Reagan on Immigration

The Wall Street Journal (Reg. Req.) ^ | May 16, 2006 | Editorial Staff

[LowCountryJoe]

[snip]During the same campaign, circa December 1979, the Gipper responded to criticism from conservative columnist Holmes Alexander with the following: "Please believe me when I tell you the idea of a North American accord has been mine for many, many years. I have seen presidents, both Democrat and Republican, approach our neighbors with pre-concocted plans in which their only input is to vote 'yes.'

"Some months before I declared, I asked for a meeting and crossed the border to meet with the president of Mexico. I did not go with a plan. I went, as I said in my announcement address, to ask him his ideas -- how we could make the border something other than a locale for a nine-foot fence." So much for those conservatives who think the Gipper would have endorsed a 2,000-mile Tom Tancredo-Pat Buchanan wall.

[snip]In his signing statement, Reagan declared that "We have consistently supported a legalization program which is both generous to the alien and fair to the countless thousands of people throughout the world who seek legally to come to America. The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society. Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans."

[TAdams8591]

"Debunked."

And the above was in response to which comment?

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yup, Bush is no Reagan.

Just because one supports him, and he's current, doesn't mean one has to puff him up as a Great President of all time.

It's palpable today as it was then - the Pres either is, or is not, highly regarded. Bush isn't popular enough to go down as Great.

[Paul Ross]

I commend the following history author for you, the absolute best of all of them that I have seen to date, here is a synopsis overview of a talk he gave for the Heritage Foundation:

GOD AND RONALD REAGAN: A Spiritual Life
Speaker(s): Paul Kengor, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
Grove City College
Host(s):

Lee Edwards, Ph.D. Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought, B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies, The Heritage Foundation

Details:
Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life by Paul Kengor, Ph.D. is the first serious, comprehensive examination of Ronald Reagan’s religious faith. In this spiritual biography, Kengor examines Reagan’s vision of America as both a divinely ordained beacon of freedom and a nation chosen to place a stake in the future of communism. From his childhood in Dixon, Illinois to his later years as President of the United States, Ronald Reagan’s religious faith was the single most consistent feature of his life. In God and Ronald Reagan, Kengor blends groundbreaking research and fascinating storytelling into a book that will forever change our understanding of one of the most influential presidents in history.

Dr. Paul Kengor, associate professor of political science at Grove City College, is a political author and commentator. He is nationally known for his work on Reagan, which has been featured in dozens of major national publications and media outlets. Dr. Kengor is also a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford University. He has served as a researcher and Adjunct Scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., a Research Fellow at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy and member of the editorial board of Presidential Studies Quarterly.

Okay, that was the dry academic overview. Here is a Townhall.com "liner-notes" review of the book by the same name:

Reagan's Christian faith: crucial to his character, his political philosophy -- and his determined struggle against Communism

God and Ronald Reagan
by Paul Kengor

Yes, Ronald Reagan was a deeply committed Christian -- and contrary to the charges of critics, his faith wasn't just a private matter. That's the message of God and Ronald Reagan, a unique exploration of Reagan's religious faith and its impact on his political life by respected Reagan authority Paul Kengor. Exploring Reagan's public and private statements and writings, and conducting extensive interviews with Reagan intimates (including Casper Weinberger, Ed Meese, and many others), Kengor demonstrates conclusively that the core and guiding principle of this American hero's political philosophy was his quiet but rock-solid Christian faith.

Above all, Kengor demonstrates that Reagan's steadfast anti-communism stemmed from much more than just Reagan's convictions about the way governments should be constituted: for Reagan, the Cold War was nothing less than a struggle for the souls of men. For Reagan, Kengor explains, God was involved in every aspect of his daily life, and even chose him to become President -- precisely in order to help America bring down the scourge of Soviet Communism.

Kengor addresses head-on two reasons why Christians have sometimes criticized Reagan's religious commitment:
--his failure to attend church regularly as President and
--Nancy Reagan's involvement with astrology.

While examining these matters seriously, Kengor shows why they don't get to the heart of Reagan's true religious perspective, which was more fully and accurately expressed by two seminal events.

First was the attempt on his life in 1981, after which he wrote: "Whatever happens now I owe my life to God and will try to serve Him every way I can."

