Hm, I was 8 when Reagan came to power. I remember the election -
   I rooted for the guy they called a "Dark Horse" 'cause that
   sounded cool. John Anderson. Don't know squat about him - still
   don't. But I would've voted for him because he was something
   different. My surprise when I found out later that we're a two
   party system. I was like, "Yeah, what about that #3 guy I saw as
   a kid?" I remember the hostages being brought back and finding
   that exciting. I remember Reagan getting the credit but I heard
   enough from the detractors to know even at 8 years old that it
   was Carter's hard work that got them to a point where they could
   be released and that Reagan was taking all of the glory. 8 years
   old: just at the age when kids start seeing the bullshit around
   them and already I saw politicians as liars. Somewhere in
   elementary school I did a book report on ex President Carter the
   Peanut Farmer. In fact, we did a LOT of stuff about peanuts in
   school. I have no idea why. The black dude that did the
   experiments with peanuts - I did a report on him as well. Maybe
   I liked peanuts. Anyway, I'll have to look more into this. Being
   raised in this environment, I always believed that government is
   bloated but that the bloat is necessary for its own stability. I
   always believed the middle class to be a fiction from the 1950s
   TV shows. Is that from Reagan? I dunno. I'll have to look more
   into 'before'. Somehow I think the article writer is giving more
   credit to Reagan than is due, but he *did* seem to be a
   powerhouse, so it's understandable. Think about it Nixon was
   impeached in the prior decade. IMPEACHED. Republican. Impeached.
   Before my time but to me, the idea is unfathomable. I think that
   might have put more a chink in the armor than anything, but I
   dunno.