35 Burst results for "Ronald Reagan"
The Hugh Hewitt Show: Highly Concentrated
The Return of Neo-Appeasement: Are We Doomed to Repeat History?
"The neo appeasement that's in the water. And everyone takes that as an insult. I don't mean it as an insult. I mean it is a genuine ideology that dominated in the 30s from Stanley Baldwin through Neville Chamberlain, which is you can satisfy dictators. You can actually do a deal with a dictator that they will stick to. That's back and it's deep. We saw Reagan beat it in the 80s with the deployment of the parachutes and the cruise missiles, but it's back and the neo appeasers don't want to deal with you. How is the committee going to get that to change? Well, the Democrats on the committee be vital to that change. Well, we're hoping to have our first set of policy recommendations out next week. We're working towards a strong set of recommendations that are focused on Taiwan, as well as a smaller set of strong recommendations that came out of our hearing on the ongoing Uyghur genocide, which leads to something that we're doing from our night. We're having a hearing tomorrow night on the CCP's ongoing economic aggression globally and how we level the playing field. We have this witnesses roger Robinson who designed and was key to the implementation of Ronald Reagan's economic warfare strategy against the Soviet Union. We have bob lighthizer, who served as U.S. trade representative and we have Eric Schmidt, who obviously was the head of Google and brings a private sector experience. And so we're hoping that hearing will then tee up our broader effort, which is the next phase of the committee's work, which is focused on selective economic decoupling and how we win this economic competition. Because a lot of the sentiment for engagement and appeasement comes from the private sector comes from Wall Street. It comes from K street. It comes from Hollywood. It comes from silly Silicon Valley, and there's this naive belief that we can just go back to the status quo ante that somehow we can go back to the good old days and return to the responsible stakeholder hypothesis or the more theme parks we open up in China, the more the better behaves Xi Jinping will become. I disagree with that, but we need to have a conversation with the private sector and get them to understand that there is no such thing as a private business in China.
The Eric Metaxas Show
John Zmirak and Eric Unpack Trump's Hilarious CNN Town Hall
"Had this CNN town hall last week. And I find the whole thing so delicious that it's just, it just is so hilarious to me that CNN figures like, hey, our ratings are in the tank, we've got a win win. We'll get Donald Trump on because Fox News doesn't like Trump anymore. We'll get him to come on and we will destroy him. So they have him on, he effectively destroys them. I don't know how it's possible that in New Hampshire, CNN allowed all these looked like pro Trump people into the auditorium. But it's one of the most funny delightful things I've seen and it reveals to my mind again that Donald Trump for whatever faults he has seems to understand America in a way that a lot of the other candidates even on the right don't. He has an ability to connect, which I think at this point is really vital. A political genius is a rare thing. It's something that kind of falls from the sky. Maybe once a generation, and if a party doesn't know how to take advantage of getting a political genius and grooming him and straightening him out and giving him guidance and giving him support and calling him reeling him back when he makes mistakes. But the Democrats were given Bill Clinton after decades of decline after dukakis after Gary Hart. Mondale. But all of a sudden, like a meteorite, the glorious charming sociopath, Bill Clinton falls in their lap. We got Ronald Reagan. After that, what did we have? Bob Dole, George W. Bush, who is like an embarrassment. He was always embarrassed. I don't want to curse on the air, but I have to Mitt Romney. Yeah, yeah. I mean, boy, talk about somebody who's been forgotten. Paul Ryan. Talk about people who nobody thinks about anymore. Nobody will ever think about again, including maybe their family members. Their
Mike Gallagher Podcast
John Catsimatidis: Donald Trump Could Be Better Than Ronald Reagan
"Want to get your take. Let me get your political lens on for a minute. Last night, CNN held a town hall with president Trump. I thought it'd be a nightmare. I figured they were going to ambush him. It was going to not turn out well for him. John, could you have ever imagined that he would do as well as he did? Dominated the night, it was vintage Trump and a whole lot of people are saying, yep, he's back and he's back in a big way. Well, he's getting smarter and he did very well last night. He answered the questions beautifully. And you know what I said to Donald? I can say I shouldn't say it to the president. I know for you. You get to say that. And what most of us don't, what do you do? And I said, you could be better than Ronald Reagan. All you have to do is make sure you people like you. And the fact was I met the other comment opposite that with Ron DeSantis. I'd like Ron DeSantis as a person I think he does a good job as governor. But his communication skills are a zero. You know, he doesn't necessarily like people. DJT, Donald J Trump. Could be the best president America ever had. If he avoids just saying bad things about people, just tell people how good of a job you're gonna do. Instead of saying, you know, how bad the other people are.
The Hugh Hewitt Show: Highly Concentrated
Senator Reveals Shocking Event at Air Force Base
"Glory, America, bones, roar, high Canada, and Hugh Hewitt here live inside the beltway. I'll be joined by Nikki Haley ambassador Ali joining me at the bottom of the hour, but I start this hour, was the United States senator Steve daines from the great state of Montana, senator. I keep track of Montana news because I'm still barred from the state after fishing out the Madison a couple of years ago. But I noticed that at malmstrom Air Force Base, there was a drag show for the kids. That's your Air Force Base. What's going on? Keep in mind we put some perspective around the Air Force Base. There are three bases in the nation that have responsibilities for intercontinental ballistic missiles. The most massive weapons of mass destruction known to mankind. We are very proud of the fact that one third of those missiles, a 150 of those ICBMs are in Montana. The best challenge going to have ever received came from the commander there from years ago and said scaring the hell out of America's enemies since 1962. It goes back to Ronald Reagan peace through strength. It's the greatest deterrence we have to keep authoritarian crazy leaders around the world in check because they fear what the United States could do. So it's an important peacekeeping mission. So as important as that mission is, we were shocked, shocked to find out. Back in June of 2021, the mouse from Air Force Base promoted a drag queen show for children on the base.
The Hugh Hewitt Show: Highly Concentrated
Surviving The Hurricanes Of Change In College Football
"There are different genres, obviously, but in every genre, they've got to be aware of change. If I keep talking about Ronald Reagan and how I love Ronald Reagan, people will turn me off. I got to be talking about 2024 and 2025. Right now, college football I'm going to focus in on Buckeye talk and college football survivor show for a moment. Massive upheavals. NIL. Name image and likeness for the benefit of the audience who doesn't know they're getting paid for their name and she didn't like this. The playoffs are coming and gambling. This is like having an earthquake in the middle of a hurricane during a drought. They're just three giant things happening. How do you, how do you change with what are convulsions in your profession? Yeah, I think we try to emphasize the things that are staying the same Saturday afternoons are still fun, hanging out with your friends at a tailgate is still fun. You still hate your rivals, you still love the team that's wearing the Jersey colors that you love. And you also can't stop a hurricane. You can stand out in The Rain and yell, stop, it's not gonna still get wet, you're gonna get blown away. So you have to accept it. So you can't hang on to the past at only gripe about the change. You have to admit the change is coming, whether you like it or not, and then find the new opportunities. So the main thing is don't get stuck on the past because it's right on my train, man. We're not going back. And there are people who say, oh, I hate college sports now. It's like, well, we know you don't actually hit college sports. There's a lot of things you love. Let's remember the things you love, and we're gonna help you adapt to the things that are coming, whether you like it or not. Because we don't want you to go away. We want you to still love the sport you love. All
The Charlie Kirk Show
How Barry Meguiar Discovered the Secret to a Joyful Life
"Tell your story and talk about your book ignite your life and let's have some fun. Well, you know, the story of joy is I just think one because Karen and I Karen could be up here with the Karen. I love you to death through my life everywhere there she is right there. You were working on 60 years of marriage in December. Frankly, I think frankly I think the lord's coming before that, we're not going to see it, but, you know, but, you know, I was born in a Christian home and so a Sunday morning Sunday Night Wednesday night saw, you know, all the stuff and the parents had mentored me well. And so we got married and Karen did not have quite the same upgrading I did, but she was solid with me and we were volunteering for everything in the church and you know what like during the week we'd go out and knock on doors and we just doing everything we possibly could and we realized we didn't have joy. And we said, how's that possible guy? We're doing all right, we're trying to earn our way into heaven like earn God's favor, which you can't do that, by the way. He already loves you completely. You can't get any more than completely. So, but we were just trying to figure that out and we actually were having some time when we were kind of nipping at each other, right? This should not be right. We should not be having these kinds of situations, having joy, where did all this joy gonna come from? And so we started praying for joy. We literally started fraying every day God we want joy. And we end up about maybe a month later or so. And we went to a lunch at our church, 15th anniversary, luncheon, they had her belly wood. Herb was illegal affairs secretary for Ronald Reagan and then president Reagan after that. And he was a speaker. And I was assigning the seat next to him next to the podium and for an hour. I was wanting to hear Reagan. Do you really pray in his office all these guys? We never mentioned Reagan. I'm never thought of breaking for an hour. He's told me story after story after story he was laughing. He was crying about how he was sharing his faith and all these crazy places and it last night you don't believe what happened last night. I walked away from that in tears. And I said, I want what he has. I want what he has. I want that joy.
