The Presidency by Hugh Sidey: Why the Criticisms Don't Stick

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Those who believe that Reagan's popularity comes from a Teflon magic refuse to acknowledge his gains and exaggerate his failures. Mayors who feared that federal aid cuts would bankrupt their cities now run surpluses. The estimates by Reagan's critics that 3 million people are homeless proved to be overblown by tenfold. Such attacks diminish the true anguish of the needy and insult American intelligence.

Historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., author of some of the most eloquent and telling critiques of the Reagan Administration, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that those who would depose the man in the White House had better begin "by recognizing why Mr. Reagan has been so effective as President." The Teflon tag is a slick stump slogan and it may stick to Reagan, but it does not really explain the political struggle that is going on.