An Empire of Ideals

Justin D. Garrison provides an original and groundbreaking analysis of Ronald Reagans imagination as it was expressed mainly in his presidential speeches. He argues that the predominant strain of Reagans imagination is "chimeric," that is, imbued with a high degree of optimism, romantic dreaminess, naivet, and illusion. Reagan spoke often about religion, democracy, freedom, conservatism, progress, Americas role in the world, the American people, the American Founding, and peace. These are for him important symbols, which together express his general vision of politics and human existence. These symbols have to be analyzed in depth in order to understand who Reagan really was and what he represented to his admirers. The book concludes that Reagans vision contains many dubious elements that present dangers for practical politics and claims that the popularity of Reagans imagination among Americans suggests a problematic self-understanding. Surpassing, existing works on Reagans ideas and speeches, this book systematically explains the general quality and major components of Reagans vision, and it draws upon political theory, aesthetics, and American political thought to analyze his imagination.