The Charlie Kirk Show
How Democrats Changed the Game for Supreme Court Nominations
"Left has hated clarence Thomas since the moment George H. W. Bush to his credit, nominated him to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Now, remember, Supreme Court hearings used to not be very contentious. Used to be 98 nothing and 72 ten kind of boring, you know, okay, great. Passerby. But then the Democrats decided across the Rubicon. The Democrats decided to derail one of president Ronald Reagan's nominees. The great Robert bork. Robert bork should have been on the U.S. Supreme Court. He was an unbelievable writer. He knew the constitution through and through, but they went after him, and they went after him very, very hard. They, not just condemned him, they mocked him. They made him seem like a radical, which he wasn't. He was a thoughtful, reasonable person. And the term borking, a nominee, was born. That you could derail a nomination. And they tried to do this Kavanaugh, by the way, and they were unsuccessful. And basically they were able to consolidate 58 Democrats to 42 Republicans to reject a Supreme Court nominee the first of which in over 50 years to be rejected by the U.S. Senate. Joe Biden was the instrumental person. He was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and derailed Robert bork's attempt to go on the U.S. Supreme Court. Play cut one 19. As a nationally known jurist and legal scholar, Robert bork was a mainstay of conservative jurisprudence for more than half a century. Those views fueled a Titanic struggle over his 1987 nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, a fight that became a seminal moment in altering the process for all future nominees. Bork's Supreme Court confirmation hearings unfolded in September 1987, and heralded a historic struggle over the ideological composition of the federal courts. The judges responsibility is to discern how the framers values defined in the context of the world they knew. Apply in the world we know. Brilliant, Ted Kennedy, who was an evil person. How many times can you say chappaquiddick? Was involved. Joe Biden was involved. The same cabal. They never go away.
The Eric Metaxas Show
Floyd Brown Comes Out Swinging With His New Book "Counterpunch"
"Floyd Brown is an award winning author media commentator. Founder of the western journal, many of you are familiar with that extraordinary excellent publication, the western journal, but Floyd, who is a friend, has written a book called counter punch and unlikely alliance of Americans fighting back for faith and freedom Floyd Brown, my friend, welcome. It's great to be with you, Eric, and I've been looking forward to this. Well, I'm looking forward to it as well. I've been looking forward to it because you didn't even tell me. I thought we were friends. You don't even tell me you were writing a book. And suddenly Shazam, here is the book called counter punch. You and I are brothers in the faith. We are conservatives. We love America. You're a lot taller than I am. Now on rumble, people can't tell. So I'm going to pretend that I'm a couple inches taller than you. But I want to say Floyd that when somebody writes a book like this, my first question, kind of a dumb question, but why did you write the book? In other words, you're talking about things in this book that I imagine, I agree with. Why did you feel that it was important for you to write a book on where we are in the country? Because you have a great reach through western journal and you are, I mean, look, you've been in the political life for years. I wanted to mention up front. You worked for Ronald Reagan in your early years. Why did you feel, what is the central message of the book that you felt I have to put this out there? So there's several reasons why I wrote the book. Number one, it's my time to step back and western journal produces news every day. And that news is what's happening that day. And that's like the first version of history. I want to just step back a little bit, Eric. And deal with some of the false narratives that have been pushed on the American people the last three to 5 years.
The Hugh Hewitt Show: Highly Concentrated
Discover the Heartwarming Act of Forgiveness From President Ford
"And by the way, I don't know how you found out some of this. The presidential, okay, the presidential chair comes up at least twice and you're once when Jerry Ford is first president. He sits on the sofa and I've been in the oval with presidents a few times. And you never sit in the president never sits on the sofa. He sits in the presidential chair and you can arrange yourself on the right or the left and in the sofa or the chair adjacent, and you do it, but he sits on the sofa with guests until Ronald Reagan is president and he gives the presidential chair to Jerry Ford. What a detail, Richard. Ford was a congressman. A critical to understanding the Ford presidency, he had to, in some ways, unlearn leadership is defined on Capitol Hill and learned to be an executive. There are two, as you know, there are two completely different functions. And yet, at the same time, the personal qualities that he had developed on the hill were the qualities that allowed him to establish lifelong relationships with the world leaders. People have a G stard and Jim Callahan. People with whom you would not appear Trudeau, you know, who you would not believe have had a close association. But long after their fathers, these people usually get together every year.
The Hugh Hewitt Show: Highly Concentrated
Discover the Remarkable Story of Gerald Ford's 1976 Campaign
"I started reading this book, I got to the 1976 campaign, Richard Norton Smith has written this wonderful book. He'll be on with me tomorrow. An ordinary man. It's about the remarkable Gerald Ford. Great man, great American. And Gerald Ford faced Ronald Reagan in the 1976 campaign. It was the first campaign I was ever involved in. I was a young college kid and ran Ford youth campaign in Massachusetts. I was an undergrad. And I went up to New Hampshire to Durham to see him in a rally there, thousands of people. And I discovered yesterday doing some research on this stuff that New Hampshire had 750,000 people in 1976. It's got 1.4 million now. President Trump won the New Hampshire primary in 2016 with a 100,000 votes. It was like 1.3 million people there. One with a 100,000 votes. Ford
Mark Levin
Mark Levin to Broadcast Live From the Reagan Ranch
"One tomorrow I will be applying united All the way out to California And I landed LAX Which has to be the most horrendous airport on the face of the earth mister producer Not the airport itself but getting in and out of there I'd be more accurate It's just terrible I'd love to go to John Wayne airport but I don't want to take one or two stops in between I don't want to take one or two stops in between because we're having an issue with global warming again Climate change But before I get to that when I land it'll be about two hours all told Do we get to the Reagan ranch And that is where I'm going to do the radio show from tomorrow evening Now if I was your average backbend true I wouldn't do the show tomorrow evening right And I'm going to be there for a big event with young Americans foundation Friday Among other things we're going to be honoring the great former attorney general Edwin meese a plaque will be placed at the Reagan ranch and the Reagan ranch was everything to the reagans Ronald Reagan just loved that place so did Nancy Reagan And young America's foundation came in and purchased it because it was up for sale and they didn't just want somebody to buy it They wanted to make sure that it was protected as a historic place and it is and I've never been there So they invited me in a more than thrilled to be there and what they do at yaf is so crucially important and has been for decades So I will fly there apply the friendly skies I hope they are I'll do my thing and then I'll fly back on Saturday
The Eric Metaxas Show
Yeonmi Park and Eric Discuss Our Shocking Complicity With China
"But again, I think the bigger picture is our complicity with China. That people are making millions and billions of dollars from China and they're participating somehow in Oregon harvesting in the slave trade. They're not, I mean, the least you can do when you have the power as we do in America, which Ronald Reagan did this, I believe Donald Trump did this. They say to these dictators of these people listen. If you want to trade with us, you have to change this and this and this. And if you don't, you will not trade with us. We have tremendous power. And if you don't use that power, you are participating in the evil. It's like to me it's like this politicians are willing to serve our country for just $3 million. Look at Hunter Biden. This politicians are so the worth of these countries not even countable. This is such a precious country that we have. And they are willing to start this country for just pocket money they get from China. And that's the leaders that we have in Washington, D.C.. I wish I didn't agree. I wish I didn't know this was true, but this is true.
