The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
As we at Ricochet have been reflecting on Ronald Reagan's legacy on the occasion of his 100th birthday, I have gathered my own humble thoughts in this column for the Chicago Tribune. I argue that the secret to Reagan's success was that he cared about the big stuff without troubling himself with the little stuff:
The determined simplicity of his vision made him the butt of many a joke by liberal pundits who had him beat cold on IQ points. But in so ridiculing him, his critics misunderstood the key virtues for a political leader...
Leadership cannot thrive on nuance or uncertainty. It depends on unshakable commitments to sound principles.
That is where Ronald Reagan excelled as a president. On the domestic front, Reagan insisted that the essence of a free society rested on these key building blocks: individual freedom, personal security, limited government and states' rights...
Forthright pronouncements also defined Reagan's triumphs in foreign affairs. He knew in his bones that the want of inner conviction disarms any president engaged in international diplomacy. Moral relativism in international affairs is not a sign of intellectual discernment. It is a sign of moral weakness. Lots of hard political issues come in all shades of gray. But by the same token, the words for which Ronald Reagan is most remembered drew sharp contrasts. In March 1983, he called the Soviet Union "an evil empire." Speaking at the Brandenburg Gate in June 1987, Reagan stated his major premise: "We believe that freedom and security go together." This was followed by his direct challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev, his Russian counterpart: "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Which Gorbachev did by November 1989.
These simple declarative sentences define the man and his massive achievements. They are what all Americans should remember about Ronald Reagan on Sunday's centennial of his birth. He knew that in politics, as in life, Dooley Wilson had it right. The fundamental things do apply. Ronald Reagan was a great president because he stood for what is great and enduring in the human condition.
What do you think the secret to Ronald Reagan's success was?
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Nov '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
Richard Epstein:
This is the core of it all. Extend this to the total of one's live and you have the secret to life success.
Edited on Feb 6, 2011 at 9:05amDec '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
Excellent article. The older I get, the more I appreciate his simple straightforward approach to security and economy. His philosophy revealed the idealist but naive approach of the left. Those who attempt to minimalize him only make themselves look small.
Edited on Feb 6, 2011 at 9:11amJan '11
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
The ideology and his ability to communicate it [he even explains this in his 'Farewell' at mm 1:50 of this video, yet humbly downplays his role]. The ideology is key: it's wise, just, and, dare I say, truly progressive in every sense of that tortured word.
Jul '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
Ronald Reagan was a visionary, of course, and a gifted communicator.
And another aspect of his character that is sometimes overlooked is how very hard he worked, for so many years, to improve himself. He read voraciously, talked to as many wise and experienced people as he could, wrote and delivered countless speeches and radio addresses.
Ronald Reagan didn't just stroll from RKO Studios straight into the White House. Unlike some of the political tyros now strutting the stage, he had the humility to know what he didn't know and the self-discipline to learn.
Oct '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
“I’d like to tell you of my theory of the Cold War. Some people think that I am simplistic, but there is a fundamental difference between being simplistic and having simple answers to complex questions . . . (M)y theory of the Cold War is that we win and they lose.” [Ronald Reagan, 1977 (although I think he may have expressed this idea elsewhere much earlier)]
Brilliant article that I hope the leadership in my own organization will read and absorb (I’ll give them a copy!). Your succinct explanation of what lawyers do and why that’s not a model for effective leadership should be mandatory reading for anyone aspiring to lead, let alone to be a lawyer.
Reagan didn’t micromanage because he focused on a few big things, like “they lose,” formulated the ensuing tasks simply without being simplistic, then let his talented team get on with it. Ironically, those that want to accomplish lots of things (usually all at once) are the worst micromanagers. They are so busy trying to do dozens of things, little gets done and that which does has less impact. They end up conflating motion with achievement.
Jul '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
In the final analysis I Beleive Ronald Reagan's success boiled down to two things.
1) He Believed what he said.
2) He Became President to Act on those Beliefs.
There was NO hidden agenda, and he communicated his core beliefs to people so they knew what he was asking for and what his plans were. No Surprises!
Jun '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
"... liberal pundits who had him beat cold on IQ points."
I have to quibble with you on this point. I would bet $$ that Reagan had a very high IQ. Perhaps the pundits believed they were his intellectual superiors, but I am certain that was not the case.
Jul '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
StickerShock: "... liberal pundits who had him beat cold on IQ points."
I have to quibble with you on this point. I would bet $$ that Reagan had a very high IQ. Perhaps the pundits believed they were his intellectual superiors, but I am certain that was not the case. · Feb 6 at 10:29am
On the other side of that coin, I am so tired of hearing, even from some on the Right, about how highly intelligent Barack Obama is. I don't think he's very smart at all. And he's certainly not wise.
Jan '11
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
I happened to see a replay of the speech that made Reagan Reagan, the one he gave a couple days before the 1964 election.
It reminded me of the words spoken about Jesus in the gospels: "He spoke with authority." (Not that Reagan was Jesus, of course, but his ... command ... of what he was saying was striking.)
Jun '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
Excellent article, Professor Epstein. My three favorite attributes:
1. Optimism (both in the strength of America and of the ability of its citizens to make their own decisions and to live with the consequences).
2. To steal a thought from Professor Epstein, the talent (and courage) to express truths in simple, strong declarative sentences (an attribute that drove the chattering classes crazy because they lacked obfuscating nuance). Best examples: "tear down this wall" and "evil empire." When a leader speaks like that, the public need not parse his meaning. [Corollary attribute: the ability to deliver a short speech that was both great and powerful (the Pointe du Hac speech was less that 15 minutes long).
