Reagan was a common man as well as an intellectual. He could quote great men because he read great men. The man who the press of his day tried to write off as a senile puppet was actually the idea man for the conservative movement and had been for awhile (as the Goldwater support speech shows).
Although didn't “I paid for this microphone” actually play well in the press? I never got the full account of that interplay. I’ll have to look into it. Or ask a FRiend to fill me in.........
Reagan had championed ideals for a decade before he was elected, he lost the nomination process twice...
In today’s politics, that is impossible, the money is too large to do that, so Mitt would have to compress his Ideals and do it fast.
I don’t know where to look for the video of “I paid for this microphone” but is is a hoot, Ronald Reagen was cheesed off when he said it he basically told GWB’s Dad to STHU...