Reckoning with Reagan:
Ronald Reagan was more than a president. He was a phenomenon. Since he left office in 1989, many authors have tried to effectively identify who this man really was. He was an icon to some, and an enigma to others. He stood up to the worst economic, domestic, and international threats of the time and yet, took naps in the middle of cabinet meetings. At the height of his popularity in 1986, he had, as Time magazine put it, “found America's sweet spot. “ Reagan had ideals of what he felt America should be like, and made it his number one goal to share his unrelenting optimism with every person in the country. He pledged to bring Americans a “little good news.” and created a strong bond with the public. Throughout his eight years in office, he continually motivated and energized his supporters while at the same time, confounded and mystified his detractors. Reagan stood tall among the thirty-nine presidents that preceded him, and was one of the most popular leaders of the twentieth century. In his book, Reckoning with Reagan, Schaller attempted to reconcile the facts and myths that surrounded Reagan during his entrance into public service, his back to back terms as governor of California, and his eight years as President of the United States. Although, he briefly outlined Reagan's earlier years as a Hollywood actor, corporate spokesperson and motivational speaker, Schaller concentrates on the presidency and how Reagan impacted America to such a degree, that it would be felt for years to come. And for the first time since Kennedy, an era would be defined by a single man: Ronald Reagan.
Though he would stop short of saying that he was born in a log cabin, Ronald Reagan grew up in humble beginnings. The son of an alcoholic father whom couldn't hold down a job and a religious mother, Reagan was encouraged at an early age by his mother to act in school plays. An activity in which the young Reagan showed much promise. Because of a difficult home life, Reagan created a distance between the reality of his troubled surroundings and the fantasy of how things should be. Many believed that such mental redirection at this early age played a big role in his vision and ideals for America years later.
After he graduated high school in 1932, Reagan went to wor...
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...le of a charasmatic leader in that he remained above the fray. That ability was not so much due to his personal political saavy, but rather, the public's refusal to allow him to be portrayed in any negative light, similar to a famous movie star or professional athelete caught in a compromising situation that would spell disaster for the average citizen. Instead of public outrage, the celebrity is met with sympathy and understanding as well as an odd public comdemnation of his or her accusors. As Schaefer charasmatic authority, he defined Reagan. “Charasmatic authority is derived more from the beliefs of followers than from the actual qualities of leaders. So long as people perceive a leader as having qualities setting him or her apart from ordinary citizens, that leader's authority will remain secure and often unquestioned.” (p. 431).
Bibliography
Shaller, Michael. Reckoning with Reagan: America and Its President in the 1980s. Oxford University Press: New York, 1992.
Shaefer, Richard T. Sociology, Eighth Edition. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2003
In this fifth book in their series Killing, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard begin with the death of “the former leader of the free world, the man who defeated Soviet communism and ended the Cold War.” A fine tribute, but as the story of Reagan’s life unfolds, told through
Reagan touches the people of the United States because he expresses grief and sorrow in his speech. After the disaster, Reagan uses tone effectively to commemorate the deaths of the crew. “They had a special grace” or “your loved ones were loving and brave”(3) are examples of how Reagan sympathizes with the mourning families. This tone not only allows the families to grieve their losses, it also provides them with the opportunity to feel proud about their children’s accomplishments. Furthermore, Reagan uses tone to carry the people’s afflictions after the Challenger crash and change it into confidence. The people of the United States look at this crash as a failure, but Reagan turns it around when he says, “what happened today does nothing to diminish it”(6) and “we will continue to follow them” (5). Reagan’s use of tone allows him to inspire the United States to keep moving forward after the flop. This hope is what makes Reagan’s speech so successful. Tone and rhetorical appeals guide the speech but Reagan’s use of rhetorical devices is what makes the speech so successful.
Former Prime Minister of England, Margaret Thatcher, in her 2004 eulogy for Ronald Reagan, exemplifies both his impact and legacy on the world. Throughout her speech, Thatcher memorializes Reagan’s performance in office as well as the decisions he made as a person by illustrating their time together to the reader. By utilizing these examples, the reader can then understand Thatcher’s overall claim that Reagan was one of the most profound leaders in history; however, the impact of Thatcher’s use of diction and sentence arrangement both provoke thought in the reader and allows him or her to comprehend her message on a more sophisticated level.
Works Cited "American President Ronald Wilson Reagan: Impact and Legacy." Miller Center. University of Virginia, n.d. -. Web. The Web.
James Earl Carter, Jr. He is better known as Jimmy Carter. When I first saw James Earl Carter, Jr.'s name, I had no idea who it was. But when I heard that it was Jimmy Carter I knew exactly who it was. He was the 39th president. I didn't know that off the bat but after some very light research I found that out. He served from Jan. 20, 1977, to Jan. 20, 1981. But let's start the Jimmy Carter story at the beginning, the way back beginning.
