Throwback Thursdays

In August, the President always made an effort to spend time at Rancho del Cielo in Santa Barbara. Just because he was on vacation, did not mean his Presidential responsibilities were put on hold, because the work continued. He drafted and delivered many radio addresses from the Ranch and this one in particular stands out on the subject of the Middle East. Recall that in August 1983, the conflict in the Middle East, specifically in Lebanon had become so intense, a multi-national peacekeeping force had been sent to attempt to stabilize the conflict. And 5 years later, in 1988, here’s the President’s analysis of the Middle East.

You recognize the voice, of course, but do you recognize the passage? It’s from one of the most touching moments in the President’s political career, when he bid his fellow Republicans adieu at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans in 1988. 35 years ago.After eight years in Washington, it was time to say goodbye…but it wasn’t easy. Nancy Reagan tried to summarize the feeling by saying that…there were times to enter, times to stay and times to depart. And it was time…for the Reagans to step back and hand the baton to his Vice President George H.W. Bush, the new presidential candidate for the Republican Party. To find the right words for such an important moment, the President called on wordsmith and White House Speechwriter, Ken Khachigian, whom you may recall helped the president draft his first inaugural address along with several other keynote addresses throughout his presidency. Although President Reagan formally said farewell to the nation in the Oval Office the following January, he used his speech at the 1988 Republican National Conference to thank the nation and to encourage his former opponent and two-term vice president, George Bush, to “Win one for the Gipper.” Earlier in the day, a special tribute to Mrs. Reagan had taken place, and, without missing a beat, the President continued in his remarks to celebrate her significant role as First Lady. On an enormous stage in the New Orleans Superdome, the 40th President took a deep breath, gazed across the expanse of those loyal devoted souls who helped to put him in the Oval Office…and he began to speak. Let’s listen to a bit…

Most people don’t know that President Reagan initiated the program for the highest award for artists and art patrons by the United States government. I guess it’s no surprise since both the President and Mrs. Reagan, as actors, held a deep and abiding love for the Arts. To take the concept one step further, artistic expression flourishes in a free society and with that idea in mind, it’s even more logical that our 40th president would be so strongly supportive. So, the President, along with the Presidents’ Committee on the Arts and Humanities recommended this recognition in 1984, called the National Medal of Arts, to be given to 12 deserving individuals. This is a separate award, not to be confused with the Kennedy Center Honors which originated in 1977.

Anyway, it’s really fun to hear the President and Mrs. Reagan participate in this ceremony – we’ll start with the first ceremony in 1985 – and celebrate again the achievements of these great individuals. President and Mrs. Reagan established a tradition of holding a luncheon for the recipients in the State Dining Room at the White House.

So early this spring – you probably heard – that both OPEC and Russia announced a massive oil supply cut, totaling 1.6 million barrels per day. This, of course, raises fears of a resurgence of inflation—and to no one’s surprise, oil prices jumped $7 a barrel on the news—as well as continued deterioration of the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. If you’ve filled your car with gasoline lately, you’re still feeling the pain from these inflated gas prices and our government’s bad policies. So for today’s podcast, I found some radio addresses delivered in 1977 and 1979 – yes, by then Governor Reagan – with a perspective I think you’ll appreciate. If we are really serious about “words to live by,” it’s sad no one has paid enough attention to these commentaries. But, today we shall!

In light of the heated Republican presidential race, we’ll focus today on events taking place after Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for President of the United States on November 13, 1979, in the ballroom of the New York Hilton. That was just the beginning. The path to the White House was not an easy one and well, shall we start in Iowa?

While the 2024 election is still 15 months away, Republican candidates are entering the fray faster than Clayton Kershaw can throw strikes. Which begs the question: how did Reagan do it? What was his strategy? What was on his mind? In this podcast, we’ll listen to some of his strategic speeches related to his 1980 campaign. As you know, he was also a candidate in 1976 and marginally in 1968. But today, we’re going to focus on 1980 and well…do you remember why he ran?

Well it’s baseball season, and as you know, our national pastime was a favorite of our 40th President’s, though he never really played the game. Why you ask? Because of his eyesight. He always said the ball wasn’t big enough. So, Ronald Reagan spent more time on the track, in the pool, and on the gridiron, but baseball was still a great love of his and an important part of his life.

Ronald Reagan always said his favorite holiday was the 4th of July….oh and that the Democrats’ favorite was April 15. We know what a dedicated patriot he was, and he used his bully pulpit to celebrate everything wonderful about America. And of course, the 4th of July provided the perfect opportunity to do so. Over the years, his messages were pretty consistently patriotic but depending upon the current climate in Washington, he would choose to insert a little personal color.

In March this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Parents’ Bill of Rights intended to reform American public schools. Perhaps you’ve heard about it. Essentially, this bill follows states like Florida that have also sought to give parents more control. The bill has headed to the Senate for consideration. But it’s highly unlikely, that the Democratic-controlled chamber will take up the measure, with House Democrats dubbing the bill the “Politics over Parents Act.” In this podcast, we’ll hear how our 40th president felt about education. First, let’s listen to a radio address that Ronald Reagan delivered in 1976 – almost 50 years ago. And in the second half, we’ll get his presidential views on the subject, particularly as it pertains to a national report on education along with federal spending.

In today’s podcast, we’ll focus on Ronald Reagan the environmentalist. So let's start by going back to California from 1967-1975 when he was Governor. Actually, he had an admirable record of safeguarding the environment, to the surprise of some of his critics. You see, Governor Reagan’s administration added 145,000 acres of park land, more than any other modern California governor. He enforced new, tougher measures on air and water quality. He stopped plans for dams on two rivers, the Feather and the Eel, despite intense pressure from commercial interests and signed into law a bill to protect California’s wild and scenic rivers. So let’s first listen to Governor Reagan – and in the second half we’ll catch his thoughts as President.