Features of a Leader: Ronald Reagan's Skill of Communication

Ronald Reagan has become one of the most iconic 20th-century presidents. He has consistently been ranked in the top 10 of Presidents by historians. Many people do not know his interesting backstory and how he became this legendary figure. Most people only remember a snippet of Ronald Regan’s life such as, the Berlin Wall speech or his attempted assassination. Others may remember Reagan from his many appearances in the 1940s and 1950s Hollywood movies like 20 Mule Team Borax. These few events only begin to define Ronald Reagan’s remarkable life.

Ronald Reagan was born to a poor Illinois family on February 6, 1911. His parents were Jack and Nellie Reagan. Reagan had an older brother, Neil. During his childhood, Reagan’s father was an alcoholic who struggled to provide for the family. His mother tried to make life as meaningful as she could for Reagan. He played various sports during high school. During his senior year, he was elected class president. Reagan went to Eureka College where he became an active football player and a member of the drama club. In 1932, Ronald Reagan graduated with a degree in economics and sociology. Reagan entered the workforce as a lifeguard where gained publicity and status among his community after rescuing 77 people. Following this, he became a sports broadcaster at at a local radio station. His ability to connect with the audience led him to a much more lucrative position.

Reagan landed a job as a sportscaster for WHO, a radio station in Iowa. The radio station did not have money to spare since it was the Great Depression so Reagan had to report the game from memory based on telegraph printed details. Reagan had to fill in the blanks with some plays to make for a lively and entertaining game. In 1937, Reagan was sent to report back what happened with the Cubs during their training in California. This played out particularly well for Reagan who was thinking about starting an acting career. Reagan’s audition with Warner Brothers was successful igniting his acting career.

Reagan’s first movie, Love Is on the Air, was not a huge success, however, Reagan’s Hollywood career was launched. Following this, he starred in many “B” movies which made him famous. Conveniently, in 1938, he co-starred with Jane Wyman, his future wife and married her two years later in 1940. They had one daughter Maureen and adopted a son Michael. 1940 was also an important year for Reagan because he earned his famous nickname, “The Gipper”. He played George Gipp in the movie Knute Rockne. Gipp was a famous Notre Dame football star with the nickname “The Gipper”. Due to the success of this movie, Ronald Reagan inherited this nickname. Changes were on the forefront for Reagan as, World War II started.

Ronald Reagan had been in the Army Reserves since 1937. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. joined the war. This led to Reagan being called to serve in World War II. In 1942, he was assigned to work at Fort Mason in California. Just because Reagan was in the war, this did not mean his film career was over. In 1943, the U.S. Army assigned Reagan to the First Motion Picture Unit to make training films for recruits. World War II came to a close in 1945 and so did Reagan's military service. Reagan transitioned from one tumultuous time into another. After World War II, communism began to raise its ugly head. Reagan was elected to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) as President in 1947. Hollywood was torn in two. Some of the actors were communist sympathizers and others were very much anti-communist. Reagan was a moderate Democrat and he found himself in the middle of the fight. To make things worse, tensions with his wife were getting worse. Reagan was called to testify to the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Commission). He said that his union was under control and that he did not know any communists in the SAG. The tension died down, unfortunately, it led to a divorce with his wife. However, during the turmoil, Nancy Davis and Reagan fell in love. They were married in 1952 and had two children, Ronald and Patricia Ann.

The 1950s were a time of change for Reagan.I n 1954, He was hired by General Electric (GE) to manage their new General Electric Theater. This is when Reagan began the transition from Democrat to Republican. After becoming a spokesperson for GE, he began to see the benefits of being pro-business. Many of his speeches had a conservative edge to them. He even supported Dwight D. Eisenhower during the elections of 1952 and 1956. Ronald Reagan became engrossed in politics and gave speeches in support of Republican candidates like Nixon. Reagan gave 200 speeches in support of Nixon in the presidential election of 1960. All of these speeches paled in comparison to one of the greatest speeches Reagan’s political career. The year was 1964 and Barry Goldwater was running against John F. Kennedy. Reagan gave one of the most important speeches in history, later named “A Time for Choosing”. In the speech, Reagan emphasized small government and individual freedoms. The speech raised $1 million for the Goldwater campaign. This set the record for the amount of money raised from a single speech. Most importantly, it launched Reagan’s political career.

In 1966, Reagan decided to enter the California gubernatorial election. He challenged the incumbent Pat Davis. Pat Davis made fun of Reagan for being a movie star and his lack of political experience. Reagan turned this around by saying, “I don’t know. I’ve never played a governor” (Reagan Foundation) when asked if he had enough experience. This made Reagan appear different from the stereotypical politician. Reagan went on to win the election by over 1 million votes. As a governor, he lowered taxes and slashed the deficit, a model he would later use for the country. He served as Governor of California from 1967-1975. He declined to run for a third term in 1975. Reagan gained experience at running a government. By this time, Reagan made up his mind to run for president as soon as possible. In the past, Reagan had tried to win the Republican nomination in 1968 and 1976. Both of these attempts proved to be unsuccessful.

