Reagan the Man

"They Broke the Mold When they Fabricated Ronnie." - Nancy Reagan

On the last day of Ronald Reagan's presidency, as he was walking out of the White House to his limousine for the ride to the Capitol, a White House aide looked at the President, and with tears in his eyes quietly said: "In that location volition never be another one like him."

Every president is unique, of course, but there was just something special nearly the man. Yet fifty-fifty people who knew Ronald Reagan well often had difficulty describing him. Optimistic but not naïve. Articulate but not glib. Intelligent however guided by mutual sense. Well mannered only never pretentious. Friendly but not a pushover. Charismatic just real. Principled but non intransigent.

He was all of that and and then much more than. Perhaps the primal to understanding Ronald Reagan is to realize his two defining characteristics – he genuinely liked people, and he was comfortable with who he was. That may not audio like much, but when y'all're President, information technology makes all the deviation.

President Reagan never tired of coming together people. He genuinely enjoyed campaigning, not just because he could advocate for his political positions on key issues, but mostly considering he enjoyed beingness with people. Yous could see it in his eyes. There was a certain sparkle when he shook hands and exchanged a few words. He was not simply "going through the motions." He listened to what people had to say, and thought about what he could do to assist. Often when he was back in his car or on Air Force One, he would turn to an aide and say: "There was a man dorsum there who…" describing the person's plight and asking what could be done about it.

It did not affair to Ronald Reagan whether you were the CEO of a Fortune l corporation, or the janitor who cleaned the CEO'southward role at night. Station in life, gender, race, physical appearance, age – he did not care nigh any of those. What he cared near was people's feelings. Once he made a spoken language that was non his best. The next mean solar day, after reading critical newspaper articles, he told his staff: "They're correct. It wasn't a very expert oral communication, merely the poor fella who wrote it worked his middle out, and I was worried he would feel bad if I changed it too much."

As dandy a speaker as he was, and every bit inspiring every bit his spoken visions could be, Ronald Reagan was equally happy telling a joke to a small grouping in a social situation. He would exist quite animated, and e'er laughed heartily at the punch line – eyebrows raised, eyes crinkled, head back -- his wide grinning lighting up the room. Maybe information technology was the Hollywood part of him that made him experience skillful near having made his audience express mirth. And he was not afraid to express mirth at himself. At the annual White Firm Correspondents' Dinners, no one enjoyed the comedians more when they poked fun at the President than the President himself.

He even found ways to be friends with political adversaries. Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, an old-time Democratic political leader from Massachusetts, would say all kinds of mean things about President Reagan. But rather than get angry or carry a grudge, the President invented a rule that Tip could say whatever he wanted during the 24-hour interval, but at 6 PM, the politics would finish and they would be friends. Goose egg told the story of Ronald Reagan's magnanimity more than than pictures of those two old Irishmen swapping stories and laughing uproariously in the evening after a twenty-four hours of pretty intense verbal assaults.

Some would say that information technology was President Reagan'due south affection for people that fabricated him comfortable with who he was. It was why he never viewed life every bit a burden. On the reverse, he enjoyed it. He smiled easily and often. He took his responsibilities, but not himself, seriously. Sometimes he winked at aides during ceremonies equally if to say "it's just me." He stood tall and walked purposefully, often with a little bounce in his stride. He rarely raised his vox or gave in to anger. Oh, he could get annoyed from time to fourth dimension, merely it was almost always because he was behind schedule and people were kept waiting for him. He never idea of himself equally better or more of import than anyone else. One twenty-four hour period he was running late for a haircut appointment and grumbled near it to a nearby adjutant. The adjutant told the President not to worry considering the barber did non mind waiting. In a very house voice, the President told the adjutant that was not the point. The bespeak was all of the people back at the hairdresser'south shop who were kept waiting because the schedule was overcrowded. From then on, the Appointments Secretary made certain in that location were no meetings scheduled immediately prior to haircuts.

Other than when Mrs. Reagan faced chest cancer, he was non a worrier. Ronald Reagan did non need the Presidency to feel good about himself or to vanquish some deep-seeded doubts. He never pretended to be someone other than who he was. He did not prefer a persona to fit the chore. In fact, he fabricated a point of proverb that he didn't "become" President, just rather that he had been trusted with temporary custody of an Office that belonged to the people.

He knew who he was and he was happy.

That's why he never let ego get in the manner. Information technology was not e'er about him. On his desk in the Oval Office, President Reagan kept a pocket-size plaque with the words: "In that location is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit." He lived that in everything he did. Next to it was a sign that said: "It Tin Be Done." The President kept it there to remind himself and visitors that in America, anything was possible – that nosotros were limited only by our dreams.

It was Ronald Reagan'southward happiness, his optimism, his enjoyment of life and his undying belief in the inherent goodness and spirit of the American people that got united states to believe in ourselves again and put our country back on track. That, more than anything else, is the indelible legacy of the Presidency of Ronald Reagan.