WI no Alzheimer's for Reagan?

What if Ronald Reagan had retained his mental faculties until his final days? How would his presence as ex-President, without the extended pre-mortem tribute to his legacy we saw during his illness IOTL, affect American politics? I came up with a few potential ramifications on this:

IOTL, before developing Alzheimer's disease, Reagan remained an effective speaker. (Love him or hate him, you could always count on Reagan to give an awesome speech.) He gave a well-received speech at the 1992 GOP convention. He may be able to serve as a distinguished elder statesman of the GOP and give speeches in support of Republican candidates through the '90s, including the 1996 convention. As his physical health deteriorates, this may be limited to California and the surrounding states. While a Reagan speech wasn't enough to save Bush in '92, having the Great Communicator give a boost might be enough to swing some House or Senate races. But...

... after Clinton won in '92, it came out that Reagan had voted for Clinton over GHW Bush. Without the outpouring of sympathy due to his illness, does this hurt his standing within conservative circles? Speaking for Bush at the convention, then voting against him, can't look good. Is Reagan likely to vote for Clinton in 1996 over Dole (or whoever the GOP picks instead)? IMHO his policies as POTUS would outweigh this, but do conservatives still come to revere him as the embodiment of everything they hold dear? (The Facebook group Being Conservative, last I knew, has Reagan's POTUS photo as its main profile picture.) This began while he was still alive, but mentally gone IOTL, and may have been partly a result of the sympathy for his Alzheimer's.

How are the internal politics of the GOP affected? If Reagan maintains his influence, even unofficially, the party could be more solidly conservative than it is IOTL.

And finally, to what extent do we see things done in his honor? I don't think he would get as much till he dies. There would still be a USS Ronald Reagan, but the one built OTL (CVN-76) would be named after someone else, and a carrier would be dubbed USS Ronald Reagan after he passes away. Without this precedent, there would be no carrier named after GHW Bush ITTL. (OTOH: Jimmy Carter actually had a submarine named after him before the Reagan was named. So you never know...) Along the same lines, Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC would receive its new name after Reagan's passing, and Houston's primary airport would not now be named after Bush without the Reagan precedent. Whether the push to put Reagan on money is as strong, your guess is as good as mine.

Thoughts?
 
A scenario, perhaps?

...

I don't think Reagan would have voted for Clinton a second time in 1992. Knowledge that he voted for Clinton, if leaked out, would probably have the GOP try to keep Reagan away from the convention in 1996. However, Ronald Reagan was a major speaker for the Republicans during the 1994 mid-term elections and was later credited by one Republican to have been an influence of significance. Ronald Reagan was present at Richard Nixon's funeral in 1994. By the time of the 1996 elections, Reagan was vocal in his endorsement of Senator Robert Dole. He delivered a speech in support of Dole at the GOP convention in San Diego.

Reagan's memoirs proved to be a best-seller in 1997, owing much to the continued popularity of the 40th President. He spent little time on the campaign circuit for the 1998 midterm elections and maintained a good friendship with former Mr. Olympia and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. When Schwarzenegger became governor of California years later, he credited Ronald Reagan as a significant influence. By the time of the 2000 elections, Ronald Reagan granted an early endorsement of Senator John McCain, which was later credited as a significant boost to McCain's candidacy in the primaries over Texas Governor George W. Bush. Reagan appeared in great health during the course of the campaign and his speech at the 2000 convention in Philadelphia was met with thunderous applause. The 2000 election was decided when McCain eked out a win in Florida despite controversies over recount votes.

Reagan's latter years in the early 21st century were marked by few public appearances. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Reagan was publicly vocal in his support for the McCain administration's efforts in Afghanistan. Reagan's health made the news in 2002 after he broke a few bones at a fall in his home in California. He was, however, in high spirits and by the California gubernatorial recall election in 2003, Reagan was vocal in his support for his friend Schwarzenegger and stumped for his friend. Reagan would once again briefly appear on the campaign trail for John McCain in 2004, but declined to speak at the convention. He appeared in a commercial alongside former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton to request donations for relief efforts in the wake of the 2004 tsunami disaster.

Reagan mostly retired from public life after 2004, but he remained alert and healthy. By 2008, Reagan reportedly endorsed Republican candidate George W. Bush. However, the Republicans lost control of the White House with the election of Barack Obama. Reagan later congratulated Obama for his win. By Reagan's 98th birthday party in 2009, Reagan was not as active and his health was declining. He gave an interview on CNN following his 98th birthday and it would be the last television appearance of his life. Reagan died in his sleep in June and President Obama declared a national day of mourning for "one of the most influential Americans of our time."
 
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Reagan was publicly vocal in his support for the McCain administration's efforts in Afghanistan.

With McCain, Gore or anybody else as president, the 9/11 attacks may have been foiled or otherwise butterflied away. All you need is for Intelligence to tip their heads in the right direction and pick up on the flying lessons.
 

Okillos

Banned
The 2000 election was decided when McCain eked out a win in Florida despite controversies over recount votes.

If John McCain was the Republican nominee for President in 2000 he probably would have won the popular vote and won a few more states than Bush. New Mexico, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Oregon all went for Gore by less than one percent.
By 2008, Reagan reportedly endorsed Republican candidate George W. Bush. However, the Republicans lost control of the White House with the election of Barack Obama.

John McCain would probably do better than President Bush overall not hurting the Republican Party's chances as much and I don't think Bush would be in 2008 nominee. I see perhaps Mitt Romney gaining the nomination and Barack Obama would probably be butterflied into remaining an obscure Illinois state senator.
 
I'm not certain Reagan would've endorsed McCain in the 2000 primaries. During the general election, Reagan would've definitely endorsed McCain, but I just can't see it during the primaries. Bush was more conservative than McCain, and I'd see Reagan endorsing Bush over McCain. But I'm not certain Reagan would endorse anybody in the 2000 primaries: he would probably just wait to endorse the GOP candidate.
 
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