This is the full quote attributed to Reagan:
“You know, someone very profoundly once said many years ago that if fascism ever comes to America, it will come in name of liberalism. And what is fascism? Fascism is private ownership, private enterprise, but total government control and regulation. Well, isn’t this the liberal philosophy? The conservative so-called, is the one that says less government, get off my back, get out of my pocket, and let me have more control of my own destiny.”
If Reagan said this (and I’m not getting into all the research concerning whether he did), he would have only put it this way because, at the time, the Democratic Party, having been taken over by progressive ideology, redefined the word “liberalism” to dissimulate its illiberal ambitions. This occurred during the Presidency of Franklin Roosevelt.
The description of fascism attributed to Reagan is accurate: “private ownership, private enterprise, but total government control and regulation.” And Reagan is right that this is the situation progressives seek to establish.
Fascism is rooted in the idea that individual rights must yield to the authority and goals of the state. In contrast, liberalism upholds civil rights, personal liberty, and viewpoint diversity.
For purposes of this essay, it doesn’t really matter whether Reagan said this or not. This quote, or some version of this, has been circulating for years. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify terms, meanings, and usages so there is no confusion about the intent of the quote. If one substitutes the word “progressive” for “liberal” in the alleged quote, if Reagan did indeed say this, then he is correct. And it would make sense that he would say this. It is very much in the spirit of Frederick Hayek and his most famous work, The Road to Serfdom.
Moreover, again, if the quote is accurate and rightly attributed, Reagan seems to understand that, when he says “so-called,” conservatism is, in fact, liberalism or in harmony with it. After all, the point of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, written by Enlightenment liberals, is limited government and individual control over one’s destiny.
freedom and reason 