3. Goodness. Yes, I know there was a part of him that remained private and maybe he had failings as a parent, but he emanated sheer uncalculated goodness.
No man or woman is perfect, and Reagan fits that description, but he was exactly what this country needed. I am proud to have been an American during the time he was our leader.
May '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
Steyn's obit of Reagan in Passing Parade is a classic, guaranteed to make you tear up, with a take-home message similar in some ways to Richard's.
(Reminder: Steyn in for Rush tomorrow.)
Oct '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
StickerShock: "... liberal pundits who had him beat cold on IQ points."
I would bet $$ that Reagan had a very high IQ. Perhaps pundits believed they were his intellectual superiors, but I am certain that was not the case. · Feb 6 at 10:29am
It's definitional. Actual IQ doesn't matter—to me, because it just doesn't matter; to liberal pundits because of how “smart” is defined.
High IQ correlates positively with high SAT scores, which correlates with degrees from elite Universities/prestigious law schools, etc. You don’t spell “elite” E-u-r-e-k-a C-o-l-l-e-g-e.
BTW, the correlation is negated by being conservative. WBush has the same educational pedigree as Gore, Kerry—Ivy league for all, with GW outstripping them with his Harvard MBA. Didn’t matter. Bush was pronounced “intellectually uncurious” and the two others so smart that no one could keep up with their manifest profundity.
Long after the 2004 election, the NYTimes buried on page 546 the finally-released undergraduate grades of the two candidates. Same school (Yale), their attendance overlapped, but W had a higher GPA. Again, facts just don’t matter here!
Edited on Feb 6, 2011 at 12:36pmJul '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
Scott Reusser: Steyn's obit of Reagan in Passing Parade is a classic, guaranteed to make you tear up, with a take-home message similar in some ways to Richard's.
(Reminder: Steyn in for Rush tomorrow.) · Feb 6 at 12:29pm
I wonder why Steyn hasn't gone for his own radio show. My guess is he could garner an audience second only to Rush Limbaugh. I'd sure rather listen to him than to Mark Levin or Sean Hannity.
Jun '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
"High IQ correlates positively with high SAT scores, which correlates with degrees from elite Universities/prestigious law schools, etc. You don’t spell “elite” E-u-r-e-k-a C-o-l-l-e-g-e."
I'm moving away from the point of Richard's fine article, but Bush, Gore, and Kerry got into Ivy League schools because they come from prominent, elite families. I admire much about Bush, and despise Gore and Kerry, but not one of that trio could even approach Reagan's intellectual capacity. Even today, with a national obsession over SATs and Ivy League applications soaring, a majority of the best and brightest students from the heartland have absolutley no desire to attend Harvard. I think the Ivy obsession is strongest among East Coast journalists, hence the inordinate number of articles published about kids being denied, admissions counselors making milllions, plagiarism catching up with the star student, etc.
Jan '11
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
Richard Epstein:
What do you think the secret to Ronald Reagan's success was? ·
All the charisma and all the intellect would not amount to a hill of beans if he didn't believe in those tenets. There is constantly a power struggle between government and the governed. Reagan's position was not to centralize authority and dole out goodness from the Enclave of Washington. His position was to distribute that power to the people. He knew that it wasn't going to be him that would solve our economic problems, but us.
Oct '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
Reagan was much like Washington: a large man whose size and personal vitality made him stand out in a crowd. Like Washington, Reagan was not an intellectual giant, but he had a depth of understanding of both people and "life" that, in conjunction with his elan vital, he was able to inspire then guide and direct those about him to incarnate those beliefs he held, which Richard so abley articulates, and which resonate so deeply with the spirit of the American People.
We need another Reagan, another Washington today, another "grey prophet" to inspire, guide and direct the people to conform to their ideal character as virtuous citizens of a Federal Republic
Feb '11
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
I think you nailed it right there. I remember Pres. Clinton getting bogged down in minutia like school uniforms. What? That's not something POTUS should concern himself about. Worrying about the small stuff makes your Presidency seem, well, small.
Jan '11
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
My advice: do your best to emulate them and become that person. Let me caution, though, one must truly believe that the individual will make the right call and does not really need to be micromanaged with so-called social justice or legislated morality.
Oct '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
I have just finished reading, and posted a review of the edited and abridged edition of Reagan's White House diaries. Two things, apparently contradictory at first glance, struck me. First, an administration must choose a small number of things, three at most, to try to accomplish in an eight year term and keep the focus on them, resisting the temptation to be distracted by the headlines of the day and the ephemeral enthusiasms of the ruling class. Second, a competent administration must also, with appropriate delegation to subordinates and referral as appropriate to more senior officials, deal with a multitude of exigent circumstances which may, if not properly evaluated and attended to in time, become crises which can divert attention from its main priorities. What the Reagan diaries make clear is that he was a master of delegating to a competent staff and dealing with things which made it through them to his desk. He writes repeatedly of "desk work" and "homework". One wonders how much time the present occupant of the Oval Office spends on such patient, handsomely remunerated toil.
Jul '10
Re: The Secret of Ronald Reagan's Success
I think "secret" is a relative term. President Reagan's success is no secret to Us. To liberals, on the other hand, His success is a secret because they've never heard of virtue, God-fearing, America loving, Freedom of the Individual......