Notes

1. the circus analogy shows that the Reagan administration kept citizens happy with their regulations, but that would not keep them in good spirits for long. 2. the problems that the author has with the administration is that it is no longer at its prime, and the "dazzle" is beginning to wear out. 3. the main purpose of this article was to criticize Reagan on his tired procedures, that aren't as fresh anymore. 4. a reference that was unfamiliar in the article was "shibboleths". 5. The author is trying to say that Reagan is just focused on "playing president" rather than actually making drastic changes along with the times. 6. Reagans success included the double digit inflation, putting the economy in the second longest expansion since world war ll, proposing a program of catastrophic health insurance for the elderly and a major overhaul of welfare, and reducing the nuclear stock piles. 7. The contradiction over reagans legacy was the common question over how someone who worked so little at being president do so well. 8. The problem with everyone over reagans legacy was that everyone just believed him to be an actor that didn't deserve to be the president, when he has been involved in politics for over a quarter century. 9. Some of the anti-Reagan theories such as the good luck theory failed to explain Reagan's greatest accomplishments and then pillar of his popularity. Another theory states that his success was a mirage. It swelled on his bad habits, embarrassements, and failures. 10. The author argues that the Reagan policy "fails firmly in the centrist tradition of u.s policy" because he gets blamed for many things that would have happened even if he would not have became president.