If the rethugs could find a way to revive Reagan and have him run again, they would.
They love him. He's the embodiment of all that is evil in modern rethuglican philosophy.
He's no conservative, he's a 'Reagan conservative,' which means big government, bloated government, massive corruption, screwing everyone in every way possible...all in the name of the neoconservative agenda.
These are the real enemies...the neo-cons who first gained influence in the sleaze of the Reagan years. Many people may not realize it, but Reagan's evil was fueled by the neo-conservative agenda, who wormed their way into influence through an alliance with evangelicals, an unholy pact that gave Reagan vast power.
There ARE good republicans out there, people who are as sick of the hijacking of their party as we are of the effects it has had.
In the end, the only way we can get rid of this slime once and for all is to bring both sides together...the good dems (those who aren't sucking on the diseased corporate teat) and the good repubs (the ones who recognize the neocon infection in their party and want to purge it) to fight it.
Otherwise, the results will be disastrous not just for the individual parties, but for the entire country.
The mistake many DUer's make is to assume that the Repubs are the only problem...the corruption caused by the neocons has poisoned our party as well. Not as horribly as the republicans, but nearly. A lot of sleazy dems have realize they can cash in, big time, by throwing their lot in with the neo-con agenda. We can't expect to take back our country without cutting away the disease in BOTH parties. The process will not be easy. It will not be clean. It will be tough, painful, and will take time. But it is necessary. As long as the neoconservatives continue to exert influence, our country continues on its downward spiral.
It's not hard to do, you can play two-faced and deceitful, or you can just wear it on your sleeve and go all-out (as in the cases of Lieberman or Zell Miller).
I know there a lot of angry people here who cringe at the thought of cooperating with the repubs on anything...but the sad truth is, in the end, we will have to.
We can destroy the Republican party, scatter it to the winds, but THAT WILL NOT GET RID OF THE NEO-CONS...they'll still have the dems to further corrupt and influence.
Our first step is to take the white house, and gain a significant majority in Congress. Then we need to purge OUR party of Neo Con influence, we need to try and imprison the guiltiest of the guilty, and undo the damage they have done.
Then we need to have healing...of the country, of the rift between liberal and conservative, between dem and republican.
Perhaps those will be the steps we need to take on the road back to greatness.
All of us, Dem and Republican, Liberal and Conservative, all of us have been played for fools by a thoroughly corrupted group of men and women who are totally consumed by greed.
If we want to keep our own souls, we can't let hate dictate our course.
We're all in this together...the common enemy is an enemy to all...it's a long fight we have ahead of us, but we can win, we WILL win, because this country is worth fighting for and preserving.
The alternative is letting THEM win...and a victory for the neoconservative movement is a loss for all the world.

Incidentally, if you have not yet seen 'The Power of Nightmares,' DO SO. It will help you understand how the Republican party became what it is today. Reagan isn't the only one at fault...Wolfowitz, Cheney, Rumsfeld...all of these scum are guilty.