Reagan is still ‘The Great Communicator’
The history books are filled with stories of the great leaders of the world – from Alexander the Great, through Julius Caesar … King Richard the Lionheart … George Washington … Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. They all possessed the ability to inspire and lead.
Leadership is a quality Americans desperately will be seeking throughout the next 15 months, culminating in the presidential election of 2016.
Often, that leadership begins with the spoken word. Being a great orator will not automatically make someone a great president. But being a great communicator – with the people of America, with Congress, with other world leaders – certainly will go a long way to getting the job done.
That is why, 35 years after election to his first term in the White House, the spotlight of historical analysis continues to shine brighter and brighter on Ronald Reagan.
He was known as the Great Communicator … and for good reason. He had a way of speaking that was clear, succinct and incredibly rational. People were not left scratching their heads after Reagan delivered a speech.
Maybe that’s why – after all of these years – a collection of Reagan quotes still has such appeal to those who read them. They have been circulating in the email inboxes lately. They seem to have a timeless quality.
Here is an assortment of some of the best.
•“Socialism only works in two places – heaven, where they don’t need it … and hell, where they already have it.”
•“Here’s my strategy on the Cold War: we win, they lose.”
• “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
• “Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.”
• “I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like, if Moses had run them through Congress.”
• “Government is like a baby: an alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end, and no sense of responsibility at the other.”
• “The nearest thing we will ever see to eternal life on this earth is a government program.”
• “It has been said that politics is the second-oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”
• “No arsenal, or no weapons in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”
• “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
Many of those quotes are simply witty. Others display an incisive talent. And others are frighteningly prophetic. But they
live, 35 years later, as the lasting memory of a great leader. He led America out of an economic malaise. He led America out of a Cold War. He led.
In the years since Reagan, there have been four presidents. Certainly, each will have their legacy. But will any be considered a great leader? Judging by their most memorable quotes, that is doubtful.
George H.W. Bush, led the United States in the Desert Storm battle to free a Middle East ally – Kuwait. But his reputation – and his attempt to serve for a second term – collapsed on a failed domestic agenda.
His most memorable quote: “Read my lips. No new taxes.”
Bill Clinton was a celebrity leader – leading the country through eight very calm and economically productive years. His resolve was never severely tested and that, apparently, resulted in too much free time on his hands.
Clinton’s most memorable quote: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”
George W. Bush definitely showed strong leadership skills immediately after the terrorist attack on 9/11. He was the face of a united and resolved America. But his inability to lead effectively throughout the Iraq war and his failures domestically set him up for great criticism.
Not a great orator, he was known for quite a few gaffs. One of his more memorable, from a commencement speech, was: “To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you, too, can be President of the United States.”
Finally, there is Barack Obama. He possesses considerable speaking skills … even when he is quite busy saying nothing. He has doggedly advanced his personal agenda to “fundamentally transform America” but it remains to be seen whether that transformation will go down in the history books as great accomplishments … or the start of the destruction of America.
To date, his most memorable quote is: “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”
No doubt, there is a lot more to being President of the United States than just issuing witty, clever quotes. There is the decision-making, the ability to affect compromise, the organizational skills and the importance of surrounding the office with outstanding people.
And, when all is said and done, hopefully the world will remember the next president for more than broken campaign promises or an affair with a 21-year-old intern.