The right's cynical exploitation of Ronald Reagan's legacy has always been something of a race to the bottom. Last year, for instance, conservatives in Congress went so far as to bully local government in Washington to change a map to read "Reagan National Airport." But the former president's son, radio host Michael Reagan, pushed the Reagan legacy brigade to new depths this month by invoking his father in a campaign to donate Newsmax magazine to libraries nationwide.
In a letter to Newsmax readers, Reagan calls the right-wing tabloid, "the only independent news source in America and the only one prominently promoting the vision of Ronald Reagan. . .less government, strong families, strong defense and more freedom." In fact, because the "doctrinaire left-wing media hate[s]" his father's ideals so much, Reagan says, Newsmax is trying to raise $200,000 to put its magazine in 7,000 libraries.
You'd be forgiven for wondering why esteemed, reliably conservative, and deeply pro-Reagan outlets like the National Review, The Weekly Standard, Fox News or The Washington Times aren't getting such stroking. One reason may be that, unlike Newsmax, they haven't cut a deal with the younger Reagan.
And Newsmax isn't just any conservative magazine. It's one willing to go where even The American Spectator wouldn't. Since its launch in 1998, Newsmax has become a juggernaut of over-the-top tabloid reporting and commentary focusing obsessively on the Clinton scandals. The brainchild of Christopher Ruddy, a former reporter at Richard Mellon Scaife's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review who specializes in Vince Foster conspiracy theories, Newsmax has built a vast audience by publishing virtually any allegation. The Newsmax.com website now draws eight million monthly visitors and the magazine has over 240,000 paid readers. Both numbers dwarf any comparable conservative publication. In the process, Ruddy and Co. are making loads of cash hawking tapes and t-shirts.
Might such financial interests have some connection with the push to extract money from readers to fund library subscriptions? Michael Reagan says nothing about t-shirts, framing the matter in grand terms: "By donating a subscription to your local library, you will help educate your neighbors and young people -- and help preserve the vision of Ronald Reagan."
In case you are wondering, here are just a few examples of the contributions made by the February 15 issue of Newsmax to the preservation of Reagan's vision:
- Michael Reagan calling Congressional Democrats "the terrorists of Capitol Hill."
- Reagan and editor Christopher Ruddy repeating the false allegation that a Democratic ad attacked the "Bush recession."
- A bizarre article, first published in December, about attorney Alan Dershowitz's discussion on WABC Radio of a nude beach he frequents.
Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan even tries to claim that her former boss had foresight concerning the September 11 attacks in a Newsmax interview peddling her new book, When Character Was King. Reagan could "see trouble down the road" and "knew trouble was coming," Noonan tells Newsmax vaguely. We therefore need national missile defense: "You've got to see trouble coming down the road, and you've got to plan for it."
Perhaps it's time for a moratorium on this sort of thing before Newsmax starts pushing "What Would Reagan Do?" paraphernalia. Who knows what Reagan would think of September 11? And it's certainly questionable that he would endorse Newsmax magazine as the key to his legacy. The conservatives who make their living glibly appropriating Reagan only diminish their claims about the greatness of his presidency.
