Back in early 1963 things looked bad for the GOP in California. Nixon was down for the count. JFK beat him in 1960 and Brown beat him for Governor of Califorina in 1962. It looked bad for the pubies in California.
Cap Weinberger, Ed Meese and a few other guys decided they needed a winner in California. Brown would be up for relection in 1966. He had just kicked Dick Nixon's a$$ easily in the governors race. They needed some one who could appeal to the leftist voters that make up California better than Dick Nixon.
Someone suggested Ronnie Reagan. There was just one problem with Ronnie, He was a Registered Democrat. But he had lots of positive TV exposure so they thought he might make a good candidate in 1966 against Brown. They would just have to make a RINO out of a DINO.
They talked to Ronnie and he was interested. They had big concerns. The right wing was sure to label Ronnie as a RINO. After all he was a retired Union President who had rasied money for FDR, Truman, and JFK. Yes virginia he spent union dues to elect Democrats. That is what Union Presidents do and Reagan was a UNION President. The far right would label him a RINO indeed. That would not hurt in the General election but it could cost Ronnie the primary.
So as 1964 rolled long, they got a great idea. The mainstream Republican candidates for Senate and House Seats looked at Goldwater as the disaster he was. The didn't want to even campaign with him let alone speak at his convention. Goldwater had the nomiation sewed up. So to take the RINO argument away from the Right they had Ronnie give a speech for Goldwater at the Convention. Goldwater was happy to get someone from the center to speak in his behalf. Then in 1966 when the right tried to tag Ronnie as a RINO He could say he worked for Goldwater..when few others would.
Ronnie did his best and the pro Goldwater speech at the convention was real dynamite. The media glowed over it. Their reason was to paint Goldwater as a far less astute politictian, and far more mean spirited than an actor turned professional politician who spoke for Barry. They kept saying that Ronnie came across as Goldwater should have but didn't. They said Ronnie cam presented himself as a nice guy but Barry was to stuborn, hot headed, and foolish to be a nice guy. They used Reagan to beat Goldwater's image and the Right Wing Nuts loved it. Most of us couln't believe it. At the time we thought it was great for Ronnie. There would be no right wing charges of RINO in 1966.
It turned out the speech caused a real problem at the other extreme. The left would for ever after tag Ronnie as a right wing nut. They tried that tact 1966 and again in 1970 but it only had limited success. Ronnie won with the Right wing media tag. They could not make it stick with enough people. Tom Brokaw who was the LA anchor for NBC at the time surely tried but failed. Brokaw once told me how he tried to take Reagan down as a right wing nut, but failed. Right wing nut did not stick to Ronnie like it did to Goldwater.
Then in 1976 Ford used it against Ronnie to good effect. He beat Reagan for the Republican nomination. So in 1980 the Right Wing nut charge was used extensively by Carter. It was never true. Reagan was an FDR Democrat that didn't go for McGovern. He became a Republican because Brown had the future blocked in the Democratic party.
Just prior to the 1980 debate with Carter the strategy was set by Ronnie. The race was close and Reagan was going to have to get a goodly chunk of Democratic votes. Reagan decided to use the debate to present himself as the man who would present his Republican party as a 1930's style Democratic party. He would infer that Carter was taking the Democrats down the McGovern road. Ronnie now had the Republicans, they wanted a winner, and he could present himself honestly as an FDR fan, Union boss, working class traditional Democrat, type guy.
It was decided that Reagan made the following points in the 1980 debates. He did. They were:
1.That Reagan had been a Democrat up until 1962. He
was then and still was a fan of FDR. He was to call
FDR his political hero.. Reagan did that in the
Reagan/Carter debate.
2. Reagan was to make the point that his views had not
changed from the days he was a Democrat and supported
his Hero...FDR. The Democratic party had changed
not Reagan. Reagan made that point twice.
3. Reagan was to emphasize that he was currenly a member
in good standing of his UNION. And that he had been
elected President of that UNION not once but twice.
Union Presidents are not ANTI UNION.
4. Reagan wast to make the point that he had not
dismantled government when he was governor of
California. He was to say that "safety net"
expenditures were increased every single year he was
Governor of California. They were and he did.
5. He was to talk about welfare queens that ripped off
the system so there were not enough funds to take
care of the real needy. That was a straddle to
please both the left and the right. It worked.
