James-K-Polk
Lee Swain
2/28/14 10:27am

You thought the Reagan years were about paranoia and fear?

I thought the Reagan years were about sloughing off the “malaise” of double-digit inflation and high unemployment and winning the Cold War. While there was uncertainty, there was certainly a sense of resurgence and optimism. I don’t know how we’re coming to the conclusion that the defining characteristic of the 1980s was fear.