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| an american life ronald reagan 2: An American Life Ronald Reagan, 1990-11-15 Ronald Reagan’s autobiography is a work of major historical importance. Here, in his own words, is the story of his life—public and private—told in a book both frank and compellingly readable. Few presidents have accomplished more, or been so effective in changing the direction of government in ways that are both fundamental and lasting, than Ronald Reagan. Certainly no president has more dramatically raised the American spirit, or done so much to restore national strength and self-confidence. Here, then, is a truly American success story—a great and inspiring one. From modest beginnings as the son of a shoe salesman in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan achieved first a distinguished career in Hollywood and then, as governor of California and as president of the most powerful nation in the world, a career of public service unique in our history. Ronald Reagan’s account of that rise is told here with all the uncompromising candor, modesty, and wit that made him perhaps the most able communicator ever to occupy the White House, and also with the sense of drama of a gifted natural storyteller. He tells us, with warmth and pride, of his early years and of the elements that made him, in later life, a leader of such stubborn integrity, courage, and clear-minded optimism. Reading the account of this childhood, we understand how his parents, struggling to make ends meet despite family problems and the rigors of the Depression, shaped his belief in the virtues of American life—the need to help others, the desire to get ahead and to get things done, the deep trust in the basic goodness, values, and sense of justice of the American people—virtues that few presidents have expressed more eloquently than Ronald Reagan. With absolute authority and a keen eye for the details and the anecdotes that humanize history, Ronald Reagan takes the reader behind the scenes of his extraordinary career, from his first political experiences as president of the Screen Actors Guild (including his first meeting with a beautiful young actress who was later to become Nancy Reagan) to such high points of his presidency as the November 1985 Geneva meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, during which Reagan invited the Soviet leader outside for a breath of fresh air and then took him off for a walk and a man-to-man chat, without aides, that set the course for arms reduction and charted the end of the Cold War. Here he reveals what went on behind his decision to enter politics and run for the governorship of California, the speech nominating Barry Goldwater that first made Reagan a national political figure, his race for the presidency, his relations with the members of his own cabinet, and his frustrations with Congress. He gives us the details of the great themes and dramatic crises of his eight years in office, from Lebanon to Grenada, from the struggle to achieve arms control to tax reform, from Iran-Contra to the visits abroad that did so much to reestablish the United States in the eyes of the world as a friendly and peaceful power. His narrative is full of insights, from the unseen dangers of Gorbachev’s first visit to the United States to Reagan’s own personal correspondence with major foreign leaders, as well as his innermost feelings about life in the White House, the assassination attempt, his family—and the enduring love between himself and Mrs. Reagan. An American Life is a warm, richly detailed, and deeply human book, a brilliant self-portrait, a significant work of history. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: An American Life Ronald Reagan, 1990 No president in this century has achieved such popularity as President Reagan did in his eight years in office. For the first time he tells the story of his public life and private life, in a book which is frank, revealing, and compellingly readable. Photographs. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: The Reagan Diaries Ronald Reagan, 2009-03-17 The edited and abridged diaries of the 40th U.S. president, chronicling the day-to-day of his two terms in office and revealing his true character. #1 New York Times Bestseller During his two terms as the fortieth president of the United States, Ronald Reagan kept a daily diary in which he recorded, by hand, his innermost thoughts and observations on the extraordinary, the historic, and the routine day—to-day occruences of his presidency. Brought together in one volume and edited by historian Douglas Brinkley, The Reagan Diaries provides a striking insight into one of this nation’s most important presidencies and shed new light on the character of this American leader. Praise for The Reagan Diaries “Historians will treasure Doug Brinkley’s superbly edited version of President Reagan’s diaries for generations to come. In one remarkable entry after another, the president’s compelling voice, strength of character, and sunny personality come vividly to life.” —Doris Kearns Goodwin “These are amusing and enlightening diaries. . . . I quite simply couldn’t put them down.” —Christopher Hitchens, The Times (London) |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Reagan Bob Spitz, 2018-10-02 From New York Times bestselling biographer Bob Spitz, a full and rich biography of an epic American life, capturing what made Ronald Reagan both so beloved and so transformational. More than five years in the making, based on hundreds of interviews and access to previously unavailable documents, and infused with irresistible storytelling charm, Bob Spitz's REAGAN stands fair to be the first truly post-partisan biography of our 40th President, and thus a balm for our own bitterly divided times. It is the quintessential American triumph, brought to life with cinematic vividness: a young man is born into poverty and raised in a series of flyspeck towns in the Midwest by a pious mother and a reckless, alcoholic, largely absent father. Severely near-sighted, the boy lives in his own world, a world of the popular books of the day, and finds his first brush with popularity, even fame, as a young lifeguard. Thanks to his first great love, he imagines a way out, and makes the extraordinary leap to go to college, a modest school by national standards, but an audacious presumption in the context of his family's station. From there, the path is only very dimly lit, but it leads him, thanks to his great charm and greater luck, to a solid career as a radio sportscaster, and then, astonishingly, fatefully, to Hollywood. And the rest, as they say, is history. Bob Spitz's REAGAN is an absorbing, richly detailed, even revelatory chronicle of the full arc of Ronald Reagan's epic life - giving full weight to the Hollywood years, his transition to politics and rocky but ultimately successful run as California governor, and ultimately, of course, his iconic presidency, filled with storm and stress but climaxing with his peace talks with the Soviet Union that would serve as his greatest legacy. It is filled with fresh assessments and shrewd judgments, and doesn't flinch