ToddCast Podcast with Todd Starnes
Gov. Scott Walker: Outreach Efforts by Young America's Foundation
"Was very excited to hear that you guys were even going into the middle school campus is now because this is indoctrination is actually starting in preschool and it's only getting worse as the kids get older, so I like it that you guys are even reaching out to middle schoolers these days. Yeah, we've had two conferences for middle school kids up at the Reagan ranch we're having another one this weekend at the Ronald Reagan boy at home. We'll be having another one in June at our office as a virginian participating in Mount Vernon to learn more about George Washington, the founder of our country and obviously the first American president, but we're going to take even further. We're going to not only help middle school students but eventually even have materials for the parents of fourth and 5th graders because you're right they're starting younger and younger and younger. And we're going to counter it, we've got to do that not only at younger ages, but be even better. We're pleased we're the number one conservative youth organization. For example, when it comes to YouTube, that's the number one way this generation gets their information. We just surpassed 1 million subscribers at the beginning of this year. We had over a quarter of a billion billion with a B, quarter of a billion viewers out there in our videos and social media, just this first quarter, that's the way we do an end round around traditional media corporate media outlets around classrooms around union bosses and left wing professors. We've got to be on campus and in the classroom, but also on their devices in ways that young people are paying attention in college and high school and middle school and younger
AP News Radio
China sanctions Reagan library, others over Tsai's US trip
"China is retaliating for this week's U.S. meeting between Taiwan's president and Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy. Today, China announced sanctions against the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California. That's where Wednesday's talks were held between McCarthy and Taiwan's president Tsai ing Wen. U.S. China relations have sunk to their lowest level in decades, partly because of disputes over the status of Taiwan, which split with China in 1949 after a Civil War. China's ruling Communist Party says Taiwan is obliged to reunite with China and has no right to conduct foreign relations. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced sanctions against the Hudson institute a Washington think tank John a water Washington
America First with Sebastian Gorka Podcast
Paul Kengor Unpacks the Danger of Biden's GOP Rhetoric
"War in Europe with an open border with rising inflation with a 110 thousand killed by fentanyl in the last 12 months alone. The idea that any leader of any party or an incumbent president would label half the nation as a threat to America as fascists, Paul, that never happened during the Cold War. How dangerous is this is this rhetorical flourish that we are seeing again and again and again from right inside The White House? Well, again, circle back to someone like Ronald Reagan or John F. Kennedy. They never talk that way. In fact, the president, the Reagan defeated the incumbent in 1980, Jimmy Carter never talked that way. I mean, that's over the top, 75 million people voted for Donald Trump, which is a gigantic number. And so to so to speak that way, yeah, it's outrageous and to go back to what we were talking about in the previous segment with what's going on in Ukraine with what Putin is doing. I mean, this ought to be a time for someone like Biden to try to unify the country.
America First with Sebastian Gorka Podcast
What Happened to the Democrats? Professor Paul Kengor Explains
"A historian by training Paul. What happened to the Democrat party? You know, I think back to the likes of scoop Jackson and JFK. They never would have called for violence against somebody they politically disagreed with. And also they were Ardent anti communists. Have you, have you an explanation for what's happened? Yeah, you know, going back to JFK. I mean, they were, they reached across the aisle. In fact, speaking of anti communism, JFK ran against Richard Nixon for president in 1960. And years before that, the Kennedy family and Richard Nixon, they were all tight. They were all close. In fact, JFK's father Joseph Kennedy wrote a check to Nixon the Nixon Senate campaign when he was running against Helen gahagan Douglas, who was called the pink lady. And they said, defeat her dick, right? They cross party lines. Joe McCarthy, Joe McCarthy, who was a Republican, was very tight with the Kennedy family. Dated one of the Kennedy daughters used to hang out at hyannis port with at the Kennedy compound. Robert F. Kennedy worked for Joe McCarthy. In fact, Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, I think it's Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Her godfather is Joe McCarthy. And then fast forwarding to Ronald Reagan in another Massachusetts, famous politician, tip O'Neill. How they got along so well.
America First with Sebastian Gorka Podcast
Professor Paul Kengor Talks Ronald Reagan and Johnny Carson
"Delighted to have with us from grove city college. The relatively new editor of the American spectator, professor Paul kango. Welcome back to America first. Hey, thanks, Seb, and that Reagan appearance on Johnny Carson. I would really commend that to people if they could track it down and watch the whole thing. It's very, very good. And it's pre presidential years. It's in the 1970s. And I don't know how many people know this. I mean, I know this because of my research on Reagan, but Johnny Carson was a Reagan supporter. In fact, yeah, I've seen a number of letters at the Reagan library between Carson and Reagan and in fact, one of them, Reagan is directly thanking Carson, Carson and his wife. I think her name was Joanne, maybe. Thanking them for a campaign contribution. So they had been, yeah, Carson was a Republican and a Reagan supporter. And so were a lot of his major guests via Bob Hope, for example, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Stewart. And in those days, Hollywood was, I'd say much more balanced, although actually I think it's probably more balanced today than people realize it's just that the conservatives there today are terrified to speak up because liberals today are so brutal that they will destroy you if you come out as a Republican.
Mark Levin
Ronald Reagan: Fight or Surrender
"I want you to listen to this if you would There's a lot to discuss today with the different grand juries and so forth But I thought I would start with this This comes off a recent Levin TV Cut 17 go Let's set the record straight There's no argument over the choice between peace and war But there's only one guaranteed way you can have peace and you can have it in the next second Surrender Admittedly there's a risk in any course we follow other than this But every lesson of history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement and this is the Specter our well meaning liberal Friends refuse to face That their policy of accommodation is appeasement And it gives no choice between peace and war only between fight or surrender If we continue to accommodate continue to back and retreat The eventually we have to face the final demand the ultimatum and what this The weird thing about Republicans particularly conservatives is we have real heroes Who believed in liberty and fought for it And who fought the so called establishment and one of the greatest of the greats was Ronald Reagan And I find the more that I mention Reagan his foreign policy is domestic policy the more he and I come under attack And I think it's because we have not exclusively but too many younger Republicans who are relying on government Government intervention they're becoming they call themselves populists and populists actually run a candidate in 1876 And he was a socialist Because when you apply populism to things you're applying majority rule
The Doug Collins Podcast
"ronald reagan" Discussed on The Doug Collins Podcast
"Hey everybody, you know, we have had a lot of fun going back through and looking at the farewell address as a president. We also looked at Ronald Reagan's address that really was his coming of political age speech, I guess, where the time for choosing. Back at the end of the year, I've had a lot of response to these series on the speeches by presidents and their final speeches and what it really is is what it says to us today. Just recently we did Washington and Eisenhower, we saw a sort of the, you know, it's really the voices from 200 plus years and really and the voices from 70 years ago that speak to really issues that we have today. But there's another one I think that in light of everything that's been going on recently and especially in our country, the turmoil in our country, the back and forth of political discourse, the upheaval, if you would. I went back and as I was looking through these and we're going to do more of these. And so, you know, your comments and your suggestions on the website, the Doug Collins podcast dot com, go there, you can email me there. You can catch up on blogs, do other things that we got going on. Legacy precious metals, our sponsor, they give us, you know, there's a lot of things you can learn about also on our website. So I want you to go to that website. And let me know because there's others. Maybe you have some that you want to that you would like to hear. There's more that we're going to be doing. In this series, but today we're going to do Reagan's speech from January 11th, 1989. It was think about, I want to frame this speech at first. This was Reagan's after 8 years. It had been a long 8 years. It had been a eventful 8 years in many ways, good and bad, and I think he acknowledges that in this speech. But he goes back and remember, early in his presidency, he had almost never happened. Remember he was almost assassinated and we didn't really know until years several years later how close he was to actually being killed with the bullet of the assassin. Hinkley at that time. And I think if you look at a time in his presidency where he started the campaign coming out of 80 with Carter and how it began and then how that transitioned after not only the putting in of his perspective after the assassination attempt, the tax break issue, the tax cuts, the recession, and then into an economy that by the time this speech was given, the economy was really on a very sharp trajectory up. There was the excess of the 80s for those of us who grew up in the 80s, this was my decade. As far as being a teenager in college, getting married, the pastel colors, the big hair, the music. I mean, it's just, it was just a decade of a lot of, you know, if you look back on it, some would say today, you know, it was a lot. If you look at this going forward. So to say Reagan summed this up and nobody was probably more prevalent than Reagan during this decade, not only on the American studies, but the world stage. And when you understand his presence on the world stage, that came from an American stage, you'll understand better what he says here in just a little bit about how, you know, there's a quote in here that I'll talk about where he says in the speech. He said, we started off to change a country and ended up changing a world. And I think that's an interesting perspective. But let's get.
