Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States (1981-1989) passed away this past Saturday of pneumonia and complications from Alzheimer's Disease at the age of 93. He lived a long and full life yet gave the last ten of those years to that brain wasting disease. He became involved in politics as president of the Screen Actors Guild during the 1950s and eventually built up enough of a following for a successful period as Governor of California. From there, he built up his political capital and experience to make him a force to be reckoned with during the 1976 Republican primary campaign, losing narrowly to Gerald Ford at the Nominating Convention. It was that popularity that enabled him to win the nomination in 1980 and go on to win the general election in November.
As President, Reagan presided over the beginning of one of the most world-altering periods in history. The Soviet Union saw the rise of new premier MikhGorbachevchev in 1985 whose policiesglasnostnost (openness) perestroikaoika (economic reform) led the Soviet Union on the path of change that ultimately led to its implosion in 1991. The United States armed forces were strengthened tremendously, regaining lost ground from the past few decades. The national missile defense program generated a missile rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that resulted partly in the 1991 implosion as the Soviet Union nearly spent themselves dry. The domestic economy rebounded soon after the 1981 inauguration when inflation recoiled from its double digit position and continued to improve even though Reagan raised taxes continuously throughout his eight years in office. The famous speech imploring Gorbachevchev to "tear down this wall" matched the emotions of KennedyIch"bienbein ein Berliner" speech. Eventually that wall came down because the oppressed East Germans knew they had a friend and supporter in Washington in Reagan.
Also noteworthy are the little things. Though he never made a political speech about homosexuality or promiscuity, during his eight years in office, Reagan increased funding for HIV and AIDS assistance. Each year the percentage of funding doubled or sometimes tripled. Reagan was a friend to oppressed people all over the world from Grenada, Iran, and Nicaragua, to East Germany and the Soviet Union.
Reagan's personality was rather unique for a president. In a job where failure will result in lost elections, Reagan was surprisingly honest and brazen with his actions and explanations. Quite a few times, Reagan accepted blame when things went wrong, including a televised address to the nation explaining the Iran Contra arms deal gone wrong. Perhaps it was his honesty and willingness to own up to his mistakes that made him so popular and respected, so much so that he won reelection in 1984 by a landslide and carried a whopping 49 states.
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