Why did Ronald Reagan switch from a Democrat to a Republican?

[Willie Pep]

I have been reading a bit about Ronald Reagan and I was surprised to find out that he was a Democrat in his younger years. Reagan was a big supporter of FDR and the New Deal and was very pro-union. Regan was even president of the Screen Actors Guild. But Reagan would eventually become a Republican in 1962 and supported Barry Goldwater in 1964.

I have read all sorts of reasons for Reagan changing parties, everything from making more money and getting hit with higher marginal tax rates to his stint working as a spokesman for General Electric.

Why do you think Reagan changed parties and ideology?

[Freddie]

1. Nancy's father

Was a wealthy surgeon and a staunch Republican who wanted to keep his $$. I've read that Dr. Davis was the biggest influence on St. Ronnie changing sides.

[appalachiablue]

6. For the record stepfather, Lloyd Davis, conservative Chicago neurosurgeon.

Last edited Mon Jul 16, 2018, 10:15 AM - Edit history (1)

Through her mother's marriage to Davis in 1929, Nancy's fortunes changed and she moved up in the world. The pretensions and views she is well known for were most prominent in later life in the public role as wife of Ca. Gov. Reagan, and as FLOTUS. I was in DC during eight years of her reign and can attest that she was not well regarded or seriously involved in substantive projects in contrast to First Ladies Jackie Kennedy, Ladybird Johnson, Betty Ford, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama who engaged in very worthwhile activities. Nancy is not remembered for contributing much, but she did like fashion and paling with friend Betsy Bloomingdale.~

Wiki, abbrev.: Anne Frances Robbins was born on July 6, 1921, in NY. She was the only child of Kenneth Seymour Robbins (1894–1972), a farmer turned car salesman who had been born into a once-prosperous family, and his actress wife, Edith Prescott Luckett (1896–1987). She lived her first two years in Flushing, Queens, an outer borough of New York City, in a two-story house on Roosevelt Avenue between 149th and 150th Streets. Her parents separated soon after her birth and were divorced in 1928. After their separation, her mother traveled the country to pursue acting jobs and Robbins was raised in Bethesda, Maryland, for six years by her aunt, Virginia Luckett, and uncle, Audley Gailbraith. Nancy later described longing for her mother during those years: "My favorite times were when Mother had a job in New York, and Aunt Virgie would take me by train to stay with her."

In 1929, her mother married Loyal Edward Davis (1896–1982), a prominent conservative neurosurgeon who moved the family to Chicago. Nancy and her stepfather got along very well; she later wrote that he was "a man of great integrity who exemplified old-fashioned values." He formally adopted her in 1935, and she would always refer to him as her father. At the time of the adoption, her name was legally changed to Nancy Davis. She attended the Girls' Latin School of Chicago (describing herself as an average student), graduated in 1939, and later attended Smith College in Massachusetts, where she majored in English and drama, and graduated in 1943. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Reagan

[unc70]

2. Nancy

Everything else was secondary. Supposedly she was sexually more "adventurous". (Allegedly gave the best bj in Hollywood.) She came with really, really RW ideology. Also, her RW friends were very generous by including Reagan in lucrative land speculation and other endeavors which set him up financially for the future.

[Maeve]

3. Money eom

[hedda_foil]

4. Nancy's fatber, Dr Loyal Davis, sat him down and converted him.

Nobody ever said Reagan was a deep thinker.

On edit: activity, Dr Davis was her stepfather.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. Money

[bobbieinok]

7. Read that Reagan said it was Whittaker Chambers book Witness

Chambers had been a communist and then left the party. He testified before the House Unamerican Activities Committee (in 49?), claiming that Alger Hiss was a communist.* Nixon was a member of the committee and pushed him hard for more info.

*Hiss had been a member of FDR's administration and helped set up the UN.

Source--wikipedia article on Chambers and some links from there.

Interesting note--The book Bambi (souce of the movie) was written by a Jew in Austria in the 20s. (Hitler banned the book in 36.) Chambers translated the book into English in the late 20s.

[rusty quoin]

8. He was an asshole. He made it in capitalism. He never really cared.

[Midnight Writer]

9. Even as President of the Screen Actor's Guild, Reagan was informing FBI on "commies' in the union

Even though in at least one instance, he informed on an opponent who publicly insulted him.

He was also spokesperson for GE, where he traveled the country giving speeches to industry groups. It was then that he perfected "The Speech", which he wrote on notecards and edited regularly reflecting audience response. Of course, because of the make up of his audience, it became more and more conservative, nationalistic, and what we would today call bigoted. The Speech was so effective that he used it and variants of it throughout his career. it was through The Speech that he gained political backing and the attention of big money donors.

But my personal opinion is he was an imitation John Wayne. His career in movies was being cast as a John Wayne B-movie substitute, and I believe his political career was also as a substitute for conservatives who wished bygod John Wayne was running things.

[BHDem53]

10. Bonzo talked him into it.

[empedocles]

11. Hollywood crowd laughed at Reagan and his then career and personality

Reagan then followed 'the money', applause, and respect to the right. Never had much interest in actually governing; just liked to 'perform'.