Reagan's first real chance for a presidential run came in 1980. Jimmy Carter has been president for four years. Carter was extremely unpopular as president, especially, during the last year of his presidency, he was forced to deal with the Iran hostage crisis. Inflation was skyrocketing and the economy nearly fell apart. Reagan won the Republican nomination against Bob Dole using the slogan “Let’s make America great again”(Reagan Foundation). Reagan tried to convince the American people to give him a chance. After months of campaigning by both sides, Reagan and Carter met on the debate stage. Reagan has prepared for this moment and he displayed his unique abilities to connect with the American people. Carter had also been preparing for the debate. Carter decided to bring up Medicare. In the past, Reagan had been opposed to the Medicare plan that was enacted. However, Reagan was ready for this. He responded with one of the most memorable lines of a presidential debate, by responding, “There you go again”(Reagan Foundation). The audience went crazy, however, Reagan was not finished. In Reagan’s closing line, he fired off another well-known debate line. The audience was left with an important question: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” (Reagan Foundation) Carter was left without a counter argument. It was the nail in the coffin for the already failing Carter Campaign.

When election day came, Reagan was astonished. He had beat Carter in the Electoral College 489-49, which was an incredible margin. Reagan also won the popular vote 50.7%-41.0%. This humbled Reagan and he was very grateful for the victory. In his inaugural address, he outlined his plans for bringing the nation back. He planned the devolution of government, giving more power to the states and the American people. When he sent the budget to Congress, he proposed cuts to 200 programs. Unfortunately, 69 days after becoming president Reagan was shot by a crazed lunatic, John Hinkley Jr. Reagan was pierced by a .22 bullet which collapsed his lung and came within an inch of his heart, however, this would not hold Reagan back for long. In his first presidential term, he accomplished some of the most important things America had seen. He cut taxes and made the economy stable which ended the recession. Reagan appointed the first female Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Reagan improved relations with the Soviet Union. Before he completed everything he wanted to do, it was time for another election. And a familiar foe was back for revenge.

Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter’s Vice President, decided to run against Reagan. Reagan knew Mondale and he was ready to face him head-on. At 73, people were beginning to question his stamina as a president, particularly after a sloppy first debate. By the second debate, this had become a big issue. So when the time came, the moderator attempted to ask Reagan about whether he could continue on another 4 years. To this, Reagan responded,

“Not at all, Mr. Trehwitt, and I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth, and inexperience. If I still have time, I might add, Mr. Trehwitt, I might add that it was Seneca, or it was Cicero, I don't know which, that said, ‘If it was not for the elders correcting the mistakes of the young, there would be no state.”(Speel)

This like his other one-liners sealed the fate of the 1984 election. Reagan won the 1984 election by an even larger margin than the 1980 election. He only lost one state. During his second term, Reagan continued his policies from the first term. Reagan’s policies helped lead the fall of the Soviet Union. Reagan travelled to one of the saddest places for communism.

In 1987, Reagan traveled to Berlin to see a city divided by communism. East Germany, a satellite country of the Soviet Nation, had split up after World War II. They experienced little of the freedom and prosperity their West German brothers felt. A physical manifestation of this divide was a hideous wall built by the communist state to control its citizens. The wall was under watch and many died crossing it for freedom. Reagan despised this injustice. He gave one of the most important and significant speeches of all time. The setting for the speech was right in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Reagan stood up and begins to speak. He delivered one of the most eloquent speeches to denounce communism and his wishes to see a united Germany. Following this, the moment most everyone can remember occurred. Reagan wanted to send a message straight to the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. He said, “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”(Reagan Foundation). This was incredible. The crowd erupted in tears of joy and hope. Lucky for the Germans, two years later that despicable wall would come down and Germany was unified. The Soviet Union lasted two more years after the wall fell. Reagan’s dream had come true. Unfortunately, in 1989 his second term ended however, his Vice President George H.W. Bush won the 1988 Election.

Reagan lived a largely calm life after his presidency. He moved into his beautiful California Rancho del Cielo. He enjoyed horseback riding and viewing the beauty that surrounded him. However, his legacy was not finished. In 1994, Reagan announced his battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He faced the fact that there was no cure for the disease so he decided to stay strong. In 1995, he founded the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute for the study of Alzheimer’s. 10 years after his diagnosis, Reagan died June 5, 2004.

What made Reagan so great was his ability to communicate. From a young age, he learned the value of communication. His radio job launched himself into the public eye where he would gain the respect of others. When he gained more credibility, Reagan decided to move on to greater things. Reagan, turned this into a career of acting where he would go on to be fairly successful. Reagan was introduced to the entire country as an ordinary guy in Hollywood. The turmoil with the SAG helped to define his politics and public speaking. Ultimately, the movie industry changed Reagan’s political view to the polar opposite side. As a governor, Reagan helped save the State of California from a terrible economic downturn. Ultimately, as a president, he served as the leader of the free world. He helped to put more money into the American people’s pocket and ushered in transparency. The strength of Reagan was tested when a bullet came an inch from his heart. Reagan helped the world by bringing an end to the oppressive communist regime of the Soviet Union. Without Ronald Reagan who knows what the world would be like today? His policies helped to create modern America and made the world a much better place. In his later years, Reagan brought awareness to the terrible disease known as Alzheimer’s. Reagan will forever be remembered by all. Not for his actions but by what he said. His speeches serve as templates for many modern politicians and leaders. Reagan will live on in a way that few people have ever experienced.