Did George W. Bushs second inaugural address project Reagans qualities in any way?
Bush’s second inaugural address incorporated two important Reaganesque lessons. First, it told the story of his presidency–just as the Reagan narrative began with the despair of the 60s and 70s and ended with Reagan’s morning in America, Bush began with the defeat of Communism, then proceeded to the years of sabbatical, of repose, meaning the 1990s, then the traumas of 9/11, followed by the new vision, the new resolve. Second, Bush’s almost mystical faith in democracy–and the inevitable spread of liberty–echoed Reagan at his most expansive and idealistic. • How did America change in between Reagan’s inaugural and his last day in office? When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, Americans would still think of Apple as a fruit, not a computer; of “power ties” as electric lines, not fashion statements; of Madonna as a theological figure, not a celebrity; of Sonny Bono as a rock star, not a politician; of The Big Chill as blowing in from Canada, not Hollywood; of “greenmail” as a colorful
