Ronald Reagan: The Great Communicator
According to his biographer Lou Cannon, Ronald Reagan memorized Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous 1933 inaugural address, the one in which FDR famously said "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Reagan also like to used some of the same phrases that Roosevelt like to use, such as "rendezvous with destiny." Reagan would come to be known as "The Great Communicator." In his communication with the public, he liked to use folksy anecdotes that ordinary people could relate to. He also injected optimism into his message and also like to talk about the future. In the 1984 presidential campaign for example, when Reagan was running against Democrat Walter Mondale, Reagan spoke about the future in outer space and why America had to go there, while Mondale spoke about how much it was going to cost.
Reagan did not merely speak in platitudes. He spoke about issues directly and with some specificity. For example he spoke about building up the defense budget, cutting taxes and balancing the budget. This specificity often invited criticism, such as when John Anderson, whop ran as an independent presidential candidate against Reagan in 1980, said the only way one could do the three of those things was with mirrors.
Reagan paid attention not only to his speeches, but also to how his audience responded to them. He had a good sense of when his speeches were effective and when they weren't. He learned this early on in his life. At the end of his Hollywood career, when he was transitioning into a career in television and the host of General Electric Theater in the 1950s, Reagan traveled across the country speaking to workers at the sponsor company's plant at the behest of General Electric's chairman, Ralph Cordiner. The experience proved to be valuable political training for the future Governor and President.
Like Roosevelt, Reagan is remembered for a number of famous speeches. Perhaps the most famous one was the one he gave on June 12, 1987, at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, in which he spoke directly to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and famously said, "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." The speech was successful not only for its content, but also for its delivery, as Reagan conveyed a sense of real emotion that accompanied his words. Some of the reporters who covered Reagan regularly at the time said that the speech at the Brandenburg Gate was very memorable and very powerful.
Reagan expressed humility when asked about his communication skills. He once said, "I won a nickname, 'The Great Communicator.' But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation, from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in principles that have guided us for two centuries."
In her book, Simply Speaking, Peggy Noonan said of her time as a speechwriter for Reagan, "He was often moving, but he was moving not because of the way he said things, he was moving because of what he said. He didn't say things in a big way, he said big things Writers, reporters and historians were in a quandary in the Reagan years. 'The People,' as they put it, were obviously impressed by much of what Reagan said; this could not be completely dismissed."
A memorable moment in the 1984 election campaign occurred during the presidential debate, when Reagan was able to put to rest the one issue that had been resonating for his opponent, Walter Mondale. Reagan had been the oldest person to ever be elected president, and Mondale was trying to send a message to the American people that Reagan was getting too old for the job. During the debate, Reagan was asked if he had any doubt that he had the energy necessary to be president. With the deadpan response and timing of a seasoned comedian, Reagan answered, "No I don't, and I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." The audience burst into laughter, and so did Mondale.
Reagan's skills as a communicator stood out in times of tragedy, such as when the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut was bombed, killing 220 Marines, or when he spoke to the families of the astronauts killed when the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded. He gave an emotional address from the Oval Office on the day of the space shuttle disaster in which he sought to give comfort to his nation. He said: "The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God."
When Reagan died in 2004, his Vice-President and successor, George H. W. Bush, remembered his former boss fondly. Bush referred to Reagan's often-quoted image of America as a shining city on the hill and said, "He always told us that for America the best is yet to come. We comfort ourselves by telling ourselves that the same is true for him. We know a shining city is waiting for him."
Reagan did not merely speak in platitudes. He spoke about issues directly and with some specificity. For example he spoke about building up the defense budget, cutting taxes and balancing the budget. This specificity often invited criticism, such as when John Anderson, whop ran as an independent presidential candidate against Reagan in 1980, said the only way one could do the three of those things was with mirrors.
Reagan paid attention not only to his speeches, but also to how his audience responded to them. He had a good sense of when his speeches were effective and when they weren't. He learned this early on in his life. At the end of his Hollywood career, when he was transitioning into a career in television and the host of General Electric Theater in the 1950s, Reagan traveled across the country speaking to workers at the sponsor company's plant at the behest of General Electric's chairman, Ralph Cordiner. The experience proved to be valuable political training for the future Governor and President.
Like Roosevelt, Reagan is remembered for a number of famous speeches. Perhaps the most famous one was the one he gave on June 12, 1987, at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, in which he spoke directly to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and famously said, "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." The speech was successful not only for its content, but also for its delivery, as Reagan conveyed a sense of real emotion that accompanied his words. Some of the reporters who covered Reagan regularly at the time said that the speech at the Brandenburg Gate was very memorable and very powerful.
Reagan expressed humility when asked about his communication skills. He once said, "I won a nickname, 'The Great Communicator.' But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation, from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in principles that have guided us for two centuries."
In her book, Simply Speaking, Peggy Noonan said of her time as a speechwriter for Reagan, "He was often moving, but he was moving not because of the way he said things, he was moving because of what he said. He didn't say things in a big way, he said big things Writers, reporters and historians were in a quandary in the Reagan years. 'The People,' as they put it, were obviously impressed by much of what Reagan said; this could not be completely dismissed."
A memorable moment in the 1984 election campaign occurred during the presidential debate, when Reagan was able to put to rest the one issue that had been resonating for his opponent, Walter Mondale. Reagan had been the oldest person to ever be elected president, and Mondale was trying to send a message to the American people that Reagan was getting too old for the job. During the debate, Reagan was asked if he had any doubt that he had the energy necessary to be president. With the deadpan response and timing of a seasoned comedian, Reagan answered, "No I don't, and I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." The audience burst into laughter, and so did Mondale.
Reagan's skills as a communicator stood out in times of tragedy, such as when the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut was bombed, killing 220 Marines, or when he spoke to the families of the astronauts killed when the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded. He gave an emotional address from the Oval Office on the day of the space shuttle disaster in which he sought to give comfort to his nation. He said: "The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God."
When Reagan died in 2004, his Vice-President and successor, George H. W. Bush, remembered his former boss fondly. Bush referred to Reagan's often-quoted image of America as a shining city on the hill and said, "He always told us that for America the best is yet to come. We comfort ourselves by telling ourselves that the same is true for him. We know a shining city is waiting for him."