Excerpts from Chapter 12: Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan not only changed America, but the world: Before Reagan took office, interest rates hit 21 percent, Ted Kennedy bellowed for gas rationing, and there were fuel shortages. Capitalism and democracy were in retreat, the Third World was opting for Marxism and Socialism, and the Soviet nuclear arsenal surpassed that of the United States for first time. After Reagan, there was no inflation to speak of, we had normal interest rates, housing starts were up, gas prices went down, the oil crisis ended, 20 million new jobs were created, the stock market doubled, the poverty rate declined, and the United States became the vanguard of technology in the world. Not only that, but soon after, the Soviet Union collapsed and Socialism was in disrepute. The American economy went into high gear, and the technological revolution took off; young people wanted to be entrepreneurs and not Peace Corps volunteers. The Founders gained a new status: People began to look at our Constitution and founding principles. The welfare state stopped growing, and the idea of wanting “bigger government” came to an end. Ronald Reagan’s defense buildup restored morale to the military and built respect for our armed forces in the public mind. When Ronald Reagan built up our military, recruitment and retention increased, and the quality of new soldiers improved. Even GI Joe Action Figures were selling like hotcakes, and the antiwar TV program M*A*S*H* ended in 1983 after 11 years.

Modern Liberals, who refuse any contradictions or acceptance of facts that do not fit, do not see the larger picture, the one in which Ronald Reagan renewed hope and pride at a time when Americans were despairing of it. He did it with something near and dear to the hearts of virtually all Americans: Ronald Reagan was the modern embodiment of our Founding Fathers. The American people saw their Founders living in this man; they saw American exceptionalism, virtue, the American dream, liberty, and the “shining city on a hill.” In short, when they saw and listened to Ronald Reagan, they saw what made America great. The “Reagan Revolution” is everyday parlance now, but Ronald Reagan conceived of his presidency not as any kind of revolution, but as a restoration of the founding principles.