On Reagan Introducing the Blue-Collar Republican




The Brian Lehrer Show show

Summary: <p><a class="guestlink" href="/people/henry-olsen/">Henry Olsen</a>, <a href="https://eppc.org/author/henry_olsen/" target="_blank">a senior fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center</a>, contributor to National Review and Weekly Standard, and author of the new book, <a title="buy this book at Amazon" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN//0062475266/">The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism</a> (Broadside Books, 2017).</p> <p>He explains that while the GOP often invokes Reagan's legacy, they're overlooking fundamental aspects of Reagan's politics. He loved the working class and even as he moved to right, he accepted and pushed the social safety net. Olsen believes that Republicans need to embrace the heart of Reagan's ideals of fulfilling the New Deal.</p>