We celebrated Reagan's birthday a couple of days early, but I am a couple weeks behind on getting his blog up!
The first time around on this project, I didn't have all the props I do now. But, I also get real excited when I have themed clothing to wear, or newspapers to display, or campaign buttons to use! For Reagan, I had it all! Including a peice of the Berlin Wall, and a Reagan Library mug to drink out of for my morning coffee on his birthday!
Keep your eyes peeled for the Cameos we've got this go around!
And of course, you can always check out the last time we celebrated Reagan's birthday. Or you can check out that time we went and visited his library!
And of course if you have the time or the will, you can read my giant Ronald Reagan story. Or, you can just page to the bottom to see the rest of our Reagan stuff.
The Story of Ronald Reagan
2020 Edition
One hundred and 9 years ago on this very day, the future 40th president of the United States of America was born in a tiny town in Illinois. The Reagan family lived in an apartment above a store, and young Ronald Reagan would earn his nickname “Dutch”, because his father thought he looked like a ‘fat little Dutchman’, and he had the popular ‘dutchman’ hairstyle, that basically looked like a helmet.
Ronald Reagan will go on to become president, but he’s actually lucky he survived his childhood. There was the time he set of fireworks that rocketed into a bridge, the time a rifle accidently went off shooting a hole in the ceiling, and the time he climbed under a train and barely got out before it left the station.
When he wasn’t busy nearly getting killed, he was playing with his army and solider toys, and collecting butterfly and bird egg specimens (he loved natural history!) And just for a fun fact in there: he once ate four pounds of ribs in one sitting.
But Ronald Reagan was not good at sports, or hand eye coordination. Turned out, he just needed some glasses. He was 13 by the time he discovered seeing the whole world in a blur wasn’t normal. He randomly put on his mother’s reading glasses, and suddenly everything came into focus. Apparently, he’d spent his whole life being legally blind. He wasn’t thrilled with his glasses, but at least now he could play football!
The Reagan’s didn’t have a lot of money, so as soon as Ronald was old enough, he got odd jobs to help out. And they were far from glamourous. He sorted potatoes, pulling out the rotten ones, on stuffy train cars in the heat of summer. He dug foundations for just 35 cents an hour, and he even got himself a job when the circus came through town.
By the time he was 15, he moved up in the world and became a lifeguard down at the river. Sure, people hardly ever thanked him, when he saved them. But he did once get $10 for finding some guy’s dentures at the bottom of the water. And, 77 people got to eventually say they were rescued by the President of the United States.
Reagan’s love of football got him a partial scholarship to Eurkea College in Illinois. An average student with above average star power, he spent most of his time playing football and acting in plays.
After school he got moved on to Iowa to become a radio announcer. He’s most famous for having to ad lib one foul bowl after another when the telegraph machine went down and he had no idea what was actually going on at the Cubs game. But, his voice and his wit made him into quite the local Iowan celebrity.
Naturally, the next best thing to radio announcing is acting, and you have to go to Hollywood if you want to be an actor. So out he goes to California, where a friend hooks him up with an agent, the agent gets him a screen test, and Ronald Reagan lands himself a 7 year contract with Warner Brothers.
Never really the star of the show, he did have some famous co-stars, and he earned himself a lot of parts. He played cowboys and soldiers, and starred in a soap commercial. Then of course there was “Bedtime for Bozo” with his co-star the chimp.
Big head or not, he caught the eye of one of his co-stars, Actress Jane Wyman. In just two short years, they were married and they had two kids: Maureen and Michael. He kept on acting, and then a literal bomb was dropped (on Pearl Harbor), and Reagan was ordered to active duty with the US Army.
But that poor eye sight of his wouldn’t allow him to see any combat. Instead the US Army put his acting chops to work having him star on propaganda films, and flight training films.
Of course we know what happens: Harry Truman drops the atomic bomb, the war ends, and Americans go on to find their post-war place in the world. That place for Ronald Reagan was as President of the Screen Actors Guild. It’s acting and politics in one, a great springboard for a guy who’s looking to move up into the world of politics.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. A Republican in Hollywood? That just doesn’t seem right. That’s because Ronald Reagan was *gasp* a DEMOCRAT. I mean, who wasn’t though, this is the era FDR having Landonslides here.