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"In the run up to the Reykjavík conference, Gorbachev gave Reagan a key concession. He could accept SDI if research for it was restricted to laboratories for 15 years. But Reagan was still in no mood to budge in any way on SDI. The summit was held on October 11th and 12th, 1986. Reagan discussed his thoughts with Gorbachev on human rights issues, expressing his concerns for religious persecution in the Soviet Union, and for families separated because of the Cold War. Reagan never abandoned his belief that the Cold War was a conflict with moral implications. That western democracy and capitalism were on the side of right, and the communists in the wrong. But the issue of nuclear arms dominated the discussions. Both sides went back and forth on multiple proposals. Gorbachev went first, proposing for the U.S. and the Soviet Union to eliminate half of their strategic nuclear weapons and to take out all intermediate range nuclear forces, or INF weapons out of Europe. It would be a historic agreement. Back in 1972, Nixon and brezhnev had negotiated limitations in nuclear weapons. But this would be the first time that they would actually be reduced. It would be a dramatic reduction. Reagan seemed to signal that he favored this approach. It seemed like agreement would be reached, and both men could come home peacemakers and heroes. According to White House chief of staff Don Reagan, the president hit the table and said quote, well, why didn't you say so in the first place? That's exactly what I want to do. And if you want to do away with all the weapons, all agree to do away with all the weapons, all the weapons, of course, will do away with all the weapons. Good, that's great. Now we have an agreement. Gorbachev responded and said quote, but you must confine SDI to the laboratory. Reagan then said quote, no, I won't. No way. SDI continues. I've told you that. I'm never going to give up SDI. Again, Reagan would not back down. He continued to assure Gorbachev that sdi would not be an offensive weapon and that he would share the technology with the Soviets. He added that he would be willing to wait until all ballistic missiles were destroyed before deploying SDI. Reagan and Gorbachev stood at a stalemate. Still, working groups from both sides continued to work on reducing strategic arms, and INF weapons. On the second day of the conference, Gorbachev tried to sweeten the deal, offering cuts in INF weapons, not just in Europe, but this time in Asia. Reagan was fine with this as well. But again, things came back to SDI. The American side tried to break out of the stalemate by coming up with another proposal. To eliminate all strategic weapons within 5 years by 1991 to eliminate all ballistic missiles within ten years and to introduce missile defenses after that. Reagan was willing to delay deployment of SDI for ten years, but not to keep all testing in a laboratory throughout that time. He felt that confining testing to a laboratory basically rendered SDI inoperable. He and Gorbachev went back and forth. They came to an understanding that they wanted to eliminate all nuclear weapons, period. All of them, a global zero. This would be an astounding agreement. Who would have thought that Ronald Reagan, the right wing anti communist would be willing to get rid of nuclear weapons forever? The freeze movement didn't believe him when he said earlier in his presidency that he wanted to abolish nuclear weapons, and now he had his chance. He could secure his presidential legacy and be hailed as a peacemaker. It seemed within his grasp. But again, SDI remained a stumbling block. Reagan insisted on keeping it. Gorbachev kept saying that he would only accept an agreement. If all testing was kept in a lab. Reagan felt that this made any development of SDI impractical. It would have been the most spectacular arms agreement in American history. Instead, both men left the table with nothing disappointed and even angry. Gorbachev reportedly said of Reagan that he was quote undertaking fraudulent maneuvers in order to distort facts and confuse the public. He added that we are dealing with political scum. When Reagan returned to the United States, those on the left attacked him for allowing his Star Wars fantasy to prevent the greatest arms treaty ever. Those on the right were terrified that Reagan, their champion was willing to eliminate America's entire nuclear arsenal, and seemed willing to trust that the evil empire would do the same. It seemed that Gorbachev had gone to the summit, willing to tease Reagan with an incredible deal as a way to get him to give up SDI. Again, underscoring just how important and threatening SDI was to the Soviets. It also seemed clear that Reagan really was willing to talk nuclear reductions, but it was also clear that he viewed SDI as critical to his vision for the world. When Reagan got back to The White House, he delivered a speech to the American people, explaining why he held onto SDI at the expense of a treaty. I offered a proposal that we continue our present research. And if and when we reached the stage of testing, we would sign now a treaty that would permit Soviet observation of such tests, and if the program was practical, we would both eliminate our offensive missiles and then we would share the benefits of advanced defenses. I explained that even though we would have done away with our offensive ballistic missiles, having the defense would protect against cheating over the possibility of a mad man sometime deciding to create nuclear missiles. After all, the world now knows how to make them. I likened it to our keeping our gas masks, even though the nations of the world had outlawed poison gas after World War I. The general secretary wanted wording that an effect would have kept us from developing the SDI for the entire ten years. In effect, he was killing SDI. And unless I agreed, all that worked toward eliminating nuclear weapons would go down the drain. Canceled. I told him I had pledged to the American people that I would not trade away sdi. There was no way. I could tell our people there government would not protect them against nuclear destruction. I went to Reykjavík, determined that everything was negotiable, but I could have two things. Our freedom and our future. I realized some Americans may be asking tonight, why not accept mister Gorbachev's demand? Why not give up SDI for this agreement? Well, the answer my Friends is simple. SDI is America's insurance policy that the Soviet Union would keep the commitments made at Reykjavík, SDI as America's security guarantee. If the Soviets should, as they have done too often in the past, failed to comply with their solemn commitments. SDI is what brought the Soviets back to arms control talks at Geneva and Iceland. SDI is the key to a world without nuclear weapons. The Soviets understand this. They have devoted far more resources for a lot longer time than we to their own SDI. The world's only operational missile defense today surrounds Moscow. The capital of the Soviet Union, but mister Gorbachev was demanding at Reykjavík, was that the United States agreed to a new version of a 14 year old ABM treaty that the Soviet Union has already violated. I told him we.
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"On the afternoon of March 30th, 1981, president Ronald Reagan gave a speech at the Washington Hilton Hotel. After finishing the speech, he exited the hotel. At two 27 p.m., Reagan was about to get into his limo. When a 25 year old man named John hinckley junior aimed his revolver at the president, and unleashed a barrage of bullets. One of those bullets ricocheted off the limo and struck Reagan. Grazing his rib and lodging in his heart. In an instant, Secret Service agent Jerry parr reacted, grabbed Reagan by the shoulders. And through him and himself into the limo. When parr saar Reagan coughing blood, he realized the president, who, at 69 years old, was the oldest president up to that point, had been injured in order the driver to go to George Washington University hospital. Thankfully, president Reagan ended up surviving this harrowing incident. Agent parr likely saved Reagan's life. First by getting him out of the line of fire. And second, getting him to the hospital so quickly, he was hailed as a hero, and was given a commendation from the U.S. Congress, and a presidential rank award for meritorious executive among many other awards. One of my favorite stories to tell is how agent parr saved president Reagan's life, changing the course of history. But also about his own life story. It turns out that part became interested in being a Secret Service agent when, as a child, he watched the 1939 movie code of the Secret Service. The star of the movie, you guessed it, Ronald Reagan. It's one of those great ironies in American history. The man who saved president Reagan's life was inspired by a movie president Reagan made. It's a story I wanted to learn more about and share. Today we're honored to have agent parr's widow Carolyn parr on.