6. Reagan talked about the fat cats ripping off the
government. He would fix it so the money got to the
people that needed it. That was right out of Harry
Trumans playbook. REagan said was not against
governemnt programs.... he was against government
waste. And he was. It was the truth.
7. Reagan was to say his Economic policies were the
same as those enacted by John F. Kennedy and
supported by both John and Teddy kennedy in 1960.
That was the truth too. It was music to the ears
of a lot of Democrats that did not like Carter.
Those were the prime points Reagan intended to make and did make in the 1980 debate. Reagan knew he had to get a bunch of the left to win and he did it. His run to the left picked up his poll numbers by over 10 points.
It went from a close race that Jimmy Carter could have won to a Reagan blow out. And what Reagan said was true. He did not lie about his beliefs. Ronald Reagan WAS a giant FDR fan.
What did Reagan do in office. He cut taxes and increased spending. Just like FDR and JFK did before him. He claimed the Democrats made him spend it, but he signed the spending bills. He said he would end the department of Education. Once in office he never did it.
Reagan asked congress over and over to LIMIT the GROWTH of Government. He never once proposed that it get smaller. He only wanted it to grow slower than it had under Carter.
Reagan did build up the military, but so did Wilson, FDR, LBJ, and JFK. Reagan used the military but so did Clinton. Reagan was no more hawkish on the military than many Democrats before him. He used to describe himself as a Scoop Jackson Democrat. And that is what Ronald Reagan was.
People around here keep using Reagan as an example of far right wing success. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Reagan was a centerist.
Back in 1991 my Nephew was assigned to do an NBC library program for use when Reagan dies. Yes Virginia all the networks keep lots of prepared footage put together for Presidential deaths. They have them for the current and all former living office holders. The update them every year or two.
To do this upgrade in 1991 my Nephew met with Reagan for interviews. One of which took place in a barber shop.. But that is another story. My Nephew is slightly to the left of Brokaw and thought the right wing image of Reagan was true.
He called me in amazement when he was finished the actual interviews. He said Reagan was exactly what I said he was. He was astonished. I told him he does not believe his own propaganda.. why did he believe his predecessors?
I told my amazed nephew what I tell you. I was there when it happened. That is a great help in understanding what actually happened. You know what the media has told you happened. That is a great detriment to understanding what happened.
LOL...so now I have an "ilk"?! Interesting, Mr. Tator...I guess everything is relative and your perception of the transformation of Reagan from DINO to RINO differs significantly from what I've read over the years, but a lot of your facts ring true. Still, I don't consciously believe much at all of what the Media tells me...then again, when you are immersed in the Culture who knows what has soaked in unconsciously.
Relatively speaking, though, in 1980, Jerry Ford was the Centrist and Reagan was indeed the Far Right candidate for a time when Socialism had continued to hold sway until we were suffering from a malaise and the Gipper did a great deal to bring us out of it. He may not have been successful in decreasing the size of the Federal Leviathan, but he definitely sowed the seeds of doubt in many of us that a Centralized Bureaucracy was something that could--or should--be expected to solve all of Life's dilemmas. I believe it is up to us to pick up that knowledge and run with it. Federal Government spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product has increased past 25% for the first time since WWII and this is despite defense spending accounting for an almost historic low percentage of that!! Do we allow it to continue to grow to 30%?! How 'bout 40%?! No, I say we begin to make the tough choices that decrease it back to 20%...15%...8%!! Of course it can be done, but only by winning over the hearts and minds of the American people. Perhaps Dubyuh can accomplish this in the next 6 1/2 years, or at least begin moving the ball in the Right direction...my complaint with him is that lately the balls been moving in the Wrong direction and Dubyuh doesn't seem to be overly concerned with it.
FReegards, Ol' Man...MUD
A minor error in an otherwise interesting story. Reagan did not make his famous Goldwater speech at the 1964 GOP convention at the Cow Palace. In fact, Reagan's speech was a nationwide television address two weeks before the election. I believe it was carried by all the networks and the speech alone helped sway enough voters over to Goldwater so that he got 40% of the popular vote and carried six states.
But, as you suggest, the real winner was Reagan, who became an overnight political superstar after that one magnificent performance. And then went on to become the Man who won the Cold War.
I love Ronnie.