Reagan serves something like six years as the Screen Actors Guild President. But he also has a sort of-secret-on-the-side-job as a spy. By now, it’s the early 50s, and we’ve got Joe McCarthy sniffing out the commies in the US Government- and Ronald Reagan and his wife Jane sniffing out commies in Hollywood, even going as far to give the FBI names of actors they thought were communist sympathizers.
But the couple who sniffs out commies together does not stay together. Jane and Ronald are headed for Splitsville; she wasn’t thrilled with his political ambitions and she’s ready to move on.
Enter Nancy Davis. Nancy was born Anne Frances Robbins, into a family with an actress mother, and a car salesman father. But, her dad left and a baby Anne was sent off to live with her aunt in Maryland.
Eventually, Anne rejoins her mother, in Chicago- where her mom has now married a uber rich neurosurgeon, who adopted Anne. Anne becomes Nancy Davis, and gets used to living the high life going to the finest restaurants, wearing fancy clothes, and hanging out with doctors and actors.
Nancy wants to follow in her mom’s acting footsteps, so she goes off to major in drama at Smith College and uses her moms connections to model, and appear on Broadway. Fun fact: before she even turns 20, she’s starring in short film for the a National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis that’s being shown in movie theaters to raise donations for the crusade against polio.
Of course the war is also on going, and it’s an all hands on deck situation, so she works as a nurses aid at a hospital in Chicago, giving baths to the severely wounded. She didn’t love the job, though, and to be fair, one guy died while she was giving him a bath.
After the war, Nancy moves out to California and gets a contract with MGM, but there is a problem. Her name has shown up on the “Hollywood Blacklist”, you know, the list of all those possible communist sympathizers. Obviously, it’s a mistake! (Some OTHER Nancy Davis is the Commie!) She must go talk to someone, perhaps, the President of the Screen Actor’s Guild can help.
“Maybe it wasn’t love at first sight, but it was pretty close”, Nancy would say later about meeting Ronald Reagan. He must have gotten her off the list, because she went on to do some more acting before the two got married, in the smallest wedding ever, just a best man, a maid of honor, and the officiant. No need to get the gossip magazines involved.
After all, Nancy was a couple months pregnant. Ronald and Nancy have two kids: Patti and Ron, adding to Ronald’s two kids from his first wife. Nancy’s step kids don’t love her, but at least she has her dream job: wife and mom. Nancy always said, her life began when she met her Ronnie.
Ronald has moved on from the Screen Actors Guild, though to working for General Electric. He gets paid a lot of money to host their sponsored tv show. And then, as people who once came from nothing, but now have a lot of money do- he switched from being a “New Deal” Democrat to a Republican who has seen first hand the ‘evils of government intervention in business’.
And now it’s 1964, and Reagan is stumping for fellow Republican Barry Goldwater, who is running against the current president, LBJ. You have to wait until August to hear about this one, but spoiler alert: Democrat LBJ wins.
That’s fine, because Reagan has gotten exposure, and he uses that to springboard himself into a run for California Governor in 1966. Republicans like his charisma and his political views. In his run for Governor, he promises to “send the welfare bums back to work” and “clean up the mess at Berkley” (a reference to anti-Vietnam war protests on the college campus).
Reagan wins the governorship, and Nancy is less than excited to move into the governors mansion. She’s a Hollywood actress, who has been used to the finer things in life, and the mansion just won’t do, so she convinces the legislature to build a new mansion. She does set up a foster grandparent program to link the elderly up with special needs children, and works with Vietnam Veterans. But, her primary project is her absolute devotion to Ronnie.
Ronald, meanwhile, has his eye on the presidency. A run in 1976 doesn’t end in the nomination. Instead, the Republicans go with their current president: Gerald Ford. But Reagan gave Ford, a sitting president, a run for his money, setting the stage for 1980.
Ford, of course, loses to the Democratic Peanut Farmer from Georgia, Jimmy Carter. Four years go by, and Ronald Reagan spends that time traveling the country, meeting people, giving speeches, and organizing his staff. His message is short and sweet: get government off our backs. He is ready to show the Republicans they should have nominated him to beat Jimmy Carter in the first place.
But first, Ronald Reagan has to win the nomination, something he failed to do at the last go around. His competition consists of Kansas Senator Bob Dole. Dole has experience. He was Ford’s running mate in 1976. There’s also the Former Secretary of the Treasury, John Connaly, and Tennessee Senator Howard Baker.