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"October 13th, 1986, the Oval Office at The White House president Ronald Reagan's address to the nation. On the summit and Reykjavík Iceland. Good evening, as most of you know, I've just returned from meetings in Iceland with the leader, the Soviet Union, general secretary Gorbachev..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"Our only purpose, one all people share is to search for ways to reduce the danger of nuclear war. This was one of the most remarkable speeches ever given by an American president. It was almost utopian in its vision. Reagan's description of SDI wasn't of an offensive weapon that could give the U.S. an advantage over the Soviets. Its purpose was to somehow render all nuclear weapons obsolete, and lead to getting rid of the entire nuclear stockpile. It wasn't clear how this would be achieved, but Reagan was advocating for nuclear abolition. The idea of eliminating all nuclear weapons struck many as unrealistic. Besides, this was the kind of thing that you might expect from some left wing activist, but Ronald Reagan, how could an anti communist be proposing this? Critics inside and outside the United States thought Reagan was nuts. Some thought that it was a fantasy dreamt up by an elderly man who was losing his marbles. Others thought that it was some ploy to guarantee billions of dollars more for defense..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"Hey this person i've ever. I don't know this person's politics is like well if you don't know their politics republican right because because they they don't dare speak up which is a sad testimony to how nasty people on the on. The left have become where people who are conservatives in hollywood are afraid of being canceled. D platform savaged. If they simply come out and say they're republican and of course the people do in the left doing in the name of tolerance and diversity. It's it's it's just the opposite. Thanks for all these Insights into reagan's career pre-presidential career. There's obviously we can talk about. But what does ronald reagan story and principals half to offer for people in the twenty first century for people that were too young for them. Ronald reagan is somebody they see in a history book but they might don't have the memories with with this history have to offer. Well i think the most moving thing about him he wants said seventy seven is the most important number in my life and that referred to his time as a lifeguard at the rock river in dixon illinois. The nineteen twenties when for seven summers seven days a week working for a few dollars a day and food the for from a concession stand. He was a lifeguard at the rock river in lowell park in dixon illinois and it was there. The reagan saved the lives of seventy seven people. Which is really amazing. I mean i have a lot of students who were lifeguards and they say. Hey dr ken gore. I gotta tell you i never saved anybody ever had to dive in one. Die but but seventy seven people in this. I've been to their river. It's murky dark. The the the the water swirling logs going up and down the river when my guide took me there the first time she'd been a childhood friend. Ronald reagan shot People swam in this and she said yet you believe it. She's a look over here on the side of the beach said no swimming. I said did it look this way. Then she said yeah. It was bibs pretty bad and the the dixon evening telegraph the dixon newspaper. One day reporting the latest save by ronald dutch. Reagan i think it was saved number twenty five or something like that. Nineteen twenty eight one summer in nineteen twenty eight noted that reagan would watch up to a thousand bathers right swimmers at a time in a day. This guy who had to wear glasses and who would dive into this dark water at i. I mentioned this. Richard because his son ron has said this his son mike michael. Reagan has pointed to this others of pointed this out this kind of ingrained in reagan. This sort of lifesaving mentality and bill clark pointed this out as well. It kind of instilled in him this respect for the sanctity and dignity of every human life. You know the idea that every human life was precious in worth fighting for worth saving and from a spiritual point of view. reagan said. This is a difference between us and the soviets. We believe that every individual's made in the image of god and has a soul and thus is eternal in thus every individual is more incomparably important than the state. So so for reagan. He takes that into the nineteen eighties and he believes that it's a righteous cause To to try to win the cold war and liberate all those people behind the iron curtain as putting the evil empire speech in that totalitarian darkness and at a time late seventies when. Nobody believed that you could win the cold war especially peacefully reagan dedicated himself to doing just that and amazingly and i lived through this nineteen eighty nine for all of that to happen. The berlin wall collapsed the final year. Reagan's presidency. It was astonishing astonishing and for it to happen without a missile fired completely peacefully..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"Right somewhere that It might have been in g theater that he played a soviet major. Drying one of the episodes is that true. Yeah yeah that was the episode. Where i think it's the episode at the very end of it. He gives a kind of public message to people watching the show about the revolution. In hungary with hungarian freedom fighters october november nineteen fifty. Six in urges people sent donations to the red cross to different churches. You know to do anything. They can to help the hungarian freedom fighters or actually probably the hungarian refugees at that point because a massive number of hungarian citizens took advantage of the chaos to escape through the iron curtain. When when they could so yeah he he played that at an. Mg theater this was a weekly show and typically it would start where ronald reagan would come out and say hi again everybody. Welcome i'm ronald reagan. Today's episode which will be starring so-and-so-and-so's and so we have and then he would introduce the episode in many of the episodes. Reagan was not just the host introducing the episode. But the actor as well and so in in that show he actually acted and he did many of them as as well. I'm just thinking about this right now. Who else who was the famous actress from the time Loretta young another one. Loretta young was in the christmas movie. The bishop's wife beautiful actress thirties and forties and same kind of path as reagan made major films and then got her loretta young show in the nineteen fifties of i kid. I just took a minute. I can name a dozen off the top of my head. Examples of famous. Hollywood actors and actresses who got their own tv show and that was no demotion. Man that was that was that was a that was a score right. That was a that was a big thumbs up in the case of reagan. It put him on. tv guide. It put him on the cover of tv. That that made reagan a household name..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"I learned this through interviews. You know other sources documentation people actually thought. Richard people actually thought in that in that church in that congregation. That reagan was gonna be not an actor but a minister. A minister Devout he was. He was very very very devout. Everybody knew it. Everybody sought so this view in the nineteen eighties. Well he didn't go to church in the nineteen eighties on regular basis. His wife consulted astrologers his must not be a real christian and this is a bid for the moral majority and the in the fall. Vote right. no it's not true. Re reagan had a very strong faith from the time he was a boy until his death one of the things. I've always been curious about so. It's no secret that president reagan originally was a democrat and so first of all was his family democrat or was it kind of the product of growing up during the fdr era. When it was kind of it was popular to be a democrat later on. He said that famously said that he didn't leave the party. The party left him but at the same time that you know there are. There's a clip of him talking about his support for president truman's policies and and whatnot. So what what happened there. What was the transformation so the family. The family were democrats. It was also. It was the fdr era and reagan was a big fdr democrat. He called himself a haemophiliac. Liberal of bleed a bleeding heart liberal and the fact. This very much reflects Ronald reagan did he so intimately remembered. Fdr's fireside chats and fdr communicating by radio. Which is what. Reagan himself really rebelled and doing his first public job was was working in radio. It in in iowa specifically who Davenport des moines and he started he was a broadcaster for chicago cubs games in the nineteen seventies when he left the governorship of california the first thing he jumped out that he did he got he got a syndicated radio call he wrote all these different syndicated radio columns..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"No one had no live past ninety at that point and it did really really well made the new york times extended bestseller less. I think like number nineteen or sixteen or something like that. That visit the garden ronald reagan. Ronald reagan and i did all sorts of radio. Tv shows in then. Reagan died on june fifth. Two thousand four a few months later and all those people that had me on all their shows from you know the the associated press called and asked me if i could do join them on. Radio to coverage of reagan's funeral that week bill o. Reilly of the o'reilly factor. I must have done a show in february. I think i did called me back to have me on june. Two thousand four to talk about reagan faith. And so so. That's when the book made on the bestseller list again. And that's when the again providential at that point june two thousand. Four reagan died. Everyone wanted to know afterlife questions right. Where was reagan to reagan. Believe what reagan. Think about god so the so the timing on it turned out to be perfect. That's kind of a that was a whirlwind year. Those worlwide year for you to our that week. The week that he died i did. I did fifty sixty radio tv interviews. It was unbelievable. I in fact. I should check the box and they have saved it. The monday may be of that week. I must have did twelve. Fifteen twenty interviews. It was just..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"Professor kingere. Thank you for being guests on our podcast. Thank you richard. And thanks for taking me. Back to memory lane i was. I was eighteen years old when back to the future came out. And you can't make this up. I actually wrote about it this morning. And which Resigned i've ever written about it. I'm doing. I'm doing the history of the american spectator where have been columnist for a long time. And i'm doing my chapter right now in the nineteen eighties and and i'm talking about how it was It was cool to be conservative in the nineteen eighties. And i quote on that people from a most unlikely people malcolm glad well mark lilla who both works at american spectator in the nineteen eighties. Andrew ferguson Are immaterial juniors the founder of that publication that i was trying to think how do you really conveyed at the. Somebody didn't live through it. And i said people enough to remember will will remember family ties with michael j. fox who was this Hawaii's cracking suit wearing. You know young conservative at aim. Alex p keaton with with acute sister. Mallory right Who were who were ex hippies. And he was an an an. And i know that he did back to the future. Which even my kids. My kids don't know about family ties if they know about back to the future and and yeah that was. That's the kind of iconic moment in that film and it's doc played by christopher Lloyd yet christopher lloyd who was in taxi a nineteen eighty. Just just a wonderful actor and ronald reagan would have said to that. Reagan was wants dallas. How could how could a president be- have been an actor and he said i don't see how you could be president with Without having been an actor fair point right right so he was so good. they're really staging the presidency. Which a lot of people attacked this kind of superficial. But it wasn't that at all. I mean this is somebody who really understood audience really understood..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"When i was growing up. I remember whenever people mentioned president ronald reagan. They always mentioned that he was an actor and there was always a slight sense of disbelief about it like it was such an unusual thing for a former actor who have risen to the presidency in fact in one of the most iconic moments in the hit nineteen eighty-five movie back to the future doc. Brown reacts incredulously. When hearing that ronald reagan was president in one thousand nine hundred five since he only knew reagan as an actor. Somehow this supposedly b. movie actor ended up becoming president of the united states and changed american politics forever. How did this happen. Our guest today has some insight on that question. He is professor. Paul kanger of grove city college and among other things. He's visiting fellow at the hoover institution on war revolution and peace at stanford university. He's one of the foremost experts on. President reagan's life and has written multiple books on on president. Reagan including the crusader. Ronald reagan in the fall of communism. This episode is brought to you by conflict nations a free online player versus.
