The Herald, Everett, Wash., said this about Ronald Reagan in a recent editorial:

So much of Ronald Reagan’s success could be credited to style. …

In truth, our nation’s 40th president was primarily about substance, even if he delivered his principled points of view with flair. He was a committed conservative, one who didn’t compromise easily. He was a visionary, one who saw an America that was capable of much more than it was achieving when he took office in 1981. Perhaps most importantly, he was a fervent anti-communist whose strategy of peace through strength proved to be the final undoing of the Soviet Union …

His ability to connect with Americans across the political spectrum frustrated his opponents, and created a class of voters known as Reagan Democrats. At least part of the attraction Reagan held for such people must have been his civil approach to politics, one that allowed him to disagree without disrespect. It’s an approach sadly lacking today, and one we hope this time of reflection on his life can rekindle. …