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My first political memory is being with my parents at an election night watch party in Show Low, Arizona in 1976. They had supported Ronald Reagan against Gerald Ford in the primaries but joined the party against Governor Jimmy Carter. When Carter was declared the winner, my mother burst into tears and said, “This time the Soviets are going to win.”
Eleven years later, on June 12, 1987, Ronald Reagan stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate and said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
This Berlin moment is beautifully depicted in the film “Reagan,” starring Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller as his beloved wife, Nancy. It’s a must-see.
President Ronald Reagan, after spending 13 days in hospital following the assassination attempt, returns to the White House, waving to staff with his arm around Nancy’s shoulder. (Getty Images)
For those who grew up with the Reagan presidency, watching the movie “Reagan” will bring back fond memories, and for those too young to remember the era, the movie will serve as a history lesson because it closely follows Reagan’s life.
I worked for Ronald Reagan and I find it amusing how liberal critics are outraged by new movies.
Reagan was born into a poor family. Through hard work and determination, he made it to Hollywood and became a successful actor. He was later elected president of the Screen Actors Guild and later said that negotiating with studio executives prepared him to take on Mikhail Gorbachev. But his success as a movie star was short-lived.
Fortunately for Reagan and our country, he had dreams beyond acting.
After eight successful years as a host at the General Electric Theater, Reagan entered politics and delivered a speech called “A Choice” against presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964.
“Just recently, two of my friends were talking to a Cuban refugee businessman who had fled Castro, and in the middle of the conversation, one of the friends turned to the other and said, ‘You don’t know how lucky we are.’ The Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky are you? I had a place to run to.’ With that one sentence, he told us everything: If we lose our freedom here, there’s nowhere to run to. This is our last stand on Earth.”
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Reagan then ran for Governor of California and won in a landslide victory. As the state’s top executive, Reagan balanced the budget and became chairman of the Republican Governors Association. After two successful terms, he could have retired with honor and been celebrated for all he had done, but this incredible leader still had work to do.
After two unsuccessful runs for president, Reagan became the Republican candidate and became president of the United States in 1980. Four years later, Reagan was re-elected with a landslide victory in 49 of the 50 states.
Today, Reagan’s rise seems doomed from the start. But his story shows that success was preceded by failures. Who knows what would have become of America if he had given up at any point in his life? His determination is a lesson for us all.
So why is Reagan still relevant today?
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Thomas Sowell recently wrote:
“Given this backdrop, why is this election so close? Some Republicans might say it’s because the media is on the Democrats’ side and is hiding or distorting the facts. Others might say that universities have become indoctrination centers, promoting an ideology that favors Democratic policies.”
“But even if we grant all that, it’s true that a similar situation existed when Ronald Reagan won two consecutive presidential elections in a landslide victory. How did he do it?
“He did this by speaking to voters as if they were adults who could understand the issues if they were explained to him in plain English, not in political jargon or witty jokes.”
Would Reagan be welcomed by today’s Republican Party? Actor Dennis Quaid and locals have mixed opinions
“The time to respond to Ms. Harris’ comments is when she speaks, whatever the issue may be. And simply condemning or mocking her comments is not the same as responding.”
Remembering Reagan will give Republicans something concrete and solid to grasp on to. Reagan was confident in his beliefs, what he stood for, and how he communicated them. And he accomplished so much, despite being ridiculed and despised by the media, Democrats, and the elites… Sound familiar? Peggy Noonan writes:
“The Democrats have more important figures of recent American history to play on stage: the Clintons, the Obamas, Jesse Jackson. Whatever your views on him, he was on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel when Martin Luther King was shot. This shows you are a party with a historic past, and when you join this party you are joining something real. The Republicans, in their great overthrow, have denied that past. When you throw away history you lose something. All that’s left in prime time is Trump’s sons.”
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“Reagan” reminds us why we shouldn’t ignore history. It reminds us what greatness looks like, what it feels like. The Republican Party can still be the party of big ideas, big reforms, and above all, freedom.
So instead of ignoring Reagan, maybe we should learn from him. Lean into freedom — the kind of freedom the Founding Fathers believed in when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Freedom will triumph.
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