The second was his trip to the Soviet Union in 1988, during which he confounded his atheist hosts by peppering his public statements with religious references and spoke out strongly for religious freedom.

God and Ronald Reagan is an illuminating insight into the profound faith that shaped one of our nation's greatest Presidents -- a faith that, as it contributed to the downfall of Moscow's Evil Empire, did nothing less than transform the world.

Paul Kengor reveals the Christian Ronald Reagan:

The truth and larger significance of a Soviet journalist's observation that "whenever Mr. Reagan delivers a speech, he always mentions his religious feelings"

What Reagan's revisions to the "Evil Empire" speech reveal about the intensity of his Christian commitment

Evidence that Reagan viewed the struggle against Communism as his own personal crusade, deeply connected to his religious faith

Reagan's early life: how the religious ideas he formed then persisted throughout his life and profoundly influenced the way he viewed politics

The childhood experience that left Reagan with a lifelong "reverence for the handiwork of God"

"Many of us believed Nelle Reagan had the gift to heal": the passionate faith of Reagan's mother, which she diligently passed on to her son

The little-known book, devoured by young Reagan, that left him with "an abiding belief in the triumph of good over evil"

Evidence that even as Reagan's public religious observance declined, his private commitment abided

Reagan's Hollywood battles with atheists who were beginning even then to edit favorable references to Christianity out of movie scripts

How Reagan saw the struggle against Communism in religious terms, frequently assailing "the false god of Marx and his false prophet Lenin"

Whittaker Chambers' Witness: a source of insight into the spiritual dimension of the struggle against Communism that Reagan would draw on for decades

Reagan's reaction on being elected Governor of California? "It is part of God's plan for me"

Why Reagan and Pope John Paul II were in many ways a perfect match, as their respective religious faiths gave them an extraordinary amount of common ground

Reagan's political philosophy: "He who introduces into public office the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world"

America: Reagan's belief that our nation reached maturity by affirming "its leadership of free men and women serving selflessly a vision of man with God"

The trenchant, biblically literate response Reagan made to a liberal minister who denied the divinity of Christ and denigrated Reagan's "limited Sunday school-level theology"

Reagan and the astrologer: did he ask her for guidance? No, he told her that "he felt that God had entrusted him with a mission and that his strength came directly from God"

Reagan's challenge to America (and the rest of the world): "It is time for the world to know our intellectual and spiritual values are rooted in the source of all strength, a belief in a Supreme Being, and a law higher than our own"

Some additional critical acclaim for this book:

"Takes the reader to depths where no other writer has yet been -- Ronald Reagan's very soul"

"A profound character study, an engrossing work of history, and a heartbreakingly beautiful love story about one man and his Maker." -- Peter Robinson, author, How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life

"An outstanding and thoroughly documented demonstration of the role faith in God and Christ played in the life and leadership of President Reagan! Those who read Mr. Kengor's excellent and readable book will better understand why even today those who wish to expunge all references to God from public life are determined to try to besmirch him and his reputation which, thanks to this book, will be harder than ever to do." -- Don Hodel, former Secretary of the Interior, Reagan Administration

"Paul Kengor takes the reader to depths where no other writer has yet been -- Ronald Reagan's very soul. Using original research and dispassionate analysis, Kengor gives both historians and layman a vital and enlightening look at one of the most important leaders in American history." -- Peter Schweizer, author, Reagan's War

"A fascinating read. Based on meticulous research, God and Ronald Reagan fundamentally transforms the historical view of Ronald Reagan and his place in the 20th century. This is a must-read piece of political history." -- Donald M. Goldstein, co-author, At Dawn We Slept

"In the vast body of Reagan scholarship, what has been missing is a spiritual biography. Kengor has admirably supplied our need." -- Robert P. George, Princeton University

[Paul Ross]

#1

[TAdams8591]

"But don't forget .. At the time that was not what was being said about Reagan

It wasn't till years later that many realized he was the great President many of us already knew he was"

I heartily disagree. All the conservatives I knew thought Reagan would go down as one of the greatest presidents of the century if not American history, including myself at the time. We were more than happy with his achievements.

It was the Democrats and the MSM who failed to see it, at the time.

In fact we realized his greatness when we voted for him the first time. I remember it well. Proudest voting day of my life and still is.