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"We wanted to think. Call you. Van chef and molina's with ours for all of their help in the last few months. We started an internship this past summer and they were our inaugural class coal. You assisted with the audio production and is beginning a master's in audio engineering at middle tennessee. State university molina helped with research and writing and she's currently attending temple university. Thanks again collio and molina. This american president is produced by myself. Richard lim and michael neale a special thanks to jennifer mozelle kovatchev and molina speth ours for their help in producing this episode. If you like what you've been hearing you can help us by leaving. A five star review on apple podcasts. Or wherever you listen to our show. We're proud partner of evergreen podcasts. Checkout evergreen podcasts dot com for more shows you might enjoy for more information about president. Reagan checkout strategies of containment by john. Lewis gaddis the rebellion of ronald reagan by james man reagan's secret war by martin and analysts anderson the triumph of improvisation by james graham wilson and crusader by paul king. I'm richard lim. We're back next time with more. This american president. This is alex host of ohio versus the world in american history. Podcast on a hybrid world will travel back in time with the offers. Historians either witnesses to the most exciting consequential too often overlooked topics for the shaved. America's history receives the in ohio connection to so many important moments when you said ohio versus the world we get some damage so join us. And we'll take a deep dive. Would lighten educate and entertain you as a high over. The world makes refund again..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"Ronald reagan. Ironically reagan would later say that it was quote. The worst picture i ever made and that quote never has an egg of such dimensions been laid the next opportunity. Reagan hats project strength came when the professional air traffic controllers organization known as pat co went on strike on august third nineteen eighty one. Thirteen thousand controllers walked out after talks with the faa fell apart. They had sought a wage increase and a reduction of their work week. Seven thousand flights were cancelled due to the strike. A nightmare coming during the peak of summer travel season in hundred fifty five congress passed a law. Making these kinds of strikes illegal at the supreme court upheld the law in nineteen seventy-one despite the fact that pat co-head endorsed reagan in nineteen eighty. He ordered the controllers to get back to work in the interests of national safety when most of them refused he fired them. He then ban the strikers from being rehired ever again in october of that year the federal labor relations authority decertified. Petco reagan the former union leader had broken the air traffic controllers union in addition to his shows of strength. Reagan employed psychological measures against soviets state department historian james. Graham wilson wrote that. Reagan had the us air force and navy sent fighters and bombers to probe the soviet defense perimeter according to strategic air command. General jack chain quote we would send bombers over the north poles and radars. Speaking of soviet radars would click on other times. Fighter-bombers would probe. they're asian or european periphery. Wilson quotes one under secretary of state. Who said of the flights quote it really got to them. They didn't know what it all meant. A squadron would straight at soviet airspace and their radars with light up and units would go on alert then at last minute the squadron would peel off and return home. The reagan administration did face setbacks. Sometimes grievous ones in august of nineteen eighty two. Reagan sent about fourteen hundred marines to join a multinational force in lebanon as you might recall from a previous episode. President eisenhower had sent forces to lebanon back. In one thousand nine hundred eighty eight upon invitation from the government in beirut to restore order. The mission was a success. So there is precedent for the deployment. This time israel and the palestinian liberation organization had been fighting and when a ceasefire was forged. The multinational force was sent to enforce. Things seem to be going well. But in april of nineteen eighty three a car bomb exploded at the us embassy in west. Beirut killing sixty three people including seventeen americans and then on october twenty third. Nineteen eighty-three a truck. Packed with twelve thousand. Pounds of explosives crashed into the front gates of the us marine barracks in beirut. The explosion destroyed the foundation of the building causing it to collapse. Two hundred forty-one marines and sailors were killed the greatest number of us marines lost since the battle of iwo jima in world war two hezbollah a lebanese terrorist group was later implicated in the attack. There were indications that iran and syria were involved the. Us was stunned by what had happened. Reagan called it a quote despicable act and his administration promised to stay the course. keep the force in lebanon. There was talk within the administration to respond to the attack. But congressional support for the mission began to wane. Within four months february nineteen eighty-four the marines had fully withdrawn from lebanon. It was likely the wise thing to do preventing the united states from getting bogged down in a conflict in the middle east. Especially in light of reagan's plans to take on the soviet union. America was reeling from the beirut bombings but another crisis in a different part of the world gave reagan a chance to reassert. american power. Grenada is a small island country in the caribbean. For centuries it was part of the british empire and obtained independence in nineteen seventy four. The remained part of the british commonwealth. And still is today. In march of nineteen seventy-nine a marxist leninist movement in the country called the new jewel movement overthrew the government and established a new regime under man named maurice bishop after taking office bishop established relations. With castro's cuba also built an airport with help from international consultants including some who came from cuba president. Reagan believed that this was a cover for building an airstrip that could be used by the soviets. Remember at this time. The soviets in cuba were supporting marxist movements around the world including in central american countries like el salvador nicaragua cubans were said to have been involved in the building of the airport. Reagan's critics to this day however argue that there's no evidence to support that claim now while bishop had relations with the soviet union. He also wanted to keep grenada. Non-aligned some say he was also moving toward more moderate economic policies hoping to attract foreign investment and bishops supporters. Point to his efforts to grant greater equality to women the policies that help the poor and improve literacy but at the same time bishop banned all other political parties elections and free expression bishops government also established the people's revolutionary army which some said committed human rights violations against the populace at any rate bishops government broke into factions and one of them was led by a man named bernard cord a politician part of the new jewel movement. He had actually studied in the united states. At one point as well as england and had been involved in communist parties in both countries cords faction wanted bishop to step down or allow them to have a greater say over government when bishop refused cords group launched a coup of their own and had bishop placed under house arrest when that happened. Chaos erupted and demonstrations broke out across the country. Bishop actually managed to escape for a time but court had the army recapture and then execute him in the midst of the chaos. A military official named hudson austin sees power and installed military rule. The new government was seen as more pro-communist than the more moderate government under bishop it imposed a total curfew for four days with orders to shoot anyone on site. Who violated it. The governor general of grenada. Paul schoon secretly requested that. The united states interven- schoon also found himself placed under house arrest organization of east caribbean states. As well as barbados and jamaica also asked the united states to help restore order. Reagan complied and also cited the presence of american citizens on the island and the fear that if american hostages were taken it would turn into a similar situation that president carter faced in iran on october. Twenty fifth nineteen eighty three two days after the deadly marine barracks bombings in lebanon. United states commenced operation. Urgent fury and invaded grenada. A little over seven thousand americans would serve in the operation consisting of men and women. From the army's first and second ranger battalions the delta force in the eighty second airborne division as well as the marines and the navy seals. The rangers led an airborne assault on the southern tip of the island while the marines landed at the northern tip in a televised speech to.
