AHC/WI: Reagan the Democrat?

I think this is closer to the key reason Reagan converted.

Reagan, though well liked, was not a very distinguished actor. His career was on the downswing by 1948. His wife, Jane Wyman, dumped him as her career was rising. His next wife, Nancy Davis, was a longtime reactionary, and possessed even less talent theatrically than Reagan. The turn right makes sense both economically and emotionally.

Really, you would have to make Reagan's career as an actor more successful so he is either not dumped by Wyman or he recovers more easily and so that Reagan is not reduced to having to be a shill for GE and laundry detergent.

I thought of a way to keep Reagan a Democrat, and a fairly liberal one at that, after watching the recent HBO documentary on him -- have his employment with General Electric fall through. FWIH, while Reagan became a livid anti-communist following the Strikes of 1946, it was his time working for GE when he really crystalized his right-wing political philosophy...
 
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