Challenge: An Even More Successful Reagan Presidency

He isn't already?

But on a serious note, get rid of Iran Contra, have him not pass amnesty (or better yet, solve the borser issue), have him perform reform of welfare and social servaces, and maybe have China collapse Soviet-Style alongside the USSR. Viola!
 
maybe change the Red Scare, Reagan stays a New Dealer (and a Dem) the POD leads to a Nixon Presidency in 1960 and reelected in 1964, civil rights moves more slowly, no Great Society or War on Poverty, Vietnam is more or less OTL Reagan runs and wins in '68 he pushes Great Society and War on Poverty stuff, wraps up civil rights, goes to China and gets Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the USSR, mix the best of Nixon and LBJ and give it the face of JFK.

This seems to be the only plausible scenario to create a successful Reagan Presidency.
 
Your mission, should you accept it, is to make Reagan's Presidency even more successful in the eyes of historians than it already is. Now you might be saying: "But Reagan is already seen as successful!" While that is true, your job is to make Reagan's Presidency from 1981-1989 so successful that he replaces FDR in the top three greatest Presidents among historians. Most historians from what I've seen rank the top three Presidents something like:

1. FDR
2. Abraham Lincoln
3. George Washington

Your mission is to make that ranking:

1. Reagan
2. Lincoln
3. Washington

And......begin! ;)

The problem is FDR's election was a result of the Great Depression, so ideally you'd need the economic slump in the late 70's/early 80's to become a 'Second Great Depression'. How you bring this about I'm not sure.

Failing that, I did start a Thread a few weeks back, based on the Protect and Survive TL, asking what would have happened had the build-up to that Nuclear War occured, but it was stopped at the last minute, just before World War III was due to start. This scenario makes the Cuban Missile Cryses look like a whimper, because the transition to war in Protect and Survive lasts about 6 months and is all very public.

Let's say that in February 1984, Reagan makes a public statement in support of peace. He receives some criticism from right-wing republicans, who would otherwise be in agreement with Reagan's other policies. When a last minute peace agreement is worked out, some even compare him to Neville Chainberlain. However, Reagan's actions receive popular support with the public at large and he takes creddit for salvidging peace, defying many of his foreign policy critics in the 1980 election in the process.

This isn't the end of the matter however, as the economy is now in full-blown ressession as a result of the panic caused by the world situation. Some economists go as far as to say the world is now experiencing a second Great Depression.

On November 6th 1984, Reagan wins a simelarly lopsided election to the one he won IOTL. Despite the economy, he wins bipartisan support as 'The Man Who Stopped The War'. Also, the more critical the world situation, the less coverage news outlets will give to Reagan gafs in the 1984 debates.

Eventually, the economy bounces back quicker than many thought it would. In foreign Polecy, the US and USSR work faster towards disarming, as they have a joint interest in asuring the world doesn't come as close to war ever again. Their efforts are helped by a more unified world in general, again as a result of the near-war cryses of 1983/84.

That's the best way of bringing this about...
 
Your mission, should you accept it, is to make Reagan's Presidency even more successful in the eyes of historians than it already is. Now you might be saying: "But Reagan is already seen as successful!" While that is true, your job is to make Reagan's Presidency from 1981-1989 so successful that he replaces FDR in the top three greatest Presidents among historians. Most historians from what I've seen rank the top three Presidents something like:

1. FDR
2. Abraham Lincoln
3. George Washington

Your mission is to make that ranking:

1. Reagan
2. Lincoln
3. Washington

And......begin! ;)

Not having him as a senile old fool who needed cue cards to remember which country he was running.
 

Archibald

Banned
What about the Reykjavik summit, October 1986 ? Reagan, the man who erased nukes from the face of earth (with a little help from Gorbachev, admittedly...)
 
Top