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"A radio address. Reagan said quote. One thing is certain. The threat of hunger to the russian people is due to the soviet obsession with military power. Nothing proves the failure of marxism more than the soviet union's inability to produce weapons for its military ambitions and at the same time provide for their people's everyday needs in nineteen seventy six. Reagan said quote the russians know. They can't match us industrially or technologically during another radio address in the seventies. Reagan talked about reaching out to soviet citizens saying we quote could have an unexpected ally if citizen ivan is becoming discontented enough to start talking back. Maybe we should drop a few million. Typical mail order cadillacs on minks and pinks in moscow to wet their appetites. Reagan seem to be saying that those millions of people behind the iron curtain might be coaxed into rising up against their oppressors. If they knew just how bad they had it and how much better democracy and capitalism could be in nineteen eighty. Reagan gave an interview where he said quote they know that if we turned our full industrial might into an arms race they cannot keep pace with us. Why haven't we played that card. According to ronald reagan's close aide and his first national security advisor. Richard alan reagan told him in one thousand nine hundred ninety seven quote. My idea of american policy toward the soviet union is simple and some would say simplistic it is this we win and they lose their those who believe that. Richard alan was telling the truth. And those who believe that. He was. Exaggerating reagan's role as a mastermind who orchestrated the end of the cold war regardless of what one believes. It's clear that reagan believed in something that few experts did that. The soviet union was weak and was at risk of collapsing in his first year. In office reagan repeatedly spoke of some sort of end to soviet communism at a commencement address in notre dame in may nineteen eighty one. Reagan said the following the years. The years ahead are great ones for this country. The cause of freedom and the spread of civilization the west won't contain communism.
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"A moral imperative to confront. We're at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind and his longtime from the swamp to the stars. And it's been said if we lose that war and in so doing lose this way of freedom of ours history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent it's happening. Reagan continued equating accommodation with the soviet union with appeasement. If you and i have the courage to tell our elected officials that we went on national policy based on what we know in. Our hearts is morally right. We cannot be by our security our freedom from the threat of the bum by committing an immortality so great as saying to a billion human beings now enslaved behind the iron curtain give up your dreams of freedom because to save our own skins. We're willing to make a deal with your slave masters alexander. Hamilton set a nation which can prefer disgrace. Danger is prepared for master and deserves one. Now let's set the record straight. There's no argument over the choice between peace and war. But there's only one guaranteed way you can have peace and you can have it in the next second surrender. Admittedly there's a risk in any course we follow other than this but every lesson of history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement and this is the specter well meaning liberal friends refuse to face that their policy of accommodation is appeasement and it gives no choice between peace and war. Only between fight or surrender. Regan's delivery was impressive. He looked confident or ticket and bold and conviction the speech featured several memorable lines and phrases that people would identify with him like peace through strength. Reagan also borrowed from his old hero. Fdr when he declared that america had a quote rendezvous with destiny goldwater lost the election that year in a landslide but another conservative star was born ronald reagan soon. Reagan was being urged to run for office. He did in nineteen sixty six and became the governor of california. He served two terms although he made his share of compromises and regretted some of his decisions lake. Signing a bill that allowed for abortions. He won two terms and remained the face of the conservative movement. It didn't take long until reagan was being discussed as a possible presidential candidate. He flirted with a run in nineteen sixty eight in just his second years governor. But that would be richard nixon's year. Nixon won the presidency that year and then won reelection in a landslide in one thousand. Nine hundred seventy two. Reagan completed his two terms as governor. Nineteen seventy five and looked to nineteen seventy-six as his trend for the presidency. Nixon would be leaving office and reagan could run as his successor but it was not to be. Nixon resigned in in nineteen seventy four because of the watergate scandal that put gerald ford nixon's vice president in the white house. Instead of an open seat in the white house there was now an incumbent. Republican president ford decided that as the sitting president he would run for his own term in nineteen seventy six. Reagan would be frozen out or would he. Reagan decided to run against ford for the republican nomination. That year to do hadn't been done in a long time to unseat the president of his own party as the nominee. There is some indication that this might be a good idea after all ford was in a relatively weak position since he was in a sense an accidental president. Reagan came very close to snatching the nomination from ford. But in the end for prevailed in a close race reagan's supporters. Were disappointed but fate had much more in store for ronald reagan. That fall gerald ford was defeated by democrat. Jimmy carter the former governor of georgia carter took office in nineteen seventy seven but his presidency was weighed down by the ongoing problem of high inflation. The iran hostage crisis an energy crisis. Carter's popularity plummeted. The united states having gone through vietnam and watergate seem to be stuck in a rut or to use a phrase that would be identified with the time a national malays during that time. Ronald reagan stayed active politically which included appearing regularly on the radio to share his views on current events as the nineteen eighty election approached. Jimmy carter's presidency was falling apart. The winner of the republican nomination stood a decent chance of winning the presidency that year. Ronald reagan defeated his rival. George h w bush for the nomination. He ended up choosing bush as his running mate. Since bush was more moderate. It was seen as a choice to unify the party. that fall. Reagan won a landslide. Victory over jimmy carter. Winning forty four out of fifty states at age sixty nine. He was the oldest man ever elected to the white house at that time on january. Twentieth nineteen eighty-one. Ronald reagan took the oath of office to become the fortieth president of the united states. Reagan used his formidable communication skills to connect with americans across the country both white and blue collar. We hear much of special interest. Groups are concern. Must be for special interest group that has been too long neglected it knows no sexual boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions and it crosses political party lines it is made up of men and women who raise our food patrol our streets man. Our minds and factories teach our children. Keep our homes and hilo when we're sick professionals industrialists shopkeepers. Clerks cabbies and truck drivers. They are in short. We the people. This breed called americans..