from a full reckoning with the man's strengths and limitations. This is no hagiography: Reagan was never a brilliant student, of anything, and his disinterest in hard-nosed political scheming, while admirable, meant that this side of things was left to the other people in his orbit, not least his wife Nancy; sometimes this delegation could lead to chaos, and worse. But what emerges as a powerful signal through all the noise is an honest inherent sweetness, a gentleness of nature and willingness to see the good in people and in this country, that proved to be a tonic for America in his time, and still is in ours. It was famously said that FDR had a first-rate disposition and a second-rate intellect. Perhaps it is no accident that only FDR had as high a public approval rating leaving office as Reagan did, or that in the years since Reagan has been closing in on FDR on rankings of Presidential greatness. Written with love and irony, which in a great biography is arguably the same thing, Bob Spitz's masterpiece will give no comfort to partisans at either extreme; for the rest of us, it is cause for celebration. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Reagan Ronald Reagan, 2004-10-06 Many books have been written regarding Ronald Reagan, but this collection of his letters must certainly be among the most varied and revealing aspect of the man. Organized by themes such as Old Friends, Running for Office , Core Beliefs the book contains over 1,000 letters stretching from 1922 to 1994 . Whether discussing economic policy with a political for, dispensing marital advice, or sharing a joke with a pen pal. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Reagan H. W. Brands, 2016-05-17 From the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, bestselling historian, and author of Our First Civil War—and the rare academic historian who can write like a bestselling novelist (USA Today)—comes an irresistible portrait of an underestimated politician whose pragmatic leadership and steadfast vision transformed the nation. In his magisterial new biography, H. W. Brands brilliantly establishes Ronald Reagan as one of the two great presidents of the twentieth century, a true peer to Franklin Roosevelt. Reagan conveys with sweep and vigor how the confident force of Reagan’s personality and the unwavering nature of his beliefs enabled him to engineer a conservative revolution in American politics and play a crucial role in ending communism in the Soviet Union. Reagan shut down the age of liberalism, Brands shows, and ushered in the age of Reagan, whose defining principles are still powerfully felt today. Employing archival sources not available to previous biographers and drawing on dozens of interviews with surviving members of Reagan’s administration, Brands has crafted a richly detailed and fascinating narrative of the presidential years. He offers new insights into Reagan’s remote management style and fractious West Wing staff, his deft handling of public sentiment to transform the tax code, and his deeply misunderstood relationship with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, on which nothing less than the fate of the world turned. Look for H.W. Brands's other biographies: THE FIRST AMERICAN (Benjamin Franklin), ANDREW JACKSON, THE MAN WHO SAVED THE UNION (Ulysses S. Grant), and TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS (Franklin Roosevelt). |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Governor Reagan Lou Cannon, 2009-04-27 In Governor Reagan, Lou Cannon offers -- through recent interviews and research drawn from his unique access to the cabinet minutes of Reagan's first years as governor of California -- a fresh look at the development of a master politician. At first, Reagan suffered from political amateurism, an inexperienced staff, and ideological blind spots. But he quickly learned to take the measure of the Democrats who controlled the State Legislature and surprised friends and foes alike by agreeing to a huge tax increase, which made it possible for him to govern for eight years without additional tax hikes. He developed an environmental policy that preserved the state 's scenic valleys and wild rivers, and he signed into law what was then the nation's most progressive declaration on abortion rights. His quixotic 1968 presidential campaign revealed his higher ambitions to the world and taught him how much he had to learn about big-league politics. Written by the definitive biographer of Ronald Reagan, this new biography is a classic study of a fascinating individual's evolution from a conservative hero to a national figure whose call for renewal stirred Republicans, working-class Democrats, and independents alike. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life Peter Robinson, 2009-10-13 As a young speechwriter in the Reagan White House, Peter Robinson was responsible for the celebrated Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall speech. He was also one of a core group of writers who became informal experts on Reagan -- watching his every move, absorbing not just his political positions, but his personality, manner, and the way he carried himself. In How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life, Robinson draws on journal entries from his days at the White House, as well as interviews with those who knew the president best, to reveal ten life lessons he learned from the fortieth president -- a great yet ordinary man who touched the individuals around him as surely as he did his millions of admirers around the world. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Ronald Reagan Hourly History, 2017-10-03 On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States. That same day, the Americans who had been held hostage in Iran were released. For many Americans, the juxtaposition of those events was no coincidence. Ronald Reagan was the president they elected to restore their country’s sagging influence in the world and disappointing image at home. He was a president who believed in a United States that was truly, as he said in his farewell address, “a shining city.” He believed in the myth of American greatness, and for a nation that was still numb from Watergate, immersed in economic stagnation, and humiliated by international events, he made it believable. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Small Town Boy ✓ Reagan’s Hollywood Career ✓ The Governor’s Race ✓ The Assassination Attempt ✓ Reagan and the Evil Empire ✓ The Alzheimer’s Diagnosis And much more! Ronald Reagan would remain the man who beat the Russians and ended the Cold War, changing the composition of the globe with his conservative politics and his passionate idealism. Even through Reagan’s political trials, the Iran-Contra hearings, the mixed results of his economic policies known as Reaganomics, and the military build-up that swelled the national debt, the nation saw him as the man who restored the country to its rightful place as a leader among nations. