The Working Class Republican

"The Working Class Republican is a fascinating, highly readable analysis of Ronald Reagan's particular brand of conservatism. In Henry's excellent book, we learn that Reagan was hardly the ideologue many of his biggest detractors (and fans) presume, but felt that energetic government sometimes could and should be deployed on behalf of America's working class. By shining some much needed light on modern conservatism's most important figure, Henry Olsen has also showed the Republican Party a way forward." -- J.D. Vance, New York Times bestselling author of Hillbilly Elegy

"An urgent warning for conservatives: If you admire Reagan - listen to him. What you learn will surprise you - and may save you." -- David Frum, Senior editor, The Atlantic

"Henry Olsen's original and remarkable book argues that the Republican Party can only win national electoral majorities if it goes beyond appeals to ideological conservatism and gains the support of working class voters in the nation's heartland. These voters, once known as Reagan Democrats, do not look at politics through the lens of political theory, but in terms of "helping people like us." Abandoned by Democrats and largely forgotten, at least until this year, by Republicans, this voting bloc is the lynchpin of our electoral system. And it was at the core of how Ronald Reagan always viewed the American voter. " -- James W. Ceaser, Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution

Though Ronald Reagan is one of our most beloved presidents, he's also one of our most misunderstood. In The Working Class Republican, Henry Olsen brings to light the real Reagan. Far from a rigid ideologue or an "amiable dunce," he was a New Dealer at heart who wanted to make the economy work for all Americans, whether rich or poor. -- Reihan Salam, Executive Editor of National Review

"With this nuanced portrait of Ronald Reagan's political evolution and maturation, Henry Olsen challenges many of his fellow conservatives to rethink, as Reagan did, the art of the possible in the America that the New Deal made." -- George F. Will, Columnist, Washington Post

"Henry Olsen, one of the sharpest and most indispensable political analysts alive today, saw Trump coming when almost everyone missed it. Now he sees in Reagan what others missed. Agree or not The Working Class Republican promises to ignite a whole new fight over Trump, Reagan and the meaning conservatism. " -- Jonah Goldberg, Senior Editor, National Review