I was in a bar last night in Taipei. The TV was playing one of Reagan’s speeches as part of a tribute to his life. I overheard two foreigners (of unknown nationality) speaking: “This love affair with Reagan just shows the sorry state of America.” It reminded me of how much I hear such a statement, not just about statesmen like Regan, but about other American presidents (incidentally Republican ones) like Bush … and even more so about American people in general.
What is the love affair over Reagan? Well, think what you want about Reagan’s intelligence. Think what you want about his policies. Call him an actor. Call him whatever you want, but … Reagan will go down in history for his optimism that has typified the American spirit (the kind of sprit that especially Europeans have a hard time understanding). He had a vision that withstood the fires of so many opponents who attacked and maligned him. He never got down in the mud with them. He was always with a smile. He believed in the American people as the source of their own greatness as opposed to defining greatness as how big the welfare state became. He had his vision, he made his vision clear, and he succeeded at doing it: (1) lowering taxes, (2) building up the military and (3) defeating communism (a.k.a. Soviet Union). Reagan was, by definition, great … a true leader that connected individually with people and gave people confidence, not in their government, but in themselves as individuals and as a nation/culture that would eventually win out in the uncertain times of the Cold War. He was the perfect president for the times.
For those who would think otherwise … Perhaps Al Gore would have made a better president in the 1980s. Perhaps John Kerry would have been a better president. Perhaps Jimmy Carter would have made a better president. Perhaps Clinton? Heck, perhaps Chirac would have made a fine president in the 1980s.
The point is that tough times forge strong and charismatic leaders: Leaders such as Lincoln, FDR, Kennedy, Reagan, Churchhill, Thatcher, etc. This is why Clinton was elected in the 1990s. There were no tough times in the 1990s like there were during the Civil War, the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, etc. We could afford a president that reflected the good times, the blow jobs and the fancy-free life we thought we had. Now tough times are back with Islomofacism. What leader is going to step up to the plate and demand no less than victory?? Well, it certainly isn’t Chirac. It certainly isn’t the EU. It certainly isn’t the UN. It certainly isn’t Kerry.
We need a strong leader again. Not the same as Reagan, but fitting for the times we are in now. Not one that seeks political conquest or territorial expansion, but one that empowers people through inspiration, clear vision and unwavering principle. One that has optimism and believes in people to rise to the occasion when necessary.