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: When Character Was King Peggy Noonan, 2002-10-01 No one has ever captured Ronald Reagan like Peggy Noonan. In When Character Was King, Noonan brings her own reflections on Reagan to bear as well as new stories—from Presidents George W. Bush and his father, George H. W. Bush, his Secret Service men and White House colleagues, his wife, his daughter Patti Davis, and his close friends—to reveal the true nature of a man even his opponents now view as a maker of big history. Marked by incisive wit and elegant prose, When Character Was King will both enlighten and move readers. It may well be the last word on Ronald Reagan, not only as a leader but as a man. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Where's the Rest of Me? Ronald Reagan, Richard Gibson Hubler, 1981 |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: The Last Best Hope Ronald Reagan, 2016-01-05 From the time he arrived on the political scene in 1964 – throughout his presidency and beyond, Ronald Reagan – used his speeches to inspire and reinvigorate America. When he spoke, Reagan, said, he was “preaching a sermon.” The American people saw his vision of America and his dreams for the future and they overwhelmingly responded; he was re-elected in 984 by the largest number of electoral votes in the nation’s history. Here in this collection of twenty-eight speeches spanning the Reagan era, readers can find inspiration in Reagan’s “sermons.” From his first speech in the political arena in 1964 to his Last Letter to America, informing Americans of his Alzheimer’s disease, Ronald Regan’s words show a profound belief in God, freedom, individualism, limited government, and his great love for his country. In addition to an introduction by Reagan’s son, Michael Reagan, each speech features an informative introduction which puts the speech into historical context, making The Last Best Hope the perfect entrée into the influence of one of the major figures of the 20th century. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: A Pope and a President Paul Kengor, 2023-07-18 Even as historians credit Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II with hastening the end of the Cold War, they have failed to recognize the depth or significance of the bond that developed between the two leaders. Acclaimed scholar and bestselling author Paul Kengor changes that. In this fascinating book, he reveals a singular bond—which included a spiritual connection between the Catholic pope and the Protestant president—that drove the two men to confront what they knew to be the great evil of the twentieth century: Soviet communism. Reagan and John Paul II almost didn't have the opportunity to forge this relationship: just six weeks apart in the spring of 1981, they took bullets from would-be assassins. But their strikingly similar near-death experiences brought them close together—to Moscow's dismay.Based on Kengor's tireless archival digging and his unique access to Reagan insiders, A Pope and a President is full of revelations. It takes you inside private meetings between Reagan and John Paul II and into the Oval Office, the Vatican, the CIA, the Kremlin, and many points beyond. Nancy Reagan called John Paul II her husband's closest friend; Reagan himself told Polish visitors that the pope was his best friend. When you read this book, you will understand why. As kindred spirits, Ronald Reagan and John Paul II united in pursuit of a supreme objective—and in doing so they changed history. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: The President Will See You Now Peggy Grande, 2017-02-21 Peggy Grande's memoir is the book to read on Ronald Reagan's post-presidential years . . . Among the most unique and touching [books] ever done on the man . . . Wonderful. -- The AmericanSpectator In The President Will See You Now, devoted Reagan insider Peggy Grande shares behind-the-scenes stories, intimate moments, and insights into one of America's most beloved presidents. Grande, who started in the Office of Ronald Reagan as a college student and earned her way into a coveted role as the president's Executive Assistant, offers an unparalleled perspective on the post-presidency of a political icon. Grande's stories and never-before-seen photos show a unique, private side to a public figure and leader who reshaped conservatism, ushered in an era of prosperity, and helped spur the end of the Cold War. Grande reveals what day-to-day life was like in Reagan's California office, including the former president's relationship with the First Lady and his interactions with friends, world leaders, and everyday Americans. Grande recalls how Reagan kept a vigorous schedule for years after he left the White House, his robust engagement with others, and ongoing political advocacy. Despite his eventual Alzheimer's diagnosis, Grande shows how Ronald Reagan remained true to core beliefs, his gentlemanly kindness, and his undying hope for his country. Today the Reagan legacy looms over American politics more than ever. Grande reminds readers why: When Ronald Reagan was president, we not only loved ourselves but also loved America, and the American values he represented: faith, optimism, and patriotism. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Reagan Larry Schweikart, 2019-05-07 New York Times #1 bestselling author Larry Schweikart, armed with previously unseen sources from Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library, uncovers the most important president of the 20th century and details the life and policies of a man who still remains dear to the hearts of Americans. From his time as a lifeguard in Illinois to a sports announcer to a rising actor to a labor union leader, then finally governor of California in the tumultuous 1960s and ultimately President, Reagan’s life is told as it has never been before. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: President Reagan Lou Cannon, 2008-08-04 Hailed by the New Yorker as a superlative study of a president and his presidency, Lou Cannon's President Reagan remains the definitive account of our most significant presidency in the last fifty years. Ronald Wilson Reagan, the first actor to be elected president, turned in the performance of a lifetime. But that performance concealed the complexities of the man, baffling most who came in contact with him. Who was the man behind the makeup? Only Lou Cannon, who covered Reagan through his political career, can tell us. The keenest Reagan-watcher of them all, he has been the only author to reveal the nature of a man both shrewd and oblivious. Based on hundreds of interviews with the president, the First Lady, and hundreds of the administration's major figures, President Reagan takes us behind the scenes of the Oval Office. Cannon leads us through all of Reagan's roles, from the affable cowboy to the self-styled family man; from the politician who denounced big government to the president who created the largest peace-time deficit; from the statesman who reviled the Soviet government to the Great Communicator who helped end the cold war. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Ronald Reagan , 2001 Text and plentiful photos chronicle the life story of Ronald Reagan, including his youth, his years as an actor, his marriage to Nancy, and his experiences as governor and president. