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In August of 1986 during a news conference, Ronald Reagan said, “The most terrifying

words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” 1 Reagan was

born in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911. In 1981 he was elected to be the 40th president of

the United States, serving two terms until 1989. Due to his exceptional charisma, average

domestic policies, but failed foreign policies, and indirect involvement in government decisions,

Ronald Reagan was an average president.

The victory of Reagan in 1981 was seen as a victory for conservatism. In his Inaugural

Address, Reagan says, “It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal

establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the

Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people.”2 His goal was a small

federal government with less power and less spending on social programs. Reagan decreased a

lot of funding for Great Society programs in education, food stamps, and other forms of welfare.

This really hurt the middle and lower class and also increased the gap between the rich and poor.

Ronald Reagan was one of the most skilled communicators America has ever seen in a

president. This was due to his previous career in entertainment as an actor. In fact, when asked

what kind of governor he would be, he replied, “I don't know, I never played a governor.”3 He

appeared in more than 50 films and became a very well-known face in the media. Naturally, this

1. Reagan, Ronald. “The President's News Conference." Speech, Rosemont Ballroom,

Chicago, Illinios, August 12, 1986.

2. Reagan, Ronald. "Inaugural Address." Address, Washington D.C., January 20, 1981.

3. Canon, Lou. "Actor, Governor, President, Icon." Washington Post. Accessed May
28, 2018. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/
A18329-2004Jun5.html.
 !2

smoothened the path to his election along with the fact that he was running against an extremely

less favored Jimmy Carter. In his Inaugural Address, he says, “Now, I have used the words

"they" and "their" in speaking of these heroes. I could say "you" and "your," because I'm

addressing the heroes of whom I speak—you, the citizens of this blessed land. Your dreams, your

hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so

help me God.”4 This shows how great he was at including the American people in his goals for

the country. His inclusive diction helps the American people see Reagan as someone from the

government who genuinely wants to help them, rather than an authority figure who is above

them. His supreme patriotism and charisma is the reason he is remembered as such a great

president among both democrats and republicans.

Ronald Reagan was great at calming the American people in a time of crisis. For example

Reagan really appealed to the people after the Space Challenger Crisis in 1986. On January 28,

1986, The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded killing seven people.

In his Remarks on Receiving the Final Report of the Presidential Commission on the

Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, Reagan said,

This has been a difficult passage for America, but we will go on just as the crew of the
space shuttle Challenger would have wanted us to. We'll use every ounce of American
skill, ingenuity, and gumption; and we'll work twice as hard and be twice as vigilant.
We'll simply do what has to be done to make our space program safe and reliable and a
renewed source of pride to our nation.5

4. Reagan, Ronald. "Inaugural Address." Address, Washington D.C., January 20, 1981.

5. Ronald, Reagan. "Remarks on Receiving the Final Report of the Presidential

Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident." Speech, Rose Garden,
Washington D.C., June 9, 1986.
 !3

Reagan helped calm a frantic American people by talking to them as though they had all

just lost seven family members.

In addition to this, his positive response to his attempted

assassination helped glorify him. On March 30th, John Hickley

shot at President Reagan multiple times. The picture to left was

taken only four days after Reagan’s attempted assassination.6 He

greets the public with a reassuring and calming smile. This gives

the American people a sense of security as well as a strong

cemented leadership.

Reagan’s inaugural address had a domestic agenda for tax cuts, decreased

government spending, and a reduced federal deficit. He was able to focus on the economy

because he no longer had to worry about the Iran hostages which would have probably been first

priority.

Reagan’s domestic policies were below average. His policies led to the biggest deficits of

American history. They bolstered the wealthy, but really hurt the middle class and the poor.

Reagan believed in trickle down economics which he entitled Reaganomics. His goal was to cut

taxes as well as government spending.7 He believed that if he cut taxes for wealthy corporations,

6. President Reagan Four Days After the Shooting. Photograph. Reagan Library. April
3, 1981. Accessed May 28, 2018. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/
files/archives/photographs/large/c1475-13.jpg.

7.”Reaganomics." US History. Accessed May 28, 2018. http://www.ushistory.org/us/

59b.asp.
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the savings would lead to more jobs for the working class and increased spending. 8 However, the

money never trickled all the way down and his budget cuts targeted Great Society programs that

increased things like welfare. Most liberals would argue that Reagan’s policies were designed to

hurt the poor. In addition Reagan’s time in office saw the national debt increase 189%. As

president, Reagan only got to implement this program for eight years. After Reagan, George

H.W. Bush changed the economic policy, even referring to Reaganomics as VooDoo Economics.

Trickle down economics was not given enough time to be completely effective.

