Today is Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday anniversary. The President died in 2004, putting an end to his suffering at the hands of Alzheimer's Disease, but his legacy lives on, strong and vibrant.
I remember the summer of 1980, when Reagan had just been nominated at the Republican Convention. I was inWashington Washington
Later, I worked for the Reagan Administration as a political appointee, and I got to meet the man several times.
Ronald Reagan was unique. He was tall, suntanned, broad-shouldered, always smiling kindly, and as welcoming as his sparkling eyes suggested. He took your hand and looked at you as if he knew just what you were thinking and then found just the right words. But, when he was on a project, he gave no quarter. He was never nasty or loud, always smiling and jovial, but he let everyone understand that what he wanted would simply have to be made to work. And it usually did. It would have been unthinkable to say "no" or "I just couldn't make it happen" to Ronald Reagan. He wasn't that sort of man or leader.
Often "it" worked because Reagan was a genius at political give and take compromise. He held some principles sacred - small government, anti-communism with the military that made it work, letting business do its job at pushingAmerica Washington
Today, the GOP wallows in Ronald Reagan. He is the icon whose name is meant to evoke unquestioning party loyalty to whatever conservative idea has the floor on that day.
But, the man wasn't like that at all. He set an agenda. He set the wheels in motion to make it happen. He knew compromise would be necessary. He decided ahead of time which pieces were negotiable and which were not. He sought out Democrats in Congress to win them over to his side, often giving them something in return. His friendship with Tip O'Neill, Democratic Speaker of the House during part of Reagan's presidency, was well-known. Reagan got the job done, whatever it took.
I wonder if we have lost that perspective on him today? Do tea partiers or the GOP in general think in terms of (1) an agenda, (2) a plan to accomplish it, (3) an understanding of what is expendable in the inevitable political give and take, and (4) an open spirit that takes everybody in and leaves no one on the outside grumbling or plotting to thwart the plan.
As we approach 2012 and the next presidential election, we ought to be looking not for another Ronald Reagan, as the popular thinking goes, but for a modern leader whose vision is as broad as his was, whose political skills are as well-honed as his were, and whose persona is unavoidably compelling.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Reagan. And, if you have a clue who our next GOP candidate ought to be, maybe you'd just whisper in our collective ears. We sure could use your help.
If not we, who? If not now, when? as you would have put it.
I remember the summer of 1980, when Reagan had just been nominated at the Republican Convention. I was in
Later, I worked for the Reagan Administration as a political appointee, and I got to meet the man several times.
Ronald Reagan was unique. He was tall, suntanned, broad-shouldered, always smiling kindly, and as welcoming as his sparkling eyes suggested. He took your hand and looked at you as if he knew just what you were thinking and then found just the right words. But, when he was on a project, he gave no quarter. He was never nasty or loud, always smiling and jovial, but he let everyone understand that what he wanted would simply have to be made to work. And it usually did. It would have been unthinkable to say "no" or "I just couldn't make it happen" to Ronald Reagan. He wasn't that sort of man or leader.
Often "it" worked because Reagan was a genius at political give and take compromise. He held some principles sacred - small government, anti-communism with the military that made it work, letting business do its job at pushing
Today, the GOP wallows in Ronald Reagan. He is the icon whose name is meant to evoke unquestioning party loyalty to whatever conservative idea has the floor on that day.
But, the man wasn't like that at all. He set an agenda. He set the wheels in motion to make it happen. He knew compromise would be necessary. He decided ahead of time which pieces were negotiable and which were not. He sought out Democrats in Congress to win them over to his side, often giving them something in return. His friendship with Tip O'Neill, Democratic Speaker of the House during part of Reagan's presidency, was well-known. Reagan got the job done, whatever it took.
I wonder if we have lost that perspective on him today? Do tea partiers or the GOP in general think in terms of (1) an agenda, (2) a plan to accomplish it, (3) an understanding of what is expendable in the inevitable political give and take, and (4) an open spirit that takes everybody in and leaves no one on the outside grumbling or plotting to thwart the plan.
As we approach 2012 and the next presidential election, we ought to be looking not for another Ronald Reagan, as the popular thinking goes, but for a modern leader whose vision is as broad as his was, whose political skills are as well-honed as his were, and whose persona is unavoidably compelling.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Reagan. And, if you have a clue who our next GOP candidate ought to be, maybe you'd just whisper in our collective ears. We sure could use your help.
If not we, who? If not now, when? as you would have put it.
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