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: My Father at 100 Ron Reagan, 2011-01-18 A moving memoir of the beloved fortieth president of the United States, by his son. February 6, 2011, is the one hundredth anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth. To mark the occasion, Ron Reagan has written My Father at 100, an intimate look at the life of his father-one of the most popular presidents in American history-told from the perspective of someone who knew Ronald Reagan better than any adviser, friend, or colleague. As he grew up under his father's watchful gaze, he observed the very qualities that made the future president a powerful leader. Yet for all of their shared experiences of horseback rides and touch football games, there was much that Ron never knew about his father's past, and in My Father at 100, he sets out to understand this beloved, if often enigmatic, figure who turned his early tribulations into a stunning political career. Since his death in 2004, President Reagan has been a galvanizing force that personifies the values of an older America and represents an important era in national history. Ron Reagan traces the sources of these values in his father's early years and offers a heartfelt portrait of a man and his country-and his personal memories of the president he knew as Dad. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: A Companion to Ronald Reagan Andrew L. Johns, 2015-02-10 A Companion to Ronald Reagan evaluates in unprecedenteddetail the events, policies, politics, and people of Reagan’sadministration. It assesses the scope and influence of his variouscareers within the context of the times, providing wide-rangingcoverage of his administration, and his legacy. Assesses Reagan and his impact on the development of the UnitedStates based on new documentary evidence and engagementwith the most recent secondary literature Offers a mix of historiographic chapters devoted to foreign anddomestic policy, with topics integrated thematically andchronologically Includes a section on key figures associated politically andpersonally with Reagan |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Ronald Reagan Jacob Weisberg, 2016-01-05 The conservative icon who reshaped American politics and laid the groundwork for the end of the Cold War In the second half of the twentieth century, no American president defined his political era as did Ronald Reagan. He ushered in an age that extolled smaller government, tax cuts, and strong defense, and to this day politicians of both political parties operate within the parameters of the world he made. His eight years in office from 1981 to 1989 were a time of economic crisis and recovery, a new American assertiveness abroad, and an engagement with the Soviet Union that began in conflict but moved in surprising new directions. Jacob Weisberg provides a bracing portrait of America's fortieth president and the ideas that animated his political career, offering a fresh psychological interpretation and showing that there was more to Reagan than the usual stereotypes. Reagan, he observes, was a staunch conservative but was also unafraid to compromise and cut deals where necessary. And Reagan espoused a firm belief, just as firm as his belief in small government and strong defense, that nuclear weapons were immoral and ought to be eliminated. Weisberg argues that these facets of Reagan were too often ignored in his time but reveal why his presidency turned out to be so consequential. In the years since Reagan left office, he has been cast in marble by the Republican Party and dismissed by the Democrats. Weisberg shows why we need to move past these responses if we wish truly to appreciate his accomplishments and his legacy. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: The Essential Ronald Reagan Lee Edwards, 2005 The Essential Ronald Reagan covers the former president's birth and childhood in Illinois through his years in Hollywood. It delves into his growing involvement in politics, culminating in his election as governer of California, his two terms as president. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: My Turn Nancy Reagan, 2011-09-14 The former First Lady discusses her life, the Reagan administration, her shaky relationship with her children and key White House personnel, her husband’s involvement in the Iran-Contra affair, and her bout with cancer. “During our White House years I said almost nothing about how I really felt regarding the controversies that swirled around me. . . . But now those years are over, and it’s my turn to describe what happened. . . .” About Ronald Reagan: “Although Ronnie loves people, he often seems remote, and he doesn’t let anybody get too close. There’s a wall around him. He lets me come closer than anyone else, but there are times when even I feel that barrier.” About being a mother: “What I wanted most in all the world was to be a good wife and mother. As things turned out, I guess I’ve been more successful at the first than at the second.” About her influence: “I make no apologies for telling Ronnie what I thought. Just because you’re married doesn’t mean you have no right to express your opinions. For eight years I was sleeping with the president, and if that doesn’t give you special access, I don’t know what does.” About astrology: “What it boils down to is that each person has his or her own ways of coping with trauma and grief, with the pain of life, and astrology was one of mine. Don’t criticize me, I wanted to say, until you have stood in my place. This helped me. Nobody was hurt by it—except, possibly, me.” About Don Regan: “His very first day on the job, Don said that he saw himself as the ‘chief operating officer’ of the country. But he was hired to be chief of staff. . . . Although I believed for a long time that Donald Regan was in the wrong job, my ‘power’ in getting him to leave has been greatly exaggerated. Believe me, if I really were the dragon lady that he described in his book, he would have been out the door many months earlier.” |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Dutch Edmund Morris, 2011-10-19 This book, the only biography ever authorized by a sitting President--yet written with complete interpretive freedom--is as revolutionary in method as it is formidable in scholarship. When Ronald Reagan moved into the White House in 1981, one of his first literary guests was Edmund Morris, the Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Theodore Roosevelt. Morris developed a fascination for the genial yet inscrutable President and, after Reagan's landslide reelection in 1984, put aside the second volume of his life of Roosevelt to become an observing eye and ear at the White House. During thirteen years of obsessive archival research and interviews with Reagan and his family, friends, admirers and enemies (the book's enormous dramatis personae includes such varied characters as Mikhail Gorbachev, Michelangelo Antonioni, Elie Wiesel, Mario Savio, François Mitterrand, Grant Wood, and Zippy the Pinhead), Morris lived what amounted to a doppelgänger life, studying the young Dutch, the middle-aged Ronnie, and the septuagenarian Chief Executive with a closeness and dispassion, not to mention alternations of amusement, horror,and amazed respect, unmatched by any other presidential biographer. This almost Boswellian closeness led to a unique literary method whereby, in the earlier chapters of Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan, Morris's biographical mind becomes in effect another character in the narrative, recording long-ago events with the same eyewitness vividness (and absolute documentary fidelity) with which the author later describes the great dramas of Reagan's presidency, and the tragedy of a noble life now darkened by dementia. I quite understand, the author has remarked, that readers will have to adjust, at first, to what amounts to a new biographical style. But the revelations of this style, which derive directly from Ronald Reagan's own way of looking at his life, are I think rewarding enough to convince them that one of the most interesting characters in recent American history looms here like a colossus. