Reagan at Bergen-Belsen and Bitburg

Chapter 1: Ronald Reagan: A Maddeningly Contradictory Figure

[5฀] chapter฀1 Ronald Reagan: A Maddeningly Contradictory Figure When Ronald Reagan died on June 5, 2004, there was an outpouring of writing about his accomplishments as president and descriptions of the personal traits that made his election as president of the United States possible.Many writings expressed a similar theme: the difficulty of truly understanding this complex individual. As one article states, “The passing of the fortieth president marks the close of one of the great American sagas: the rise and reign of the mysterious and elusive Ronald Reagan....In the White House,Reagan proved a maddeningly contradictory figure.”1 In this chapter I detail some of the contradictions in Reagan’s personality , outline the reactions to Reagan by his followers and critics, provide a brief overview of his life and speaking career,introduce some of the reasons for his effectiveness as a speaker, and begin a discussion of his ceremonial speeches at events commemorating the end of World War II. The information in this chapter is useful for understanding Reagan’s public statements and actions during his controversial trip to West Germany in 1985 as well as the prominent role speaking played in his presidency. [6฀] chapter฀1 Reagan’s Contradictions Reagan proved to be a mystery even to those who studied him over an extended period. Lou Cannon, Reagan’s most prominent biographer , describes the Reagan paradox: “On one level he seemed the ‘citizen-politician’ he claimed to be, almost completely ignorant of even civics-book information about how bills were passed or how an administration functioned. But on another level, he seemed the most consummate and effective politician I had ever met.”2 Cannon summarizes how this mysterious individual was viewed by observers in and out of government:“In the presidency . . . Reagan seemed such a simple straightforward man that it was often said of him that‘what you saw was what you got.’After he had been president for a while, however, the prevailing view in Washington became that what the people most often saw was the work of his staff, his cabinet, his political advisors, or his wife. This low opinion of Reagan deprived him of credit for some of his accomplishments but also spared him the blame for his shortcomings. And it helped Reagan remain an elusive figure, for all his popularity.”3 Although observers may not have understood Reagan,his followers loved him as an individual and greatly admired his achievements as president. Rhetorical scholar William F. Lewis captures the myth that Reagan’s supporters accepted and proclaimed about his election to the presidency:“By 1980,America had lost its sense of direction.Economic troubles, a series of foreign policy failures, and corruption had created a national malaise. Then Ronald Reagan came onto the scene with a vision of America that reinvigorated the nation. His great skills as a communicator and his commitment to fundamental ideals were just what the nation needed.We were once again proud to be Americans.”4 Peggy Noonan,a Reagan speechwriter,provides an additional element to the Reagan myth:“Through the force of his beliefs and with a deep natural dignity he restored a great and fallen office.”5 Communication scholar Sarah Russell Hankins proposes that Reagan played the role of an American hero. That role allowed him and his followers to create“mythic characterizations”of the president [7฀] rnald฀reagan:฀a฀maddeningl฀cntradictr฀figure before and after his election. Hankins argues that Reagan became“the classic hero of the Old West” who saved the United States in the eyes of his admirers.6 Reagan often portrayed a cowboy during his acting career and built on that image during his years in political office, so it would be easy to describe him in the terms of the Western hero, a kind of American hero that many members of the public would find particularly attractive. Lewis agrees that Reagan was revered as a hero, but he proposes that Reagan played that role in a unique way: “This familiar and well accepted story follows the pattern of many political success stories in which the hero rescues the country from a time of great trouble. This story is special,however,in that Reagan is said to have accomplished the feat through the power of speaking.”Lewis writes that Reagan was often referred to as “the Western world’s most gifted communicator.”7 Not only did Reagan...