What Can Ronald Reagan Teach the Next President?

It’s been 20 years since former President Ronald Reagan served in office and four years since he passed away. But his legacy is far from over.

“…It’s not surprising that Republicans would say kind things about Reagan,” said Frank Donatelli, Chairman, Reagan Ranch Board of Governors and Reagan Political Director, at a Capitol Hill conference on June 5. “What’s even more interesting is the newfound interest [in Reagan] by many of our Democratic friends.” The conference Donatelli spoke at was sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation, which owns and operates the ranch Ronald Reagan called home for decades.

Mark Tapscott, Editorial Page Editor of The Washington Examiner, said that Reagan is one of the greatest American Presidents because of his truthfulness.

“Ronald Reagan believed there’s no substitute for telling the American people the truth,” said Tapscott. “When Reagan said something, you knew it was right. When he promised something, he did everything he could to achieve that.”

Reagan always trusted the American people, because he believed that “government is not the solution, government is the problem,” according to Tapscott.

“Reagan always challenged the American people to do great things…,” said Tapscott. “He focused on a few big things—preserving individual freedom, keeping taxes low, being an example to the world—and he focused on them relentlessly.” Tapscott served at the U. S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the civil-service clearinghouse, during the Reagan years.

Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) said that the next president needs to set an example by trusting the American people. “Are we going to trust the American people to run their own lives…to succeed or fail, to pursue their dreams, to raise their children, or are we going to step in and let the government do it for them?,” said Shadegg.

Shadegg said that protecting basic rights is one of the most important lessons that Reagan taught the American people.

“You are the luckiest people on earth because you were born in this country,” Shadegg told a group of 100 college-age interns. “You must protect freedom because we are under attack.”

Rebecca Cox, Senior Vice President of Continental Airlines, said that the biggest lesson Reagan can teach the next President is to communicate directly and clearly to the American people.

“….He inspired Americans and allies to have faith in his mission,” said Cox. “….He so believed in the human spirit and the yearning for all people, whether they were Americans or not, to be free.”

Cox said that Reagan believed in less government involvement and giving more power to the people; the next President should do the same, she said.

“My advice to the next President is that trust is really important,” said Cox. “People don’t think of Reagan as being a strong constitutionalist, but he was. My advice to the next president is to trust the people.”

One member of audience asked the panel how Reagan would have handled the war in Iraq. The panel said he would have done everything he could to avoid a war.
“He would never want another Vietnam,” said Donatelli. “He would have certainly believed that any war we’re getting into is worth winning.”

Cox argued that Reagan wouldn’t bring the troops home prematurely. “He wouldn’t get out of it at this point. No president would get out of a war that we’re winning,” said Cox.

Besides the War in Iraq, the panelists also agreed that John McCain and Ronald Reagan have more in common than one might think.

“McCain has a strong sense of right and wrong and a willingness to do something unpopular because he believes it’s right,” said Cox. “McCain is going to do what’s right, even if it isn’t popular.”

Donatelli argued that like Reagan, McCain appeals across the political parties.

“McCain has an agenda going into office, both had a sense of what they want to accomplish, they’re both tenacious in trying to achieve it,” said Donatelli. “Both have a great instinctive ability to appeal beyond the traditional Republican base.”

Melinda Zosh is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.