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Ronald Reagan Peter Robinson, David Cohen, 2010 A special assistant to Ronald Reagan provides an illustrated commemoration of the fortieth president's life, along with six annotated landmark speeches. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: The Education of Ronald Reagan Thomas W. Evans, 2008-09-29 In October 1964, Ronald Reagan gave a televised speech in support of Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater. The Speech, as it has come to be known, helped launch Ronald Reagan as a leading force in the American conservative movement. However, less than twenty years earlier, Reagan was a prominent Hollywood liberal, the president of the Screen Actors Guild, and a fervent supporter of FDR and Harry Truman. While many agree that Reagan's anticommunism grew out of his experiences with the Hollywood communists of the late 1940s, the origins of his conservative ideology have remained obscure. Based on a newly discovered collection of private papers as well as interviews and corporate documents, The Education of Ronald Reagan offers new insights into Reagan's ideological development and his political ascendancy. Thomas W. Evans links the eight years (1954-1962) in which Reagan worked for General Electric—acting as host of its television program, GE Theater, and traveling the country as the company's public-relations envoy-to his conversion to conservatism. In particular, Evans reveals the profound influence of GE executive Lemuel Boulware, who would become Reagan's political and ideological mentor. Boulware, known for his tough stance against union officials and his innovative corporate strategies to win over workers, championed the core tenets of modern American conservatism-free-market fundamentalism, anticommunism, lower taxes, and limited government. Building on the ideas and influence of Boulware, Reagan would soon begin his rise as a national political figure and an icon of the American conservative movement. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: In My Time Dick Cheney, 2011-08-30 In this eagerly anticipated memoir, former Vice President Dick Cheney delivers an unyielding portrait of American politics over nearly forty years and shares personal reflections on his role as one of the most steadfast and influential statesmen in the history of our country. The public perception of Dick Cheney has long been something of a contradiction. He has been viewed as one of the most powerful vice presidents—secretive, even mysterious, and at the same time opinionated and unflinchingly outspoken. He has been both praised and attacked by his peers, the press, and the public. Through it all, courting only the ideals that define him, he has remained true to himself, his principles, his family, and his country. Now in an enlightening and provocative memoir, a stately page-turner with flashes of surprising humor and remarkable candor, Dick Cheney takes readers through his experiences as family man, policymaker, businessman, and politician during years that shaped our collective history. Born into a family of New Deal Democrats in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheney was the son of a father at war and a high-spirited and resilient mother. He came of age in Casper, Wyoming, playing baseball and football and, as senior class president, courting homecoming queen Lynne Vincent, whom he later married. This all-American story took an abrupt turn when he flunked out of Yale University, signed on to build power line in the West, and started living as hard as he worked. Cheney tells the story of how he got himself back on track and began an extraordinary ascent to the heights of American public life, where he would remain for nearly four decades: * He was the youngest White House Chief of Staff, working for President Gerald Ford—the first of four chief executives he would come to know well. * He became Congressman from Wyoming and was soon a member of the congressional leadership working closely with President Ronald Reagan. * He became secretary of defense in the George H. W. Bush administration, overseeing America’s military during Operation Desert Storm and in the historic transition at the end of the Cold War. * He was CEO of Halliburton, a Fortune 500 company with projects and personnel around the globe. * He became the first vice president of the United States to serve out his term of office in the twenty-first century. Working with George W. Bush from the beginning of the global war on terror, he was—and remains—an outspoken defender of taking every step necessary to defend the nation. Eyewitness to history at the highest levels, Cheney brings to life scenes from past and present. He describes driving through the White House gates on August 9, 1974, just hours after Richard Nixon resigned, to begin work on the Ford transition; and he portrays a time of national crisis a quarter century later when, on September 11, 2001, he was in the White House bunker and conveyed orders to shoot down a hijacked airliner if it would not divert. With its unique perspective on a remarkable span of American history, In My Time will enlighten. As an intimate and personal chronicle, it will surprise, move, and inspire. Dick Cheney’s is an enduring political vision to be reckoned with and admired for its honesty, its wisdom, and its resonance. In My Time is truly the last word about an incredible political era, by a man who lived it and helped define it—with courage and without compromise. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Reaganland Rick Perlstein, 2021-08-17 From the bestselling author of Nixonland and The Invisible Bridge comes the dramatic conclusion of how conservatism took control of American political power-- |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: What I Saw at the Revolution Peggy Noonan, 2003-10-14 On the hundredth anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth comes the twentieth-anniversary edition of Peggy Noonan’s critically acclaimed bestseller What I Saw at the Revolution, for which she provides a new Preface that demonstrates this book’s timeless relevance. As a special assistant to the president, Noonan worked with Ronald Reagan—and with Vice President George H. W. Bush—on some of their most memorable speeches. Noonan shows us the world behind the words, and her sharp, vivid portraits of President Reagan and a host of Washington’s movers and shakers are rendered in inimitable, witty prose. Her priceless account of what it was like to be a speechwriter among bureaucrats, and a woman in the last bastion of male power, makes this a Washington memoir that breaks the mold—as spirited, sensitive, and thoughtful as Peggy Noonan herself. