How did Ronald Reagan
do it? Folks didn't think he was all that bright. Clark Clifford
even described him as "an amiable dunce." But consider the record.
Ronald Reagan changed the image of "conservative" in American
politics. Before Reagan most conservatives were portrayed as practically
carrying stone axes and wearing animal skins. After Reagan they
picked up a bit of his own gentlemanly image.
Ronald Reagan changed the Republican Party. Before Reagan it
was the party of rich Eastern bankers. After Reagan it was the
party of the conservatives from all over.
Ronald Reagan changed the laws of the land. Before Reagan top
marginal tax rates were 70%. Now they are 28%. There are conservative
Justices on the Supreme Court and a strong conservative presence
in legislatures at every level.
And, of course, Ronald Reagan changed the world. Before Reagan
there was a Soviet Union, a Berlin Wall and an Eastern Bloc. They
are gone now.
How did he do it? Like the man himself, the answers to that are
simple and straightforward.
Ronald Reagan was among the best prepared Presidents ever. He'd
been successful at everything from being a lifeguard back in Illinois
to being an actor and television personality. He is still the
only US president who was a union member and he was president
of that union longer than anyone else. He had two successful terms
as governor of the country's largest state.
Ronald Reagan was smart enough. If sheer brainpower made for
a great presidency there'd be a lot more statues to Jimmy Carter
and Herbert Hoover. Ronald Reagan was smart enough to do the job,
smart enough to know that good decision making involves thought,
but also emotion and values.
Ronald Reagan didn't seek the presidency because he needed to
be famous or successful. It wasn't something he saw as the ultimate
achievement of a career in politics. Instead, Ronald Reagan sought
the presidency because he believed that there was important work
that needed doing.
Ronald Reagan concentrated on a few important things. As he said,
"I think there are simple answers to many of our problems-simple
but hard. It's the complicated answer that's easy because it avoids
hard moral choices."
Ronald Reagan was a Great Communicator. He understood the value
of emotion in communication in the same way he understood its
value in decision making. And he spoke directly to the people
in language that was just formal enough to be presidential.
Like Franklin Roosevelt, the real power of Reagan's communication
came from the fact that he spoke through the television, through
the radio, through the reporters, directly to the people about
things that mattered to them. When he debated Jimmy Carter in
1980, Carter's closing statement began, "The American people now
are facing, next Tuesday, a lonely decision."
Reagan began with "Next Tuesday all of you will go to the polls."
He ended with his now-famous question, "Are you better off than
you were four years ago?" Richard Nixon may have coined the phrase,
"Silent Majority," but it was Reagan who understood it.
Ronald Reagan was an optimist. He believed in the best about
this country and the best about what the future could be. He said
that he "appealed to your greatest hopes, not your worst fears,
to your confidence rather than your doubts."
Finally, and maybe most importantly, Ronald Reagan loved his
wife and was loved in return and that love gave him a home. Robert
Frost said that "Home is where, when you go there, they have to
take you in." That's true enough, but home can be much more and
Ronald Reagan knew it.
He once said of his wife that she could make him lonely "simply
by leaving the room" and wherever he went he measured the distance
back to Nancy, and counted the time until he was home again. That
home and love anchored him. It gave him strength to go out and
do great things because he already had the greatest thing at home.
Ronald Reagan accomplished great things and we can learn from
how he did it. We can prepare ourselves better, concentrate on
the important work to be done, and live by our values We can communicate
effectively, find the best in people and situations and, if we're
lucky, have a loving home to return to. We may not be able to
change the whole world as Ronald Reagan did, but we can change
our own world for the better.
Top of page
A quick Google
search for Ronald Reagan will deliver links to over three million
pages. Many are paeans or polemics. There are also thousands of
stories on various news sites that were filed following President
Reagan's death. In other words, there's plenty out there if you
want to search. Here are three official sites.
Official memorial
site for life of President Ronald Reagan. There is a condolence
book here.
The official site for the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
The official
White House biography of Ronald Reagan.
There are also thousands of books out there, written by authors
with perspectives and opinions on every point of the compass.
Here are a couple of my recommendations on specific topics.
It was clear that Ronald Reagan was a man with strong convictions
and values. It was clear that he was religious, though he didn't
seem to wear his religious beliefs on his sleeve as has become
common. There is only one book I'm aware of that addresses the
issue of Ronald Reagan and his religious beliefs and practice.
It's "God
and Ronald Reagan : A Spiritual Life" by Paul Kengor
Ronald Reagan was a gifted and prolific letter writer. I think
the best way to view the man and what and how he thought is to
read his letters, rather than to read what other folks have to
say about him. The best collection of these is "Reagan:
A Life in Letters" by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson,
and Martin Anderson. The letters cover the period from 1922 to
1994 and are collected by topic. Included are letters to world
leaders, famous people and just plain folks.
Nancy Reagan was the center of Ronald Reagan's life and so his
letters to her have special value. "I
Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan"
is a collection of his love letters.
22 June 2004
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