Newsweek - USA (2020-02-21)

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POLITICSCementing a Place in Historywthey prompt discussion and convey an official seal of approval. The fact that Wsolidifying a president’s legacy, experts say, because hy the rumpus? namings matter to ashington National
40th president left office and has for decades been a Americans for Tax Reform (ATR). The Ronald Reagan Legacy Project’s lofty goal is to get something—in the U.S. named for Reagan; there are more than Right now, Norquist says, they’re at about 150 sites who have the most of any modern American leaders. gan with John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., modest aim being to at least achieve parity for Rea-Obama, he doesn’t seem to have a Grover Norquist.formal cause of the small-government advocacy group, 800 each for Kennedy and King. Unfortunately for in the U.S., with ATR founder Grover Norquist’s more thing—named for Reagan in all 3,140 or so counties any- permanent affirmation of the 40th president as a the power of political branding.University law professor who writes extensively on about him,” says Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a Stetson has a real impact on how people of the future think people actively building the Reagan legacy and that man of greatness. “In the Reagan example, you have Airport was renamed for Reagan in 1998 granted a

left’s failure to do so for Obama in an essay last sum-history is an instrument of power, and built a virtual is it Reagan airport?’ It creates a series of teaching moments that convey to young people that this per-versations a year with kids saying to parents, ‘Wmer. “A generation of conservatives recognized that ration for the right’s canonization of Reagan and the son must be important.”POLITICO co-founder John Harris echoed admi-Norquist’s logic is similar: “You have 100,000 con-hy
industry dedicated to celebrating Reagan’s legacy and renaming things in his honor,” Harris wrote. “Demo-crats, by contrast, during the same time often have be-come the Hannibal Lecter party—presidential legacies with fava beans and a nice chianti.”unparalleled in modern times. The most significant Environmental Protection Agency in Washington; site named for Bill Clinton is the headquarters of the Indeed, Norquist’s efforts are indefatigable and eating their party’s

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