[Mo1]

I didn't say all .. I said many

The far right crowd at the time did not like Reagan

[AmusedBystander]

Show me some numbers, or do I just have to take it on "faith'?

California is home to the vast majority of these "illegals", yet it is a economic superpower. If California was its own sovereign nation it would rate in the top 10 of GDP in the WORLD. The property values are higher there on average than anywhere else in the nation. The earnings of workers are higher there than most of the nation. California is booming. So where is the economic evidence to support your claim against "illegals".

I would much rather live in George W. Bush's America than the Pat Buchanan's.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I never got to vote for him. Pooh. :(


Actually 1 of the reasons one could tell Reagan could go down as a very top president was because of the respect he DID garner from libs. It was about impossible to dislike him. I think alot like Washington many couldn't deny Reagan could be relied on to be fair and honest, and not merely play politics, including "only if it has an R after it".

My Democrat friend (still is) at the time said as his last year came to an end, that she would miss him and that he made it feel good to be American.

You can't beat that.

[TAdams8591]

"But don't forget .. At the time that was not what was being said about Reagan"

You said the above.

At the time discussions about Reagan's GREATNESS were common in most conservative circles even in most conservative circles on the far right. However, it took RINO'S quite awhile to realize Reagan's greatness, along with the Dems and the MSM.

[Paul Ross]

The far right crowd at the time did not like Reagan

My far right crowd never stopped liking Reagan.

[Lakeshark]

I haven't yet read the whole speech (I hope to tonight), but what I have seen ought to make you folks be happy, instead you seem to be presuming he is simply pandering. He is trying to address a problem that has been in existence and building for 100 years, yet all that can be said is that he's pandering?

I think that's a lock step problem with the so called anti-immis. There is an animus that makes them sound like Kos kiddies, and an unwillingness to debate or listen, particularly listen.

Just three things: 1. He said they would no longer catch and release. 2. He said they will actively work on making the border more secure, including more resources and the national guard. 3. He said there would not be citizenship offered to those already here, he also said they would have to be monitored and sign up, and then return.

Sooooooo.....aren't those good steps and victories toward your side? If not, why?

[nicmarlo]

In what way are troops, without authority to detain, without arms, an effective army?

In what way is granting amnesty by any other name effective in deterring more illegals?

Amnesty has been granted before, over and over, and always results in ever greater numbers of illegals. Insanity is expecting a different result from doing more of the same.

[Kozak]

Oh yeah, the state that is now increasingly "blue", with horrendous deficits, and huge social problems. With migrants living 10 to a garage, and ER's and hospitals closing because of the weight of uncompensated care for illegals.

It won't be a matter of living in either Reagans America or Buchanons. You will be living in Alta Mexico muy pronto.

[AmusedBystander]

With migrants living 10 to a garage, and ER's and hospitals closing because of the weight of uncompensated care for illegals.

Stop, you are proving my points too easily.

If these folks were documented, they would not be able to walk away from their bills so easily and could get insurance from their employers without fear.

As far as living in garages go, I believe that falls upon local government to enforce, not a federal issue. Just outlaw garages.

[jordan8]

Reagan wasn't a god, he basically didn't do squat domestically, and gave us the first amnesty. He was just better than what came before, and after. Bear in mind that the present proposals will allow up to 193 million immigrants in the next 20 years. Even if the actual numbers are far lower, do you people understand the impact of these numbers? The West is dying of dishonesty, of politically correct totalitarianism which is never better displayed than when an immigration wave so huge that it will displace the native population is taking place and all we can talk about is its alleged economic impact.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I agree. I thought it was the "far right" (libertarian?) that liked Reagan, not RINOs!

[Paul Ross]

I thought it was the "far right" (libertarian?) that liked Reagan, not RINOs!

Nah...the libertarians bailed on him back in 1986. But the Hamiltonians hung in there!

[Coldwater Creek]

Thank you!!!!!

[Kozak]

You mean if they were legal they could then qualify for full benefits in our welfare state, and blow the California budget to the roof. You really must be blind.

[bray]

I remember him fighting with the Conservatives in the Party starting with picking Bush as his VP. You can imagine we would both be called Reaganrobots around here for supporting him.

Pray for W and Our Troops