board tax cut "a riverboat gamble" and House Ways and Means ranking Republican Barber Conable explained that he "wasn't really for" the reduction. The model for a Republican politician in the minds of most Republican congressmen was still Richard Nixon, or even Nelson Rockefeller.

David Hoppe, who served as Jack Kemp's chief of staff in the 1980s and now fills the same position for Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, says it was not until 1985 that a majority of the House Republican caucus would see themselves as Reagan Republicans, and not until after the 1994 election that Reaganites would constitute a majority of Senate Republicans.

Today, more than 90 percent of House Republicans (all but about 20) and 80 percent of Senate Republicans (39 out of 49) can essentially be characterized as Reagan Republicans. One good measure is that 205 House Republicans and 38 GOP senators have signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to vote against tax hikes. Meanwhile, George W. Bush ran successfully in 2000 as the quintessential defender of the Reagan coalition.

Before Reagan's election it was difficult to shame a Republican senator or representative into voting more conservatively. But Reagan was a big winner. And over time, most House and Senate Republicans moved toward his positions, or were replaced by younger politicians who did. In Washington, the Reaganization of the Republican party is now nearly complete.

Unfortunately, a quick inventory of the 27 Republican governors finds a very different reality at the state level. The few Reaganite governors who oppose tax hikes, work to reduce spending, challenge labor union bosses, and promote choice in education include Jeb Bush of Florida, Bill Owens of Colorado, and Frank Keating of Oklahoma--then the pickings get slim. Many Republican governors have fought for one or two conservative initiatives, ...