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: In the Secret Service Jerry Parr, Carolyn Parr, 2013-09-20 Meet Jerry Parr. In 1981, he was the agent standing next to Ronald Reagan when John Hinckley, Jr., stepped out of the crowd, intent on killing the president. In the Secret Service is an adrenaline-filled ride through the life of the agent who saved Ronald Reagan’s life. Jerry spent much of his life as a silent eyewitness to history, with a gun at his fingertips. What motivates a man who is ready at a moment’s notice to step into the path of a bullet? In In the Secret Service, you’ll also follow Jerry’s inner journey. That journey led him from the halls of the powerful to the streets of the poor in Washington, D.C., to the mountain passes of war-torn El Salvador to help orphans. You won’t want to miss this insider’s perspective on the Secret Service and a look into the heart of a man who was—and is—ready to sacrifice himself for another. At times heart-pounding, at times heartrending, this richly textured memoir of a Secret Service Agent will first move you to the edge of your seat, then to the depths of your soul. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Riding With Reagan John R. Barletta, Rochelle Schweizer, 2005 Secret Service agent John Barletta recounts the experiences he had while protecting President Ronald Reagan, sharing the insight he gained into Reagan's life during the long horse rides they would take at Reagan's California ranch. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Killing Reagan Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard, 2015-09-22 The most-talked-about political commentator in America is back with more about what he has to say to his fellow Americans. Print run 1,200,000. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Sleepwalking Through History Haynes Johnson, 2003 National bestseller: In this brilliantly readable book, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist chronicles the Reagan decade, when America fell from dominant world power to struggling debtor nation and when optimism turned to foreboding. In human terms and living case histories, Haynes Johnson captures the drama and tragedy of an era nurtured by greed and a morality that found virtue in not getting caught.It is morning again in America, Reagan's campaign commercials told us, and for too long we embraced that convenient lie. Indeed, the problems that came to plague us in that decade are with us even more today, as Johnson memorably demonstrates in--his afterword, Notes on an Era, written especially for this new paperback reissue. This book will remain a signature work of political analysis for years to come. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Freedom Andrew E. Busch, 2001-08-28 In Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Freedom, Andrew E. Busch goes beyond economic and foreign policies to examine Reagan's understanding of statesmanship. Busch analyzes Reagan's conscious attempt to strengthen the separation of powers, federalism, and traditional rhetoric, and his efforts to revive the notion of limited government in a Constitutional Republic. In this important new study, Busch concludes that Ronald Reagan's politics of freedom—found in his discourse, policy, and coalition-building—achieved significant successes in the 1980s and beyond. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Ronald Reagan Katy S. Duffield, 2016-08 Learn about the life of Ronald Reagan and his contributions to the United States of America. Additional features to aid comprehension include fact-filled captions and callouts, detailed photographs, a table of contents, a phonetic glossary, a timeline, sources for further research, and an introduction to the author. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation Ronald Reagan, 1984 |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Landslide Jonathan Darman, 2014-09-23 In politics, the man who takes the highest spot after a landslide is not standing on solid ground. In this riveting work of narrative nonfiction, Jonathan Darman tells the story of two giants of American politics, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan, and shows how, from 1963 to 1966, these two men—the same age, and driven by the same heroic ambitions—changed American politics forever. The liberal and the conservative. The deal-making arm twister and the cool communicator. The Texas rancher and the Hollywood star. Opposites in politics and style, Johnson and Reagan shared a defining impulse: to set forth a grand story of America, a story in which he could be the hero. In the tumultuous days after the Kennedy assassination, Johnson and Reagan each, in turn, seized the chance to offer the country a new vision for the future. Bringing to life their vivid personalities and the anxious mood of America in a radically transformative time, Darman shows how, in promising the impossible, Johnson and Reagan jointly dismantled the long American tradition of consensus politics and ushered in a new era of fracture. History comes to life in Darman’s vivid, fly-on-the wall storytelling. Even as Johnson publicly revels in his triumphs, we see him grow obsessed with dark forces he believes are out to destroy him, while his wife, Lady Bird, urges her husband to put aside his paranoia and see the world as it really is. And as the war in Vietnam threatens to overtake his presidency, we witness Johnson desperately struggling to compensate with ever more extravagant promises for his Great Society. On the other side of the country, Ronald Reagan, a fading actor years removed from his Hollywood glory, gradually turns toward a new career in California politics. We watch him delivering speeches to crowds who are desperate for a new leader. And we see him wielding his well-honed instinct for timing, waiting for Johnson’s majestic promises to prove empty before he steps back into the spotlight, on his long journey toward the presidency. From Johnson’s election in 1964, the greatest popular-vote landslide in American history, to the pivotal 1966 midterms, when Reagan burst forth onto the national stage, Landslide brings alive a country transformed—by riots, protests, the rise of television, the shattering of consensus—and the two towering personalities whose choices in those moments would reverberate through the country for decades to come. Praise for Landslide “Richly detailed . . . Landslide is a vivid retelling of a tumultuous three years in American history, and Mr. Darman captures in full the personalities and motives of two of the twentieth century’s most consequential politicians.”