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RONALD REAGAN

Time for choosing, 1964

Who?

Ronald Reagan - president of the US (1981-1989), governor of California (1967-75), as a President he opened the "Age of Reagan" with a dramatic change in national direction; the icon of the conservative movement;

When? 1964-

What ftoes on in America?

As the 1960s progressed, increasing numbers of yoong people began to revolt against the social norms and conservatisni from the 1950s and early 1960s as wetl as the escalation of the Vietnam War and Cold Waf.

In the election of 1964. Lyndon Johnson posiioned himsełf as a moderate, contrasting himsełf against his GOP opponent. Barry Go Id wat er. who the campaign characterized as hardline right-wing (...) Goldwater's race energized the conservabve moyement. chiefly inside the Republican party. R looked for a new leader and found one in Ronald Reagan, elected governor of Calrfornia in 1966 and reelected in 1970 He ran against President Ford for the 1976 GOP nomination. and narrowty lost. but the stage was set for Reagan in 1980

After Kenned/s assassination, vice president Lyndon Baines Johnson served out the remainder of the term, using appeals to finish the job that Kennedy had started to pass a remarkable package of liberał legislation that he called the Great SocietY Johnson used the fuli powers of the presidency to ensure passage the Ciyil Rights Act of 1964. These actions helped Johnson to win a historie landslide in the 1964 presidential election over conservative champion Senator Barry Goldwater. Johnson's big yictory brought an overwhelming liberał majority in Congress^².

In the election of 1964. Lyndon Johnson positioned himsełf as a moderate, contrasting himsełf against his GOP opponent. Barry Goldwater. who the campaign characterized as hardline right-wing. Most famousfy, the Johnson campaign ran a commercial entitled the "Paisv Girl" ad. which featured a little girl pkking petals from a daisy in a field, counting the petals, which then segues into a launch countdown and a nudear explosion. Johnson soundly defeated Goldwater in the generał election, winning 64.9% of the popular vote, and losing only five States in the Deep South, where blacks were not yet allowed to vote, along with Goldwater^ Arizona.

Goldwater‘s race energized the conservative moyement. chiefly inside the Republican party. It looked for a new leader and found one in Ronald Reagan, elected governorof California in 1966 and reelected in 1970. He ran against President Ford for the 1976 GOP nomination, and narrowfy lost, but the stage was set for Reagan in 1980

Why? A speech in support of Barry Goldwater's conservative campaign against Lyndon Johnson in 1964; time for choosing what -?

THE SPEECH

To this day, this speech is considered one of the most effeaive ever madę on behalf of a candidate. Newertheless, Barry Goldwater lost the electon by one of the largest margins in history. Reagan was later called the 'Great Communicator' in recogmtion of his effective speech-makmg sklls.

The speech remains amazingly fresh as a statement of modern American conservative philosophy four decades after it was deliyered.

SUMMARY:

Issues: touching on most of the hotbed issues of the time: Vietnam, welfare, taxes and the ever over budget American government.

• Home policy: Accusing the present government of reducing, taking away the American

people's freedom; government activities as an assault on America's freedom (eg. the right to own); Reagan went beyond the basie party linę that the democrats were ruining America, and picked at every fault in the democrafs plans, he blasted away at all of the programs of the "Great Society", exposed the gross inaccuracies in the planning and execution of existing