But his biggest competition? Why, that comes from former CIA director, former UN ambassador, former Chair of the Republican party, the one, the only: George Herbert Walker Bush.
The Texas oilman wins the Iowa Caucuses, back when Iowa knew how to count their votes, and says he has “big mo” (big momentum) going into New Hampshire. But, his “big mo” becomes a “big no” from voters, and Reagan runs away with the nomination. He does, however, offer the VP slot to Bush after former president Gerald Ford declines the spot.
President Carter, on the other side, is not a favorite of the party leaders, and looks weak when he openly admits to his failures, but the Democrats nominate him for a second term anyway, mostly because Democrats think it’s the patriotic thing to do to support the president. Well, that and because Ted Kennedy completely flubs interview after interview, proving why he was the fourth Kennedy down on the list of “Kennedy brothers who should try their hand at the presidency”.
Carter’s resume consists of fighting off killer rabbits while fishing, and wearing Mr. Roger’s cardigans, which is all pretty awesome. His highlights include things like brokering the Panama Canal Treaty, and the Camp David Peace Accords between Israel and Egypt (that’s a little preview of October for you). But, his lowlights aren’t great. In July of 1979, there was a huge gas shortage, and 25% of gas stations were closed. Mount Saint Helen’s had erupted, the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan, and the misery index, with combines inflation and unemployment is at an all time high of 22%. It matches his all time low approval rating.
But worst of all: 53 American Students were being held hostage in Iran. The Iranian Hostages were the “it” issue of the 1980 election. Carter looks powerless to get the 53 hostages back. He says things are better than they seem and this is all just a “crisis in confidence”, but if given the chance he will restore America’s faith in him.
Reagan says he’s the guy to get those hostages back, he’ll lower taxes and end inflation. He favors a drastic increase on defense spending (you know, Republicans and their big military budgets) and step up the arm’s race with the Soviet Union. And speaking of the Soviet Union, he’ll encourage the collapse of communism as well.
Regan may have that charism, charm, and a Hollywood smile. He’s a gifted storyteller, he has no shortage of Hollywood antidotes to use, after all. He’s got a great sense for the dramatic, but also a great sense of humor (and a love of comics- it’s the first place he heads to when he gets the newspaper). He’s a rancher that’s got a cowboy like appeal. After all, Reagan admits there is no ‘better place for me to think than on top of a horse’. But he’s not without his issues.
He has a penchant for reciting “unchecked facts”. People said he never met a statistic he didn’t like… to exaggerate. The press started calling them “Reagan’s Factoids” instead of exaggerations, and lies. He claimed as Governor of California he cut taxes and reduced spending, when he had in fact done neither.
Then there’s the gaffes. He claimed trees cause more smog pollution than cars, and that the “finest oil geologists” have reported the US has more oil than Saudi Arabia. He expressed doubts of evolution and didn’t want it taught in schools, favored official relations with Taiwan (which angered China), and was caught on tape saying some unsavory ethnic jokes. His campaign later claimed they were talking about things you should NOT say on a campaign trail.
Then there was the debate, which Reagan comes off likeable and charming, and Carter looks a mess. Reagan dominates Carter, metaphorically rolling his eyes at all of Carter’s talking points, responding “There you go again, Mr. President”. But, as it turns out, Reagan had a heads up on those talking points because the Republicans had managed to get their hands Carter’s debate briefing book. In a great political whodunnit, everyone admits it was stolen, but nobody takes the credit-or the blame.
Carter’s political strategy is not a great one. A Media Advisor makes a list. Carter- safe/sound, Reagan-untested; Carter- young and vigorous, Reagan-old; Carter- smart, Reagan- dumb. Basically, go after Regan for being an old guy who doesn’t know anything. If elected, Ronald Reagan will be the oldest elected president, a whole year older than William Henry Harrison, and we all know how that turned out. (Reagan will hold that title until Trump.)
Reagan’s camp shot back, calling Reagan the “oldest and wisest”. The comment started as a slip up, but they all came to embrace it. And they kept bringing up “Billygate”, in which Carter’s brother (Billy) has accepted $200,000 from Libyan government for lobbying in the United States. (There was a Congressional investigation, and Billy did end up having to register as an agent of a foreign government).