—The New York Times “Novel and even surprising . . . Landslide deftly reminds readers that Johnson and Reagan both trafficked in grandiose oratory and promoted utopian visions at odds with the social complexity of modern America.”—The Washington Post “Riveting . . . Darman portrays [Johnson and Reagan] as polar opposites of political attraction. . . . Animated by the artful insight that they were men of disappointment headed toward an appointment with history . . . A tale about myths and a nation that believed them, about a world of a half century ago now gone forever.”—The Boston Globe “Alert to the subtleties of politics and political history, Darman, a former correspondent for Newsweek, nimbly explores delusion and self-delusion at the highest levels.”—The New York Times Book Review |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Ronald Reagan David T. Byrne, 2018 In this ambitious work, David Byrne analyzes the ideas that informed Ronald Reagan's political philosophy and policies. Rather than appraising his personal and emotional life, Byrne's intellectual biography goes one step further; it establishes a rationale for the former president's motives, discussing how thinkers such as Plato and Adam Smith influenced him. Byrne points to three historical forces that shaped Reagan's political philosophy: Christian values, particularly the concept of a universal kingdom of God; America's firm belief in freedom as the greatest political value and its aversion to strong centralized governments; and the appeasement era of World War II, which stimulated Reagan's aggressive and confrontational foreign policy. Byrne's account of the fortieth president augments previous work on Reagan with a new model for understanding him. Byrne shows how Reagan took conservatism and the Republican Party in a new direction, departing from the traditional conservatism of Edmund Burke and Russell Kirk. His desire to spread a Kingdom of Freedom both at home and abroad changed America's political landscape forever and inspired a new conservatism that persists to this day. -- |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: To Rescue the Republic Bret Baier, Catherine Whitney, 2021-10-12 #1 New York Times Bestseller Fox News Channel’s Chief Political Anchor illuminates the heroic life of Ulysses S. Grant To Rescue the Republic is narrative history at its absolute finest. A fast-paced, thrilling and enormously important book. —Douglas Brinkley An epic history spanning the battlegrounds of the Civil War and the violent turmoil of Reconstruction to the forgotten electoral crisis that nearly fractured a reunited nation, Bret Baier’s To Rescue the Republic dramatically reveals Ulysses S. Grant’s essential yet underappreciated role in preserving the United States during an unprecedented period of division. Born a tanner’s son in rugged Ohio in 1822 and battle-tested by the Mexican American War, Grant met his destiny on the bloody fields of the Civil War. His daring and resolve as a general gained the attention of President Lincoln, then desperate for bold leadership. Lincoln appointed Grant as Lieutenant General of the Union Army in March 1864. Within a year, Grant’s forces had seized Richmond and forced Robert E. Lee to surrender. Four years later, the reunified nation faced another leadership void after Lincoln’s assassination and an unworthy successor completed his term. Again, Grant answered the call. At stake once more was the future of the Union, for though the Southern states had been defeated, it remained to be seen if the former Confederacy could be reintegrated into the country—and if the Union could ensure the rights and welfare of African Americans in the South. Grant met the challenge by boldly advancing an agenda of Reconstruction and aggressively countering the Ku Klux Klan. In his final weeks in the White House, however, Grant faced a crisis that threatened to undo his life’s work. The contested presidential election of 1876 produced no clear victory for either Republican Rutherford B. Hayes or Democrat Samuel Tilden, who carried most of the former Confederacy. Soon Southern states vowed to revolt if Tilden was not declared the victor. Grant was determined to use his influence to preserve the Union, establishing an electoral commission to peaceably settle the issue. Grant brokered a grand bargain: the installation of Republican Hayes to the presidency, with concessions to the Democrats that effectively ended Reconstruction. This painful compromise saved the nation, but tragically condemned the South to another century of civil-rights oppression. Deep with contemporary resonance and brimming with fresh detail that takes readers from the battlefields of the Civil War to the corridors of power where men decided the fate of the nation in back rooms, To Rescue the Republic reveals Grant, for all his complexity, to be among the first rank of American heroes. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: Ronald Reagan Our 40th President Winston Groom, 2012-03-05 He was one of America’s true greats. As president, he changed the world, developing a successful strategy for defeating Communism, toppling the Soviet Union, and liberating Eastern Europe (while hardly firing a shot). And just as important, he restored an America that had found itself mired in a malaise of falling living standards, moral decay, and what seemed like inevitable decline. Though he was our oldest president, Reagan acted as a tonic, rejuvenating America’s economy, restoring her confidence, and attracting a majority of young voters won over by his vision of making America once again a shining city on a hill. In this superlative biography for young adults, bestselling author Winston Groom—author of Forrest Gump—gives us the full Reagan, from his Midwestern American boyhood, to his early career as a radio sports announcer, to his days as a Hollywood star and his extraordinary political career as a union leader, governor of California, and president of the United States. Covering the gamut of Reagan’s dramatic life, Ronald Reagan: Our 40th President is essential reading, as inspiring as its subject. |
| an american life ronald reagan 2: George F. Kennan John Lewis Gaddis, 2012-08-28 Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Biography Widely and enthusiastically acclaimed, this is the authorized, definitive biography of one of the most fascinating but troubled figures of the twentieth century by the nation's leading Cold War historian. In the late 1940s, George F. Kennan—then a bright but, relatively obscure American diplomat—wrote the long telegram and the X article. These two documents laid out United States' strategy for containing the Soviet Union—a strategy which Kennan himself questioned in later years. Based on exclusive access to Kennan and his archives, this landmark history illuminates a life that both mirrored and shaped the century it spanned. |
Two American Families - Swamp Gas Forums
Aug 12, 2024 · This PBS documentary might be in the top 3 best I have ever watched. Bill Moyers followed 2 working class families from 1991 to 2024, it tells the...
