Ronald Reagan: The Great Communicator - YouTube

Ronald Reagan fashioned his political career  and his presidency around three things. 

Lower taxes

Smaller government

Strong defense

In doing so, he almost single-handedly resurrected  and redefined the modern conservative movement.  

But he did much more than that—he  resurrected and redefined America.

If that sounds like an impressive feat, it  was. And it’s hard to imagine anyone other  

than Reagan who could have done it. Known by  friend and foe alike as The Great Communicator,  

even Democrats conceded that no one could  connect with the American people like Reagan.  

Whenever he went on TV—which  was often—to promote a policy,  

he invariably swung the American people his way. When  he explained something, it just made sense.

Fittingly, it was a TV speech in 1964 entitled  “A Time for Choosing” that launched his political  

career. He delivered it on behalf of Republican  Presidential candidate, Barry Goldwater.  

Here’s just one of his many memorable passages.

"No government ever voluntarily  reduces itself in size…  

Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing  to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth."

This was pure Reagan: a basic  truth delivered with humor.

Born in a small Midwestern  town on February 6th, 1911,  

Reagan honed his communication skills as a  radio announcer and then, as an actor. He  

was a genuine Hollywood star and celebrity for over  two decades before he got into politics. Tall,  

broad-shouldered, and handsome with  a golden voice, he was well-respected  

and well-liked by his peers. He was also  seen as a natural leader. From 1947-52,  

he was President of the Screen Actors Guild,  deftly guiding it through the blacklist era.    

In 1965, encouraged by the positive response  to his “A Time for Choosing” speech, Reagan  

decided to run for governor of California. He won  easily. The victory immediately established him as  

a major figure in the Republican party. By 1980,  he was their overwhelming choice for President.

That year, he soundly defeated President  Jimmy Carter. The incumbent lost because  

his pessimistic approach to problem-solving  mirrored the justifiably sour mood of the country.  

The economy was going nowhere, caught in  the double grip of inflation and stagnation.

In contrast, Reagan—ever  the optimist—offered a way out.  

It wasn’t the American people who  were to blame, he told voters,  

it was the government. Reagan would get it out of  the way. He would lower taxes and cut red tape.

He did both.

The media dismissed his plan, calling  it “Reaganomics.” But it worked.

From 1982 to '87, the American economy,  defined as GDP adjusted for inflation,  

rose an astonishing 27 percent, manufacturing  33 percent, and the median income by 12 percent.

An estimated 20 million new jobs were created.  

All income classes and all racial and ethnic  groups benefited from the Reagan economy.

The dark decade of the seventies, a time in which  it looked like America was in a terminal eclipse,  

faded away. It was, as Reagan put it,  during his 1984 re-election campaign,  

“Morning in America” again.

Every bit as transformational as his work on  the economy, was his approach to foreign policy,  

specifically the Soviet Union. It’s easy to  forget, but when Reagan came to office in 1981,  

Soviet-style communism appeared to be as strong,  if not stronger, than American-style democracy.

Whereas Reagan’s predecessor had taken  a “we just need to get along” approach,  

Reagan saw it much differently. He didn’t  mince words. In March of 1983, he called the  

Soviet Union an “evil empire.” The media and the  Democrats wailed that the phrase was reckless,  

but it was typical Reagan. Simple, clear, and  true. What else do you call a totalitarian system  

that had deprived millions of people  across the globe of their freedom?

When asked what his strategy was for fighting the  Cold War, Reagan replied. “We win. They lose.”

It wasn’t just a glib line. He meant  it. He expanded the US defense budget  

to unprecedented levels, in part to develop  a ballistic missile shield his critics dubbed  

“Star Wars.” The strategy was to pressure the  Soviets to try and keep up—which he knew they  

couldn’t. He was right. They didn’t have  the money or the technology. Soviet premier  

Mikhail Gorbachev did all he could to pressure  Reagan to drop it, but he would not budge.

To drive home his point, Reagan went to the  Berlin Wall, a symbol of Communist oppression,  

and delivered one of his most famous lines:  “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” 

By the end of the decade, a year after Reagan  left office, the Soviet Union collapsed,  

an outcome no one could have  imagined—except possibly Reagan himself.  

There are many reasons why this happened, but no  one played a bigger role than our 40th President.

We won. They lost.

Before the Reagan era, Americans  were depressed and uncertain.  

By the end of it, they were  optimistic and confident.  

Reagan had stuck to his formula: lower taxes,  less government, strong defense. It worked.

And it still does today. 

I’m Scott Walker, president of Young America’s  

Foundation and former governor of  Wisconsin, for Prager University.