Things are getting down right mean. Jimmy Carter has a reputation of being a nice guy, but he’s losing his grip on that too, causing journalists to ask if Carter was really this honest, sincere, decent, fair-minded guy they thought he was, or is he willing to throw away all his morals for some votes. They claim he’s looking vindictive, hysterical , and desperate.
And Nancy is not having it. Nobody messes with her Ronnie. She dusts off her acting chops and stars in a commercial saying “as a wife, mother, and woman…” she doesn’t like the things President Carter is saying about her husband. It’s the first time a candidates wife appears in an attack ad.
Through all of this, though, there is low voter attachment: voters are wishy-washy. “I’ll vote for Reagan… although I worry…” and back and forth and back and forth. Only 11% of voters are excited about Ronald Reagan, but that does beat the 9% excited about Carter.
This is one of those elections where it’s less about who you like, and more about who you don’t like. Voters are either anti-Carter, or Anti-Reagan. But, there is a famous quote that says “If you have to choose between 2 evils, pick the one you haven’t tried before”
And Reagan was the one America hadn’t tried before. His “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” tag line is having success. The economy is crawling, and most people can answer a resounding “no”.
It was pretty obvious he was going to beat Carter in the last couple weeks leading up to the election. Everyone, including the Carter camp knew it.
The Carter campaign had one last hope, if they could get those hostages released in Iran, they just might have a chance. And they fought valiantly to make it happen.
But, there is a theory from a former Carter staffer on his National Security Council that the Reagan campaign was fighting to make sure it didn’t happen, knowing Carter would need that to win. In his book, the staffer talks about how the Reagan campaign established “back channels” to talk to Iran and stall the release of the hostages until after the election.
It’s not so far fetched if you think about the well oiled SECRET machine of Reagan’s camp. His campaign manager would eventually become CIA Director, and his Vice-President was the former head of the CIA.
According to staffer’s controversial book, the Reagan camp offered military assistance to Iran, which they needed since Iraq was threatening to invade, and that they kept sweetening the deal, eventually offering more unfrozen Iranian cash, and guns if it was delayed until Reagan was sworn in.
We do know the hostages were not released before election day, and Reagan’s extreme right-wing love of county and economic hope pummeled Jimmy Carter 489 to 49. Republican’s even gained control of the Senate for the first time in 25 years. It’s such a blow out, by 8:15 on election night Jimmy Carter is congratulating Ronald Reagan. Local Democrats on the West Coast are furious at the timing: polls haven’t even closed in their state, and Jimmy Carter was already admitting defeat.
Things are already looking up for America. Those hostages, they too have an unforgettable day: they are loaded onto a plane in Tehran, and as soon as Reagan becomes president, they are released. A few days later, Reagan’s administration sent military supplies to Iran.
In 1991, someone asked Reagan about those hostages. He said he tried to get them released early, but that raised eyebrows: was Reagan talking to the Iranians before he became president then? He still claimed he didn’t- but he also said he couldn’t say anymore, because it was still classified.
But the hostages were headed home, and Ronnie and Nancy were headed to their inaugural ball. The first couple go to 8 balls, where tickets will set you back at least $250. Nancy’s dress is $10,000. Her Hollywood glamour and style is not a good look when you’re a struggling American. The Reagan’s are a far cry from the Carters, who turned down the thermostat at the White House just to save money on the electric bill.
Nancy then decides it’s time to redecorate the private quarters of the White House, and purchase some $200,000 china. It’s all private money, and some say she is just bring back the executive sparkle the Ford and Carter administrations lacked. Other people say it’s just too much, and the press are saying she is out of touch. Even the White House dog, Rex, is living in extravagant digs. His Cape-Cod Style doghouse has fancy red curtains and framed photos of Ronnie and Nancy.
Nancy is not off to the best of start.
Reagan too, has quite the hiccup: after just over two months as president, he narrowly escapes being the fifth president to be assassinated. Reagan was leaving a speech at a hotel when he walked past the crowd of journalists, his adoring fans and John Hinkley Jr.
