Reagan’s bizarre defenders: Rick Perlstein, phony centrism and the strange attack on history

by Paul Rosenberg

The right attacked an acclaimed historian's Reagan book. What's really odd is how the sensible, smart set responded.

Review of Rick Perlstein's "The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan"

by Ron Briley

Perlstein, seeking to make some sense of the Reagan phenomenon, offers somewhat of a new take on the culture wars of America during the 1970s. He divides the nation into skeptics or doubters, willing to interrogate national policies and institutions, and true believers who unquestionably embrace American exceptionalism.

NYT interviews Rick Perlstein about his book

"I don’t read many popular histories like the ones I write."

Rick Perlstein: “Ronald Reagan absolved America almost in a priestly role not to have to contend with sin. The consequences are all around us today”

"From climate change to foreign affairs, Reagan pushed America toward easy lies, just as reckoning seemed possible."