In 1966 Ronald Reagan was a first-time candidate for public office. At the age of fifty-five he was the Republican nominee for the governor of California. ibid.
When it came to student protesters Reagan refused to compromise. ibid.
March 30th 1981, Washington DC, 20 to 5 in the afternoon: the president of the United States emerged from a hotel and heads toward a waiting limousine. Suddenly the sound of gunshot splits the air. Four men are hit by flying bullets including Ronald Reagan. Who would want to kill the president and why? Infamous Assassinations: Ronald Reagan
Reagan’s assailant is a 25-year-old college drop-out called John Hinckley junior. And his reason for shooting the president is so bizarre it’s almost unbelievable. ibid.
His assailant has absolutely nothing against him personally. All John Hinckley junior wants to do is draw attention for himself. And in doing so, he hopes for the admiration of one of Hollywood’s budding young film actresses – Jodie Foster. ibid.
When visited by his anxious wife Nancy, Reagan famously jokes: ‘Honey, I forgot to duck’. ibid.
He is considered by many to be the most successful presidents after FDR. He enjoyed many careers including lifeguard, movie star, union leader, politician. But in contemporary America he is both revered and reviled. Storyville: American Idol: Reagan, BBC 2012
In the space of about eighteen months he went from left-liberal to FBI informant. ibid.
Birth of a Salesman: General Electric. ibid. advert
With overwhelming support Ronald Reagan signed into law an unprecedented array of mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes. Storyville: The House I Live In, BBC 2013
There was another side to his eight years in the White House ... The medical conditions that plagued him during his time in office. Altered Statesmen: Ronald Reagan, Discovery 2003
30th March 1981: Seven weeks after Reagan’s 70th birthday at 2.30 the President was leaving the Washington Hilton ... An unknown gunman opened fire. Chaos ensured. This moment would be crucial to the future of the president. ibid.
The shooting had aged him. He didn’t look the same man who had campaigned for the White House just a few short months before. And there were long-term implications that no-one could see at the time. ibid.
For a president, routine means press conferences, and in the aftermath of his shooting some observers noticed Reagan having difficulty with his memory. ibid.
There were stories about Reagan’s aides making important decisions without consulting him ... During his eight years in power Ronald Reagan relied heavily on aides to guide him through policy. ibid.
The disengaged President – noted by White House journalists in the summer of 1981. ibid.
When the Iran/Contra scandal broke sixteen months later in November ’86 the big question was – What did the President know? Was he aware that his staff were breaking the law? Or did they have so much autonomy they could illegal sell thousands of sophisticated missiles without Reagan being aware of it? ibid.
Although cleared of wilful deception the report did think Reagan was forgetful and unaware. It also described a situation in the White House of ineptitude verging on incompetence from the President down. ibid.
In his first term he was known for regular gaffs which got worse over the years. In 1994, five years after leaving the White House, he announced to the American people that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease started in the area of the brain associated with memory. ibid.
There are millions of Americans who still think of him with affection. ibid.
In March 1981 the United States had a new president. And Ronald Reagan had a vision to restore his nation in a troubled world. Saving Ronald Reagan, 2006
The US was flexing its political muscles. ibid.
President Reagan had already lost a quarter of his blood and was minutes way from going into shock ... No-one saw a tiny bullet hole under the left sleeve. ibid.
With no presidential leadership, the nation’s military command fell to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. ibid.
After the shooting, Nancy turned to an astrologer named Joan Quigley in California ... The President’s schedule to some extent was dictated by an astrologer. Sam Donaldson
By the time Reagan started with General Electric he was still a Democrat. And I think his involvement with General Electric and his contact with the small businessmen around America especially brought him a more conservative position on domestic issues, and he became more in tune with corporate America. Bob Colacello
When he lost the cue cards he was pretty well finished. Simon Hoggart, journalist
His [Reagan’s] errors glide past unchallenged. At one point ... he alleged that almost half the population gets a free meal from the government each day. No one told him he was crazy. The general message of the American press is that, yes, while it is perfectly true that the emperor has no clothes, nudity is actually very acceptable this year. Simon Hoggart, The Observer, 1986
All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk. Ronald Reagan, cited USA Today
America will never make concessions to terrorists. Ronald Reagan
A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation. Ronald Reagan
Approximately 80% of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation, so let’s not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emission standards from man-made sources. Ronald Reagan, cited Sierra 10 September 1980 & Bartleby online
A recession is when your neighbour loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his. Ronald Reagan
As long as there is breath in this body I will speak and work, strive and struggle, for the cause of the Nicaraguan freedom fighters. Ronald Reagan
Boraxo waterless hand cleaner. It really cleans up warts. Ronald Reagan, TV advert
But at the moment I’d like to talk about another way because this threat is with us and at the moment is more imminent. One of the traditional methods of imposing Statism or Socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. The doctor begins to lose freedoms. It’s like telling a lie, and one leads to another. The doctor wants to practise in one town, and the government says to him, You can’t live in that town; they already have enough doctors. You have to go someplace else. All of us can see what happens once you establish the precedent … It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project ... Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it. We have an example of this. Under the Truman administration it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, and, of course, the American people unhesitatingly rejected this. Ronald Reagan, 1961 recording Speaks Out Against Socialised Medicine
But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret. Ronald Reagan
Cannot swords be turned to plowshares? Can we and all nations not live in peace? In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. And yet, I ask you, is not an alien force already among us? What could be more alien to the universal aspirations of our peoples than war and the threat of war? Ronald Reagan, address to UN September 1987
Communism is neither an economic or political system. It’s a form of insanity, a temporary aberration which will one day disappear from the Earth because it is contrary to human nature. Ronald Reagan, 1975 commentary
Do you want to see America return to the policies of weakness of the last four years, or do you want to go forward marching as a nation of strength? Ronald Reagan, second television debate for second term
Drug abuse is a repudiation of everything America is. The destructiveness and human wreckage mock our heritage. Ronald Reagan