Hinkley was a mentally ill Jodie Foster superfan, who thought for some reason killing Reagan would get him an in with Foster. (Hinkley would be found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent 35 years in a psychiatric facility until he was released in 2016)
Hinkley fired six shots. He hit Reagan, who was rushed to the hospital, but mortally wounded Press Secretary James Brady (who would die 33 years later as a result of his injuries). Arriving at the hospital, Reagan kept his sense of humor, telling Nancy “I forgot to duck” and famously asking his doctors “Please tell me you’re all Republicans” (to which the doctor replied “Today, Mr. President, we’re all Republicans”)
Reagan spent 12 days in the hospital, while George H.W. held it down at the White House, and Nancy held it down at Ronnie’s bedside. Her reputation of being cold and out of touch evaporated with her steadfast devotion to Ronnie. Everyone was impressed with her courage, and public perception of the first lady had shifted.
What’s a little assassination attempt if you can’t get an approval rating bump from it, right? Ronnie, too, was cashing in on the moment, using the sympathy and support to push legislation through Congress. He cut taxes, as well as a variety of government programs and put money into strengthening the military.
He was determined to make the US stronger than the Soviet Union. He worried about ‘Cold War’ tensions, knowing both countries had the atomic bomb, and while he was hoping to defuse tensions, he also wanted to be prepared for anything.
Nancy for her part was justifiably really freaked out at the assassination attempt and brought an astrologer into the White House. She would alter Ronnie’s schedule according to her color coded calendar of ‘good days’ and ‘bad days’.
But more than that, she had to keep the ‘big mo’ going on her approval ratings too. After the assassination attempt, Americans had softened to her a bit. But then there was a scandal about her accepting expensive dresses as gifts, and even when she promised to stop accepting them, it was clear she had not. When she switched to saying ‘oh this old thing, I’ve had it for 7 years’ every time someone asked about a dree, the press caught on to that too, and noted “She must have done a lot of shopping 7 years ago”.
The White House was worried her popularity was slipping, so they had to get her a cause. And so the “Just Say No” campaign against drugs was started. Nancy gets credit for treating the subject with the severity it deserved. She cast a wide net: giving a triumphant speech to the United Nations, and appearing on the popular TV show ‘Different Strokes’. (The few critics she has are the ones who are like, ‘wait, but Ronnie is over there cutting funding to drug programs.. this doesn’t add up)
Drunk driving among young people was at an all time high, so Reagan’s administration worked to raise the drinking age to 21, ending the “crazy quilt of different states drinking laws.” (19 states had a current drinking age of 21, many others had the drinking age at 19).
Reagan also gets credit with appointing the first female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Conner, in September of 1981. That’s right: the first female Justice was appointed on a Republican’s watch! He also saw the first woman in Space when Sally Ride took off in the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983.
In other firsts, he was the first American President to open an Olympic Games held in the United States, when LA hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984.
But it’s 1984, which means it’s election season again!
The economy has recovered under Reagan, and is doing much better. Many had deemed “Reagnomics” as their savior. “It’s morning in America”, with the best ahead of us, according to Reagan and Bush, who easily sail into the nomination.
Gone are the days of voters picking the worst of two evils. Reagan is wildly popular. His conservativism has struck a cord with people. His stupid quotes like “We are trying to get unemployment up and I think we’re going to succeed” is now just written off as one of his gaffes and everyone laughs and moves on.
He’s even tempered. His idea of an outburst is throwing a pencil across the room. If tempers flare with the Soviets, this is the guy you want in charge. He’s easy going, a jokester, and America has finally fallen for his charm.
The guy has money, but he’s not stingy. He’ll write a check to anyone who needs help.
He pops jellybeans (coconut), and downs hamburger soup and macaroni and cheese.
He loves his ranch, and spends his time out there chopping wood, building fences, and clearing brush. He’s a gunslinging cowboy.
He’s patriotic. The guy loves America. Just listening to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” moves him to tears. He quotes great presidents, and not just Republicans, his favorites are FDR and JFK. (He even admits there’s not quotable recent Republican President).
He get’s dubbed the “Great Communicator” for his suburb public speaking skills. He speaks of “we” not “me”, he’s got two things that make him appealing: an intense will power, and personal humility. He never met a person he couldn’t persuade. And he had persuaded the American people. For a guy that got a lot of votes just because he wasn’t Carter, Americans sure had come around to love him.
And Americans love Nancy too. She’s gone from the administrations liability to one of the most popular first ladies. She’s a model devoted wife, overseeing Ronnie’s schedule, making sure he is in good health and not overworked. Wherever they go, she hangs on his every word giving him “the look” as it gets dubbed. She laughs on cue to his jokes she’s heard 1000 times.
