Ronald Reagan, the icon of the conservative movement, the man who inspired hundreds of Republicans to name their children “Reagan,” likely couldn’t become president these days, his son says.
“He probably would not have won the nomination of the Republican Party in 2008,” Michael Reagan said Wednesday. “Why? He would not have been conservative enough.”
The younger Reagan said the party needs to return to his father’s philosophy of coalition-building, and that’s the message he plans to deliver this month at a conservative gathering in Steamboat Springs.
Billed as the Inaugural Freedom Conference, the two-day event features a variety of speakers and panels on everything from future Latino trends to climate change.
So far, about 100 Coloradans have signed up to attend either the entire event or various panels, said Kirsten Fedewa, a founding board member of The Steamboat Institute, which is hosting the conference.
Michael Reagan is the keynote dinner speaker Aug. 28, while Grover Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, is the keynote luncheon speaker Aug. 29.
“This is going to be exciting,” Norquist said Wednesday.
He said he plans to talk about how it used to be taxation that whipped up voters, but now it’s government spending, such as the stimulus.
Michael Reagan said he is concerned that the conservative movement is getting smaller because “people are pushing each other out instead of bringing people in.”
“We need to build coalitions, and we’re not doing it,” he said. “That’s really the message.”
For information on the event, call 970-871-9936 or go to .
