Posted on 09/13/2005 11:00:45 AM PDT by ElephantsForever
The title of this new book on Reagan--The GREATEST Communicator, by Dick Wirthlin--got me thinking:
If Wirthlin's book title is apt, that means Reagan was a better communicator than Lincoln. But what I want to know is...
...Great book, by the way. Although, I'm kicking myself for buying the paperback because I just realized that the darn hardback is CHEAPER on Amazon. How is that possible, anyhow??? Whatever. Still a great read.
Reagan accomplished by persuasion, Lincoln used military force.
Is there any doubt? Of course Reagan benefited from having TV and radio.
Interesting insight.
I just wondered because I always heard Gettysburg Address was considered the "best" presidential oration of all time.
Yes, it is so. Lincoln was a fine writer at a time when there were many fine writers. I have copies of the Congressional Globe from the period after Lincoln's assassination, and reading the speeches given in the House and Senate, there was a style and civility that don't exist today. Lincoln did not have a staff of writers, though Hay and Nicolay probably did help him.
But most of all, Lincoln was not known as a great speaker. He was tall and gangly, given to grand gestures that looked odd on one so tall, had a high pitched voice that did not project particularly well and spoke with a Kentucky backwoods accent. With TV and radio, Lincoln couldn't be elected to any office these days.
It was not considered so at the time. Blowhard Edward Everett 'main' address was considered to have upstaged Lincoln.
After listening to Reagan, I always wanted to get out of my chair and cheer. Never mind the content, I liked his tone, his pitch, his persuasive attitude, his looks, his jokes, etc.
It's kind of hard to say because Lincoln didn't have the benefit of TV and radio.
If a state had decided to unilaterally withdraw from the union during the 1980s, there is no doubt that RR would have promptly dispatched the US Army to "persuaded" them of their error of their ways.
Lincoln haters are as brainwashed as the Bush haters. The completely moonbat, over the top rhetoric of the two groups is much the same.
Elephants,
Presidents back in Lincoln's day were not public performers. Indeed, Presidents did not present their State of the Union addresses in person. The custom, dropped with Jefferson, was not revived until Wilson.
Presidents did not campaign for re-election.
That said, Lincoln was a superb communicator before being elected President. He was an excellent and skilled advocate, but I think the notion of what constitutes a "great communicator" changed with the advent of radio, then tv.
Reagan was a master of TV, just as FDR was a master of radio.
I notice that the book reviews are dated last year - yet I don't remember seeing any reviews of the book back then. I'm glad you posted this.
Lincoln had horrible Neilsen ratings for his State of the Union addresses compared to Reagan.
Sorry Ditto, you have no better idea of what RR would have done than anybody else. Lincoln was wrong. I, for one, doubt that RR would have done anything to attempt to force a seceding state back into the Union.
And if you are less than sixty-five, you may live long enough to see how the current or a future President will respond to that very event. Socialism is an unworkable economic model that is destroying our freedom and the accumulated wealth of the United States. The standards of living for all but the wealthiest of Americans are already on the verge of falling and are likely to fall for the foreseeable future. When socialism goes exponential in less than a decade as the boomers come of age, we are going to see the first state secede. It could happen sooner with more decisions like Kelo or when the Court tackles Roe again.
The people of America are not united. Conservatives and socialists, more descriptive terms than Republicans and Democrats, are completely at odds as to how we should be able to live our lives and what the role of government should be. So far the disputes have been limited to the political arena in a war of words and ideas. The differences are as great as the differences between the Palastinians and Israelis, even if the conflicts have been handled in completely different ways. Just as it is unlikely that the Palastinians and Israelis can live together peacefully, the time is coming when conservatives are not going to stand for the loss of any more of our freedoms. If conservatives reach the conclusion that the loss of freedom is a one way street with no turning back, separation will become an increasingly discussed topic. It is not impossible that historians may look back someday and recognize the Federal government's attack on the Branch Davidians as the first shots fired in order to test whether Americans are willing to defend the Constitution or not.
If history is a guide, the socialists will never stop demanding more. If correct, separation or conflict may be inevitable unless the socialists are completely defeated in the political arena. It is not too late to restore the Constitution which will bring about the end of socialism. There is a simple strategy that can restore the Constitution in less than a decade. It is going to be introduced on FreeRepublic in the days and weeks to come.
All I know is that he was light years better than Bush is now!
As for myself, as a guy who is damn close to 65, I can remember very clearly when the standard of living of the average American was far below what it is today. And it is only poised to get better as long as we restrain ourselves from pessimism and silly fear mongering. The right is winning.
As to Lincoln, both I and Ronald Reagan think you should take some time to study history. Lincoln saved the nation from a terrible fate. Reagan spoke often and passionately of his admiration and debt to Lincoln.
Yes
Ronald Reagan, January,20, 1981
Lincoln and Reagan, our two greatest Republican presidents and fellow soldiers for America and freedom.
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