Jimmy Carter's one-term administration is associated with the occasions that overpowered it—expansion, vitality emergency, war in Afghanistan, and prisoners in Iran. After one term in office, voters unequivocally rejected Jimmy Carter's straightforward however melancholy standpoint for Ronald Reagan's telegenic positive thinking. In the previous two decades, in any case, there has been more extensive acknowledgment that Carter, in spite of an absence of experience, stood up to a few tremendous issues with unfaltering quality, valor, and optimism. Alongside his ancestor Gerald Ford, Carter must be given acknowledgment for restoring the equalization to the sacred framework after the abundances of the
...imes when we are faced with national tragedies we are left at a loss for words. We look upon our leaders to help us through these difficult times, to have all the answers. We listen to what they have to say with vulnerability and uncertainty of what’s to come next for our country. Reagan was aware of all these factors when he gave his famous address. He was aware that in order for any argument to be considered a powerful and successful one it needs to be thought through and take into consideration the outside factors that are affecting it. Reagan’s challenger argument was one that had a clear audience, distinct setting, and finally the argument had a definite and in this case necessary purpose. By Reagan utilizing these three elements and effectively combining them he created a memorable speech that is now widely considered a masterpiece of public communication.
In 1976 Jimmy Carter, a small peanut farmer from Georgia was elected the President of the United Sates. Carter had limited experience in the National Political Arena. He used his inexperience to his advantage and promised to restore honesty and morality to the government. After the corruption that the United States had seen within the previous administrations of Nixon and Ford, Carter was welcomed with open arms. During his presidency Carter was faced with a plethora of domestic and foreign issues. At home, economic problems dominated causing massive unemployment and inflation. Oil shortages also presented a challenge. Domestically, Carter’s policies were a failure, with no success in alleviating the economy or the oil crisis. In the Middle East as series of conflicts between Egypt and Israel resulted in peace talks and with the Presidents’ mediation they were successful. However, Carter was not completely successful abroad. In Iran Carter was ineffective in procuring a quick solution and as a result lost public support. While Carter was successful in dealing with the Israeli-Arab conflict, he was disastrous in his domestic economic policy and his other foreign diplomatic endeavors; ultimately his successes paled in comparison to his failures.
Richard Neustadt identifies three specific traits a person must possess in order to succeed as president of the United States of America. He stated that “the presidency is not a place for amateurs” and candidates must meet specific traits if they are to succeed at commanding one of the world’s largest and strongest nations. The three criteria he believed that a man must possess in order to succeed as president include the power to persuade, a professional reputation, and a public prestige. Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan are three presidents who were elected to power at three very different eras of American history. The following research paper will examine how each of these three men succeeded and failed at meeting Neustadt’s criteria of presidential greatness. In addition, this research paper will compare and contrast the successes and failures of the three men and finally, the paper will conclude by offering a personal consideration of what I believe makes a truly great president.
In presidency, character is everything. Born on February 6, 1911, Ronald Reagan, “Dutch,” never knew that he would grow up to be famous. He served two terms as governor of California, but before that he starred in Hollywood films. Originally a liberal Democrat, Reagan ran for the U.S. presidency as a conservative Republican and won, his term beginning in 1980. Ronald Reagan became the oldest President elected when he took office as the 40th President of the United States. He was also the first U.S. president after Dwight D. Eisenhower to get re-elected and finish two complete terms in office. Reagan was president from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989. He was an effective president, measured by his popularity and by his influence on history. This former U.S. president is given rightful credit for three large historic gains during his presidency: First, he won the Cold War without firing a shot, then, he revived the American economy that resulted in substantial growth and lastly, he restored the traditional spirit of can-do optimism to the American people who in the late 1970's were dispirited. These three historic proceedings successfully improved American prosperity and peace through strength, elevating Reagan’s presidency to that of American exceptionalism.
Lasky, Victor. (1979). Jimmy Carter the Man & the Myth. New York: Richard Marek Publishers
When Ronald Reagan was a boy, his home was formed in a Christian faith lifestyle, his dad, however, was Catholic and his mom Protestant. Religion made a part and partially broke the family over a simple, yet complex difference. Nelle, his mother, though was more
Ronald Reagan was born February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. His father was John Edward “Jack” Reagan, and his mother was Nelle Wilson Reagan. He was born into a happy, well-disciplined family, and had a very happy childhood. Before Reagan held office, Reagan was a radio announcer, and became the voice of Major League Baseball in 1932. Reagan also had a 7-year contract with Warner Brothers, and made about fifty movies. Reagan then put all the fun and games aside, and joined the Army Reserve and was called to active duty shortly after Pearl Harbor. “ He was in the Army from 1942-45 rising to the level of Captain. However, he never took part in combat and stated stateside. He narrated training films and was in the Army Air Force First Motion Picture Unit.” (Martin Kelly, n...
Ronald Reagan was born on the 6th of February, in the year of 1911. His birthplace was Tampico Illinois, where his mother, Nelle Wilson Reagan, and his father, John Edward Reagan, had raised him. His father who everyone called “Jack” was a shoe salesman with many struggles with his job. These struggles caused Ronald to grow in a family that was not economically viable for many things. To save a little money his mother taught him how to read when he was five years of age. Afterwards he still went to be educated at his local public schools. (Reagan 2020 - Ronald Reagan Biography 1911-1980.)
I have given you a little background on Ronald W. Reagan the man and a leader. Then I explained to you, two areas that I feel that make Reagan an effective visionary leader. The first area was how he effectively uses of Transformation Leadership style through his vision, thinking, charisma and caring approach inspired a nation to embrace and move forward after a decade of hardship. Seconded area I covered was how he fully embraced Cognitive/Behavioral and Demographic Diversity in accomplishing his vision of promoting world peace and setting the foundation to ending the Cold War. In closing I would like to leave you with this closing remake for Reagan: "What I'd really like to do is go down in history as the President who made Americans believe in themselves again.”