Word: reaganized
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Their advanced age, Republicanism and durability create some parallels between Eisenhower and Reagan. But as a politician, the general was not the actor's equal. Political scientist Richard Neustadt points out that "Ike came into office with the status of a genuine national hero and merely had to preserve that aura. Reagan came in only with what he had on his back and had to create his stature." One indispensable item Reagan carried was a quiver of messages and images, simple but sharp, honed over his many years as a conservative advocate. His great skill was in making...
Later there would be endless musing over "Reagan luck" and "Reagan magic." He was in fact often fortunate. Not only did John Hinckley's bullet stop an inch from Reagan's heart, for instance, but the shooting occurred at a time when the public was still forming its concept of the new President. Reagan's image was enhanced when he responded with both wit and grit. But the incantations about "magic" imply mystical powers beyond the ken of other politicians. There is nothing mysterious about a veteran public performer with a knack for timing, a keen sense for what will...
...Reagan could never master the arcana of nuclear weaponry or arms control. Even the finer points of economics, one of his majors in college, eluded him. But he understood Middle American folklore and myth very well. After growing up in small-town simplicity and pursuing his first career in Hollywood, Reagan needed no tutoring in symbolism. By 1980 a frustrated, confused America had lost all patience with stagflation at home, impudent adversaries abroad and ambiguity from its leadership. The moment was perfect for a leader who dealt in stark simplicities. When he declared that "government is not the solution...
...That Reagan believed in his spiel, and in himself, more fully than do most politicians enhanced his credibility. Though he has been living like gentry for nearly 40 years, his geniality kept him in touch with the folks. "Having been a Roosevelt Democrat was an asset," Neustadt observes. "Though he turned far to the right, he never became a three-piece-suit, business Republican." Instead he became something new under the Republican sun, a smile-button conservative who persuaded voters that less taxation meant more prosperity, that less government facilitated the pursuit of happiness. And he taught the Washington establishment...
None of this could please the crowd for very long without some hard decisions and tangible results. During Reagan's first term, he delivered < enough of these to prove that he could make the White House work again. Was he serious about fighting those nasty special interests? He broke the strike by the Professional Air Traffic Controllers' Association and obliterated the union. Would he tame the Kremlin? He put Moscow's bargaining feelers on hold while pumping up the Pentagon budget to gargantuan proportions. Though the process often seemed serendipitous, depending heavily on events in Moscow, Reagan eventually presided over...