The Democrats know they’re facing an uphill battle. They have a spirited primary (which means they have a whole slew of contenders), with an astronaut (John Glenn), a reverend (Jesse Jackson), a Kennedy (Ted is back!) and former Vice President to Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale.
Walter Mondale, with the resume but lacking in the Reagan like charisma, eventually gets chosen as the Democrats sacrificial lamb. Most everyone knows Reagan is going to win a second term.
Walter Mondale is married with three kids. He’s a seasoned politician, but he’s four years out of politics and is now a private citizen. He’s better at face to face encounters than giving speeches. He’s a snoozefest (spoiler alert: just like this election is going to be) and he’s going to have a hard time separating himself from Jimmy Carter, who still isn’t very popular
But Mondale does do something exciting for the history books: he picks Geraldine Ferraro, a NY Congresswoman, as his running mate. It’s the first time a woman appears on the ticket for either major party.
Even the novelty of that wears off, though, when Ferraro stumbles on the issue of releasing her real-estate husband’s tax returns (because back then, that was something that could make you un-electable).
All Mondale seems to have on Reagan is his age. He’ll be 78 at the end of his second term. Rumors swirl he’s doxing off in cabinet meetings.
But Reagan counters saying he doesn’t take nap (and for that matter, doesn’t dye his hair). He admits he’s hard of hearing, and he does wear hearing aids in both ears thanks to a prop gun that went off near his ear during his acting days. But to the American public he appears vigorous even in his old age. Pneumonia, a cancerous tumor in his colon and even a close range bullet can’t stop this guy.
Reagan uses the campaign slogan, “Morning in America”, for his second term- with young families moving into new homes, facorties down the rive working again. He claims life is better, and America is back.
Um, yes… and no. There are more jobs, and low interest rate but the deficit is skyrocketing and the tax cuts are benefiting the rich more than anyone. Nobody seems to want to hear it when Mondale says were going to have to raise taxes to pay for the bill Reagan’s racking up.
Reagan counters with the idea to lower taxes, and just cut more programs. He claims the “Democrats have gone so far left, they’ve left the country”.
The 1984 election is more about themes than issues. Mondale is for flag, family, faith, and justice for all. He wants a separation of Church and state.
Reagan’s themes include: church, country, home, and morality. While Reagan didn’t pursue any action on it, he advocated for prayer in public schools, and text credits for parents sending their kids to private schools.
Reagan comes off as an unabashed patriot and champion of traditional manners and morals.
The country was now profoundly conservative, as if the 1980’s were somehow getting even with the 1960s, and Reagan with his conservative base completely obliterates Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro: 525 to 13. Mondale only wins him home state of Minnesota.
Walter Mondale would go on to be appointed the US Ambassador to Japan under Bill Clinton. He’d run for his old Senate seat in 2002, but ultimately lose that election as well.
He just turned 92 last month, and together with Jimmy Carter are the longest-lived presidential team, surpassing John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in 2006.
Reagan’s second term would not be as smooth as his first. All the money he spent on arms had led to a large national debt. There would be a growing gap between the rich and the poor. Terrorist activity around the world was on the uptick, and in 1986 The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing everyone on board including a private citizen, while American’s watched it live on TV.
But Reagan remained a calming and steady presence. He addressed the nation with a moving speech hours after the explosion.
And more than that, Reagan would get credit for ending the Cold War. The same year Reagan was elected, Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union. Reagan saw Gorbachev as an opportunity for peace.
All of his military spending was a good investment, if not for the arms for the optics. It had given the “Evil Empire” pause, when they saw America’s willingness to blow the bank on weapons, and their new leader was willing to submit to some concessions. The guys develop a bond, and eventually both agree to reduce their stockpile of nuclear missiles.
Reagan was still opposed to the spread of Communism, and eventually Reagan will stand at the Berlin Wall uttering the famous line “Mr. Chairman, Tear Down this wall” (The wall separating east and west Germany was torn down in 1989). His words and his administration will forever be etched in history because they are credited with ending the cold war.
But, with any modern presidency (WMDs, Bengahzi, Russia, you know) we’re going to need a scandal, and Reagan has a big one: the Iran-Contra Affair. A foreign press report revealed that the National Security Council had secretly and illegally sold weapons to Iran in an attempt to secure the release of 7 captive American citizens.
