ABSTRACT
During the liberal era reformers had responded to social and economic problems by starting government programs to deal with them. Ronald Reagan's huge tax cuts and his military build-up contributed to unprecedented deficits that for years after his presidency placed reformers on the defensive. Admirers of his foreign policy later said that Reagan had delegitimized the communist government of the Soviet Union, but he undermined the American government as well. Faced with diminished expectations for the role of government in society, liberals concentrated on defending established programs and started no major new social welfare endeavors. Reagan's victories in the tax and budget fights, his success in the Professional Air Traffic Controllers' Organization (PATCO) strike, and his ability to carry out the largest defense build-up in history gave him a lasting public reputation for courage, boldness, strength, and competence.
