"The Man who sold the world" by William Kleinknecht could not have come at a more appropriate time for Americans. I personally found this book to be a very valuable insight into the so-called "legacy" of one of America's most revered and misunderstood presidents. At first I was a little bit shocked as to what I was reading, but the further I read the more I came to realize that sometimes things are not as them seem (especially when it comes to government).
Rather than take the easy way out and present empty social mores and personal attacks, the author presents evidence of cause-&-effect scenarios that were directly or indirectly the result of Ronald Reagan's influence (an influence that is still a very viable and dominant force in business and politics today, both in America and around the world). The author dares to question that influence, and does so not by making blanket statements with little real backing, but genuine qualifications of facts and figures that any honest man or woman would find hard to refute in any serious debate. This book is not a slam or attack towards the 40th president unlike other books tend to do when discussing the Carter or Clinton Administrations. Kleinknecht tears away at the legacy of "Reaganism": discussing the after-effects of that legacy and what it means to us today in our current situation.
I also found it interesting and fair that Kleinknecht's time-line of hypocrisy is not limited to the GOP. He allows the evidence to speak for itself. The main theme of the book is that Reagan's populism was more from his Hollywood past than his upbringing and the values he appeared to believe strongly in. By the end of the book we see how a misguided, mixed up Administration began a mess that sadly has led to today.
So what did I learn from reading this? We, as a country, cannot place blame on one person or political party,rather all who have served the past 25 years are to blame either because they have had their own agendas or simply turned a blind eye to the growing hurricane.The president and his administration should have a vision but he should also have his team together(both sides);the right people should be chosen and he/she should understand how Congress works. In my opinion the most important thing for a president is to study the previous administration and not fix or meddle in things that aren't "broke".
What should we, as Americans, be willing to do? We must learn to become bi-partisan when it comes to electing our leaders and be willing to place the blame where it should be placed and learn to be able to criticize someone we may support. Now wouldn't that be a more perfect union?
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