To make matters worse, the money from the arms deals had been used in the aid of anticommunist contras in Nicaragua in an attempt to overthrow the Nicaraguan Government. (And even if you don’t like a government, we have rules here in American that you can’t do that.)
It’s not so far fetched to think the Reagan administration is exchanging money and arms for hostages. Reagan admits it was done, and apologizes to the American people, but he insists he didn’t know anything about it, and no evidence was ever found to the contrary.
The National Security Advisor and his assistant are fired for their part in the scandal, and there are, of course, Congressional Hearings. Six federal officials are charged with conspiracy, and America seems appeased. We love a good scapegoat!
On a personal note, Reagan is getting old, fast. He seems to be aging by the week, and he’s getting forgetful. At one point he forgets his Secretary of Agriculture, and calls him Mr. Mayor, asking where he is from, and flubs words. Sometimes, reporters would say he didn’t seem to recognize them. On one occasion, Nancy fed him lines when he seemed lost in a conversation.
Nancy had always been protective of his health, but during the 2nd four years, she tightened his workload and schedule leash. Everyday at 5, he left the Oval office for exercise and swimming to try and keep him healthy. When the Iran-Contra scandal broke, she was worried about his reputation and became more involved in the decision making process. For some, she had become the “irresponsible power behind the throne”, but for her she was just taking care of her increasingly foggy minded husband.
By the time 1988 rolled around, Reagan might have been ready to leave the office of the presidency, but the American people weren’t ready to leave the Reagan administration, and they elected Vice President George H.W. Bush as the 41st President of the United States.
When Reagan left office in 1989, he was 78 years old. He retired to a luxurious new home in Bel Air California, making only occasional appearances for the Republican Party. Still having a sense of humor about him, Reagan said “When I get back to California, I plan to put my feet up, and take a nap…. Come to think of it, things might not be so different after all”, a play on that accusation he dozed off in meetings.
The debate then ensued amoung scholars, historians, and the general public surrounding his legacy. Pro-Reagan: He ended the Cold War! He restored our faith in the American Dream, along with our pride in America. Anti-Reagan: Some say his economic policies resulted in huge budget deficits (He did submit the first trillion dollar budget), the wage disparity gap can be traced back to here, and then there’s Iran Contra.
Five years after leaving office, in 1994, Reagan released a letter to the American Public announcing that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Even with his diagnoses, Reagan tried to stay active in retirement. Every morning he would skim leaves off the top of his pool. He didn’t know it, but every night Secret Service would dump the leaves back into the pool, so he would have something to do the next day.
Reagan died on June 5, 2004. He was 93.
Ever the actor (he once said “I don’t know if I could do my job as president if I weren’t an actor”), Reagan thought of his funeral in Cinematic Terms. It would be the closing scene of his life, bringing the “Cast” out one more time.
Everyone would show up for his state funeral in Washington DC- George H.W. Bush, Maragret Thatcher, and Mikel Gorbachov. As he was flown back to California and buried overlooking the valley at his Presidential Library, he had the wide screen sendoff he had envisioned.
Nancy Reagan would live 12 years longer than her husband. She dedicated those years to advocating for research that led to a cure.
For now, Reagan is remembered, especially among the Republican Party as one of the greats. That could change over time, but one organization is fighting to make sure he’s remembered.
The Legacy Project worked to slap his name on anything they could. Sometimes they were successful, after all, we do fly into Reagan Airport in Washington, DC. But if they had their way, Reagan would have replaced Alexander Hamilton on the $10.
So the question is would you put Reagan's Legacy under 'A Scathing Reveiw?
Or, through Rose Colored Glasses?
Hayden chose to keep his legacy on Rose Colored Glasses, and we added our props to the corkboard.
For the Dumperster Fire to National Treasure, Hayden decided to put Reagan on the path to National Treasure, but he doesn't quite make it to William McKinley status, and is nowhere near FDR.
Of course, we examined the Elections. Hayden put 1980 as a 7 on the Sleaze-O-Meter, and 1984 at a 1.
And he put Nancy Reagan as 'All Around Badass', which I wouldn't have done. But not my Dream Team.
Hayden also did his Reagan drawings.
So that's it for Reagan. We had Nancy Reagan Mac and Cheese for dinner a few nights later, because of course we did.
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