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Preface
- Texas A&M University Press
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[i] Preface The task of writing a book on Ronald Reagan is a daunting one because so much has been published about Reagan’s life and career in books, scholarly journals,and the popular press.Any author who undertakes a study of Reagan finds it difficult to provide new information or insights about the life and actions of this controversial individual. Writings about Reagan fall roughly into two groupings: those that strongly supported him and those that adamantly opposed him and his policies. It is virtually impossible to find anyone whose views of Ronald Reagan were neutral. When I mentioned to people that I was writing a book on Reagan and his rhetoric,their reactions fell into two opposing groupings:those who were interested in knowing more about Reagan and his speeches and those who did not really think he was worthy of such a study because he was greatly overrated as an orator and as a president. This book focuses on Reagan as a presidential orator. Because of his unique ability to speak in public, Reagan was often called “The Great Communicator.” Although no one seems to have identified the source of that label, it has been accepted in the popular press and in books and scholarly studies about Reagan and has become part of his persona and legacy. All the same, several people have made it clear to me that they do not consider Reagan a great communicator and have always been mystified by his success and the label. Many authors have tried to describe what made Reagan a successful presidential orator.This book builds on the ideas of those previous writers and I hope adds insights about Reagan as a presidential speaker. It can easily be said that Reagan was a rhetorical animal,one whose career was based on his ability as a public speaker, whether representing the [] preface film industry and major corporations or in the political arena.Richard Reeves summarizes Reagan’s dependence on speaking by claiming that Reagan“knew one very big thing about leadership and leaders: Words are usually more important than deeds.”1 In this study I attempt to illustrate Reagan’s emphasis on words by analyzing two ceremonial speeches he delivered in West Germany on May 5, 1985: one at the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and another later in the day at the U.S.Air Force base in Bitburg.Immediately preceding the Bitburg speech, Reagan made a highly controversial visit to a German military cemetery near the base. When the editor of the Library of Presidential Rhetoric asked me to undertake this study, he proposed that I focus my analysis on the speech Reagan delivered at Bitburg. As I studied the events leading to the Bitburg speech, it became clear that the speech delivered earlier in the day at the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was intimately linked with the Bitburg speech, had a definite effect on the message Reagan delivered at Bitburg, and affected the perception of the Bitburg speech in the eyes of the press and many members of the public. Some observers argued that the speech at Bergen-Belsen was more significant, meaningful, and successful than the one at Bitburg. I decided that it would make sense to evaluate both speeches. As becomes clear, the speeches in West Germany were delivered in an atmosphere of great controversy, but Reagan ignored much of the criticism and his speeches contained many ideas his critics would find unacceptable. The speeches were written by two of Reagan’s best speechwriters,with input from Reagan and other members of his staff. They were carefully organized and well written, but it was probably not possible for Reagan to defuse totally the criticism offered by his opponents. His supporters would argue, however, that the speeches were successful because they met the expectation of the audience and occasion and reduced the level of criticism from Reagan’s opponents. Critics see Reagan’s reactions to the controversy and his failure to defuse the criticism of his actions and words as the first major failure of his second term as president. [54.208.168.232] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 12:05 GMT) [i] preface In this book I outline the events leading to the speeches and the controversy surrounding the president’s trip to West Germany,discuss Reagan’s abilities as an orator,outline the preparation for the speeches, analyze the speeches, and evaluate their degree of success or failure. I...