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"As i said earlier. Ronald reagan took one of the unlikeliest pass to the presidency. He was different than anything people had ever seen. Before in their president's first at sixty nine he was the oldest elected president up to that time most of his predecessors had been in their early to mid fifties in the prime of their lives and were very ambitious john f. kennedy had been forty three when he was elected president. In fact reagan was actually born before kennedy despite being elected twenty years. After him reagan's age entering office may be easy to dismiss as unimportant. But when you think about it it had to have had some impact on his approach to the presidency he had more life experience than his predecessors. He seemed to approach his job without a desire to impress everyone with his intellect his abilities or accomplishments things you might see from a younger man. He was to put it another way. Secure in who. He was and what he believed second. He wasn't a professional politician. Most of his predecessors started off very young and politics. Fdr was twenty eight when he was first elected to office. Kennedy was twenty nine. Nixon was thirty. Three four thirty six in carter was thirty eight. The it spent most of their adult lives in politics. Voting on bills campaigning and chasing for higher office by contrast ronald reagan was fifty five years old when he was first elected to public office so he had spent much of his life engaged in other lines of work he'd been an actor a profession not usually seen as a route to politics but this experience might not have been as irrelevant as one might think as an actor and as the head of the actors union he was a prominent man engaged in a competitive and public industry. Politics came later in middle age a time when many people are thinking of retirement but reagan was compelled to enter politics because of what he saw was happening in the country he seemed to have entered politics for a specific cause not because he had spent his life craving for political power. For many elected officials. politics became an end in itself. They want it to be recognized as a leader and to move up the political ladder for reagan. Politics was not the end but was a means. Reagan had humble beginnings. He was born in nineteen eleven in tampico illinois. His father jack was a store owner and salesman his mother nell was a devout christian. Who raised young ronald and his brother. Neil and inculcated in them the values of her faith. When you read about reagan's upbringing and even when reagan himself said about it you can almost picture the perfect idyllic american childhood. He was active in school played sports and when he was in high school he took a job as a lifeguard at the rock river in lowell park where he was said to have saved seventy seven people from drowning. Of course not always. Perfect reagan's father was said to have been an alcoholic. Money was often tight and the family moved several times. But reagan's prospects brightened when he went to eureka college and majored in economics and sociology. He was an average student but was very involved in many activities. He was on the football team. Captain the swim team and was student body president. He graduated in nineteen thirty two in the midst of the great depression. He was among the generation that began his career during some of the worst economic years in our country's history he took work as a radio announcer for various stations. Finally working for the chicago cubs baseball team during a trip with the cubs in nineteen thirty seven. Reagan visited california and ended up taking a screen test. His good looks in es in front of the camera led to him signing a seven year. Contract with warner brothers. Ronald reagan was now a hollywood star for the entirety of his career from nineteen thirty seven to nineteen sixty four. He appeared in about sixty movies and over a dozen. tv shows. He married another actress. Jane wyman in nineteen forty. There's always been a bit of a misperception. That reagan was somehow a bad actor. He's often been described as a b. movie actor but he was actually quite popular at one point. He got the second highest amount of fanmail of any warner brothers. Actor after errol flynn. And he was cast in movies with some of hollywood's biggest names like humphrey. Bogart and bette davis. I imagine reagan wasn't considered a bad actor. Just not a great one. He may have been like one of those actors that you recognize because you've seen them in a bunch of movies but you don't remember their name again. It doesn't mean that he was a bad actor or a laughing stock. Not everyone can be clark gable. Ronald reagan would later be known as the face of modern conservatism as the republican president that future republican presidential candidates would be measured against but during this time. Reagan was a liberal democrat. He voted for democrat president. Franklin d roosevelt in all four of his campaigns like millions of americans. He admired fdr and was inspired by his optimism in charisma during the dark days of the depression and world war two. He felt reassured when listening to. Fdr's famous fireside chats years later. When reagan was president he recalled the first time that he saw fdr in person. Franklin roosevelt was the first president i ever saw. I remember the moment vividly. It was in one thousand nine thirty six campaign parade into moines iowa. What a wave of affection and pride swept through that crowd as he passed by an open car which we haven't seen a president able to do for a long time a familiar smile on his lips. Jaunty and confident drawing from us reservoirs of confidence and enthusiasm. Some of us had forgotten. We had during those hard years. Maybe that was. Fdr's greatest gift to us. He really did convince us that the only thing we had to fear was fear. Itself reagan's later emphasis on. The dangers of big government led many to say that he was attempting to undo. Fdr's legacy his new deal policies. Despite this reagan never ceased admiring fdr when i interviewed reagan's confidential assistant. Peggy grundy she recalled. That reagan's still spoke fondly of roosevelt. Even if many breaking supporters don't when roosevelt died during his fourth term in nineteen forty five and was succeeded by harry truman. Reagan strongly supported him even campaigning for chairman and appearing with him on stage during a rally. This is a recording reagan made for president truman. At later more of rene to a presidential candidate by jack lawrenson. Arnold stang but now to ronald reagan in hollywood is ronald reagan. Speaking from hollywood. You know me as a motion picture actor but tonight i'm just a citizen pretty concerned about.
This American President
"ronald reagan" Discussed on This American President
"From nineteen forty-five on the united states was engaged in a global struggle against the soviet union. Millions of americans believe that the soviets had built an aggressive expansionist empire that was plotting to undermine. us interests and values. They believe that the soviets were actively remaking the world under communist ideology an ideology that the americans considered antithetical to their own values for those who experienced world war two and the fight against totalitarian regimes. Under hitler and mussolini the soviet regime was just the latest enemy that had be stopped as we covered in our previous episodes. American presidents struggled with how to contain the soviet menace. We saw how. Harry truman instituted. The policy of containment to limit the soviet union's expansion and ultimately to force it to change its ways to align with american values and interests. We saw how his successor's generally maintain that policy but modified it based on their own views and in response to changing circumstances. We saw how american foreign policy changed over multiple administrations and even within a single administration presidents would often oscillate between taking a hardline stance while other times reaching out in hopes of reducing tensions. We saw how these presidents struggled with the burden that the cold war presented since both sides had thousands of weapons pointed at each other and the ability to inflict nuclear destruction on the other side. The cold war was a costly endeavor as both sides race to outdo each other by building better ships tanks planes and missiles by forging more allies and by racking up successes in different areas like in space billions of dollars in taxes were raised and spent to create stronger militaries and on projects promoting national prestige like sending men to the moon when the cold war entered its fourth decade. Some wonder if this was all worth it whether both sides could stay in the competition and whether they were hurtling towards nuclear war and civilizational extinction by the nineteen seventies the soviets had in many ways caught up with the united states in terms of nuclear capability and sometimes exceeded the us in certain areas. Many americans accepted that the soviets no matter how threatening or cruel. We're here to stay whenever uprisings broke out in the soviet world whether it was in the past in nineteen fifty-six prague in nineteen sixty eight moscow brutally suppressed it. There was no reason to think that they would change or could be defeated. The original goal of containment to pressure the soviets into changing their ways seemed to some observers to be foolish and naive many observers who were called realists believe that the soviet union might last forever. They felt that the us might as well accept that reality and make the best of it. in previous episodes. We saw president. Richard nixon reorient american policy towards one of realism. One that accepted that the soviet union was a fact of life and that relations could be improved if both sides recognize each other so called quote unquote legitimate interests. Nixon implemented the policy of detente one that featured numerous treaties with the soviets including one that limited the number of certain nuclear weapons both sides can have but many americans remain dissatisfied with this change in policy. They felt that detente papered over the fact that the soviets remained dangerous and aggressive and that they couldn't be trusted to keep their word. Some americans also felt that detente ignored their belief. The soviets were an 'illegitimate' force that imprisoned their own people and that working with such a regime was at best naive and at worse immoral. One of those americans was ronald reagan. Reagan had taken an unusual route to political prominence. He started out as an actor in the nineteen thirties and eventually became the host of a tv show but he also found himself becoming more and more involved in politics over time he was the head of the actors union in the nineteen forties and fifties and then became the republican governor of california in the sixties. He became the face of a rising conservative movement. A movement that wanted to halt the expansion of government at home and communism abroad although conservatism was gaining momentum it had yet to go mainstream. Reagan had critics who called him a dunce an intellectual lightweight and who could give a great speech but had little command of nuance or policy. They also said that he was a right wing. Radical who would destroy years of democrat policies and start world war three. They scoffed at his lack of an ivy league education. The fact that he had strong moral convictions and his many years. As an actor. In hollywood but ronald reagan brushed off his critics. He had observed america's cold war policies for years and he felt that they were totally wrong. He saw what all the experts were saying. That detente was a good thing and that the soviet union was here to stay. These experts were in the universities and think tanks in government bureaucracies. They often went to america's best colleges included in their ranks. Were heavyweights like henry. Kissinger reagan size. The mola and again. He said they were wrong. This former actor believed in something else in something that virtually none of the experts believed and what many of them would laugh at the idea that the soviet union could change radically that it might even collapse and that america could make it happen and he believed that to accept the soviet union. As fact of life was immoral after being elected president in nineteen eighty he sought to do something that most people thought impossible. He sought to win the cold war to this day. Reagan's role during the end of the cold war event. So critical in shaping. The world we live in today is hotly debated. Perhaps it's beyond anyone's ability to fully explain. How and why something as complex as the fall of the soviet union happened it is certainly beyond the scope of this episode but we can try to trace the journey. Reagan took as he strode upon the world. Stage what reagan did and intended to do in the fight against. Communism is the focus of this episode of this american president. 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