Although Reagan’s policies were below average, he had some success in the economy

starting in the year 1983. “The gross national product increased by 3.6 percent in 1983 and by

6.8 percent in 1984; by comparison, the GNP had shrunk in 1982 by 2.5 percent. Unemployment

sank from 9.5 percent in 1983 to 7.4 percent in 1984.”9 In his Proclamation 5347 — Minority

Enterprise Development Week, Reagan says, “The greatest strength of our economic system is

the opportunity it affords to every American to prosper according to his or her own talents and

efforts. No other nation in history has so boldly set individual opportunity as its leading goal or

come so close to achieving it.This emphasis on opportunity works to the benefit of all

Americans, but it especially helps Americans who are members of minority groups.”10

8. Ibid.

9. Cannon, Lou. "Ronald Reagan: Domestic Affairs." Miller Center. Accessed May 28,
2018. https://millercenter.org/president/reagan/domestic-affairs.
10. Proclamation No. 5347, 3 C.F.R. (1985).
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The economic boom raised a lot of people out of poverty, but it did not affect all Americans in

the same way. Black families and households led by women saw the biggest hit with their

income declining by 8%.11 However, wealthy Americans saw their income raise by 9%.12

Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies were average. He arguably ended the Cold War. He

ended the Cold War by increasing spending on defense as well as his Star Wars experiment and

his great way with words. Many will not credit Reagan with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Reagan said himself that the government was evil and would demise on its own with time. As

Reagan increased his spending the Soviets could not keep up. In addition to this, although

Americans and people working in the government saw Reagan’s star wars experiment as crazy,

the Soviets took it very seriously. Reagan met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on

numerous occasions and some would even say they became friends. With a degree in

engineering, many worried Gorbachev’s detail oriented mind would be far too much for Reagan

to comprehend. Reagan was known for being absent minded when it came to detail.

One of the biggest controversies of Reagan’s presidency was the Iran Hostage Crisis. The

Iran Hostage was a diplomatic standoff between Iran and the United States. Iranian students

invaded the US Embassy in Tehran and abducted more more than 60 Americans as hostages. The

hostages were set free hours after Reagan’s inaugural address. It is controversial because it is

said that Reagan traded weapons in exchange for the hostages. In his Address in the Iran Arms

and Contra Aid Controversy, he said, “The United States has not made concessions to those who

11. See note 9

12. Ibid.
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hold our people captive in Lebanon. And we will not. The United States has not swapped

boatloads or planeloads of American weapons for the return of American hostages.” 13 He goes

further to explain why a relationship with Iran is even important. First, he had the good

intentions with ridding the Iranians of Soviet Domination. Second, he had good intentions by

keeping good relations with Iran because of its geography. In his Address in the Iran Arms and

Contra Aid Controversy, he says, “Iran encompasses some of the most critical geography in the

world. It lies between the Soviet Union and access to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. […]

Iran’s geography gives it a critical position from which adversaries could interfere with oil flows

from the Arab States that border the Persian Gulf. Apart from geography, Iran's oil deposits are

important to the long-term health of the world economy.”14 Although Reagan bent the rules when

aiding Iran in exchange for the hostages, he had the lives of those hostages in mind as well as the

betterment of the world economy.

In conclusion Ronald Reagan was an average president. Although a lot of his domestic

and foreign policies were not always successful, he had good intentions. In order for him to be a

below average president, he would have had to had the ill intention as well as the ineffective

policies. His communication skills and public attractiveness are what make him an average

president.

13. Reagan, Ronald. "Address to the Nation on the Iran Arms and Contra Aid
Controversy." Address, Oval Office, Washingotn D.C., November 13, 1986.

14. Ibid.
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Bibliography

Cannon, Lou. "Ronald Reagan: Domestic Affairs." Miller Center. Accessed May 28, 2018.
https://millercenter.org/president/reagan/domestic-affairs.

Canon, Lou. "Actor, Governor, President, Icon." Washington Post. Accessed May 28, 2018.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18329-2004Jun5.html.

President Reagan Four Days After the Shooting. Photograph. Reagan Library. April 3, 1981.
Accessed May 28, 2018. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/archives/
photographs/large/c1475-13.jpg.

Proclamation No. 5347, 3 C.F.R. (1985).

Reagan, Ronald. "Address to the Nation on the Iran Arms and Contra Aid Controversy." Address,
Oval Office, Washingotn D.C., November 13, 1986.

———. "Inaugural Address." Address, Washington D.C., January 20, 1981.

———. "The President's News Conference." Speech, Rosemont Ballroom, Chicago, Illinios,
August 12, 1986.

"Reaganomics." US History. Accessed May 28, 2018. http://www.ushistory.org/us/59b.asp.

Ronald, Reagan. "Remarks on Receiving the Final Report of the Presidential Commission on the
Space Shuttle Challenger Accident." Speech, Rose Garden, Washington D.C., June 9,
1986.
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