Walter Clayton Jr. earns AP First Team All-American honors
Mar 18, 2025 · Florida men’s basketball senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. earned First Team All-American honors for his 2024/25 season, as announced on Tuesday by the Associated Press. …
Florida Gators gymnastics adds 10-time All American
May 28, 2025 · GAINESVILLE, Fla. – One of the nation’s top rising seniors joins the Gators gymnastics roster next season. eMjae Frazier (pronounced M.J.), a 10-time All-American from …
Now that tariff’s have hit China- American manufacturers swamped
May 7, 2025 · It is also unlikely, if not impossible that American manufacturers will be able to keep up with demand. And supply shortages also lead to higher prices. It's basic supply and demand.
Trump goes to War with America’s Children…
May 3, 2025 · China and Chinese companies steal American technology and then use it against us. Those Chinese companies don't have to pay licensing fees or R&D costs like American …
Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles make a statement at Under …
Jan 3, 2024 · Florida Gators football signees Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles Jr. during the second day of practice for the 2024 Under Armour Next All-America game at the ESPN Wide …
Trump goes to War with America’s Children…
May 3, 2025 · China and Chinese companies steal American technology and then use it against us. Those Chinese companies don't have to pay licensing fees or R&D costs like American …
Last American hostage released | Swamp Gas Forums
May 12, 2025 · Last American hostage released Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by OklahomaGator, May 12, 2025. May 12, 2025 #1. OklahomaGator Jedi Administrator …
Trump goes to War with America’s Children… | Swamp Gas Forums
May 3, 2025 · Those Chinese companies don't have to pay licensing fees or R&D costs like American companies do. Also, China is able to use slave labor or darn near slave labor …
Countdown to Kickoff 2025 | Page 2 | Swamp Gas Forums
May 3, 2025 · He was a first-team All-American as a senior in 1965 and earned All-SEC plaudits as a junior and senior. #84 Ben Troupe TE (2000-03) – One of the most athletic tight ends to …
Two American Families - Swamp Gas Forums
Aug 12, 2024 · This PBS documentary might be in the top 3 best I have ever watched. Bill Moyers followed 2 working class families from 1991 to 2024, it tells the...
Walter Clayton Jr. earns AP First Team All-American honors
Mar 18, 2025 · Florida men’s basketball senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. earned First Team All-American honors for his 2024/25 season, as announced on Tuesday by the Associated Press. …
Florida Gators gymnastics adds 10-time All American
May 28, 2025 · GAINESVILLE, Fla. – One of the nation’s top rising seniors joins the Gators gymnastics roster next season. eMjae Frazier (pronounced M.J.), a 10-time All-American from …
Now that tariff’s have hit China- American manufacturers swamped
May 7, 2025 · It is also unlikely, if not impossible that American manufacturers will be able to keep up with demand. And supply shortages also lead to higher prices. It's basic supply and demand.
Trump goes to War with America’s Children…
May 3, 2025 · China and Chinese companies steal American technology and then use it against us. Those Chinese companies don't have to pay licensing fees or R&D costs like American …
Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles make a statement at Under …
Jan 3, 2024 · Florida Gators football signees Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles Jr. during the second day of practice for the 2024 Under Armour Next All-America game at the ESPN Wide …
Trump goes to War with America’s Children…
May 3, 2025 · China and Chinese companies steal American technology and then use it against us. Those Chinese companies don't have to pay licensing fees or R&D costs like American …
Last American hostage released | Swamp Gas Forums
May 12, 2025 · Last American hostage released Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by OklahomaGator, May 12, 2025. May 12, 2025 #1. OklahomaGator Jedi Administrator …
Trump goes to War with America’s Children… | Swamp Gas Forums
May 3, 2025 · Those Chinese companies don't have to pay licensing fees or R&D costs like American companies do. Also, China is able to use slave labor or darn near slave labor …
Countdown to Kickoff 2025 | Page 2 | Swamp Gas Forums
May 3, 2025 · He was a first-team All-American as a senior in 1965 and earned All-SEC plaudits as a junior and senior. #84 Ben Troupe TE (2000-03) – One of the most athletic tight ends to …
