I’ve lately been studying a lot about “positive attitudes,” and the ways in which people who exude such attitudes can achieve their biggest dreams.

As many obits have noted, Reagan was a positive-thinking epitome. He had a winning smile, an easygoing voice, a knack for delivering simple jokes, and baby blue eyes. He diligently used his positive image to bring what I still believe were negative policies to the US and the world.

Sure, he never got around to some of his more contentious platforms (re-outlawing abortion, entirely dismantling the social safety net).

But he did get a lot of wrong things done.

He fired the air traffic controllers.

He slashed aid to the poorest, sending tens of thousands onto the streets.

He slashed college financial aid, reversing the postwar trend toward the democratizing of education.

He preached about smaller government, while he built up record budget deficits.

He started a massive buildup of nuclear weapons.

He arranged to keep the Iran hostages imprisoned to help his election drive; then let the whole Iran/Contra mess happen.

He enthusiastically supported every genocidal dictator who used anti-Communism as his excuse.

And, along with his evil twin Margaret Thatcher, he spread a gospel of blind faith in The Free Market. In practice, this meant massive corporate welfare, military-industrial contract corruption, the economic decimation of the middle class, the whole “greed is good” national nonsense, environmental catastrophes, jobless “recoveries,” and most of the wrong directions this country’s been headed in ever since.

I once wrote that the fictional character Reagan most closely resembled wasn’t Rambo but Simon the Likable, a villain from the last season of Get Smart! The Chief tells Max as they trail him, “He’s a terrorist, a gangster, a killer…” (the Chief catches a glimpse of Simon’s baby blue eyes and delicate smile) “…and a really nice guy.”