Trump's Covid debacle offers a framework to compare the records of past Republican presidents and candidates.

I disagree with the Reagan part. He should have been a warning sign that the Republicans were becoming divorced from reality.

Yes, much of the GOP’s decline can be traced to Reagan, even if he’s been pretty much forgotten by rank-and-file Republicans these days.

He still had certain qualities Trump lacked: a genuine sense of humor, a willingness to work with Democrats, an ounce of contrition (he actually apologized on National TV for Iran-Contra, something Trump would never do), and a focus on a common enemy: the USSR.

No, Reagan wasn’t great, but he wasn’t an America-destroying menace.