Words to Live By

Newspapers

The subject today? Newspapers. Every year in March, President Reagan would deliver a speech to the National Newspaper Association at their annual meeting, often inviting them to the White House. His remarks were always very entertaining – and well, you know the phrase, keep your friends close but your enemies closer? He always kept his eye on the ball.

The Olympics and Controversy

Today’s podcast on the Olympics is inspired by some of the controversies surrounding the 2022 Beijing games, which is no surprise because controversies have plagued this global event for years. Today, you’ll hear Ronald Reagan’s critical thinking on the subject from the 1970’s.

Voice of America

It’s hard to believe that 80 years ago, the Voice of America, America’s radio outreach to spread freedom and truth globally, was created. So, 40 years ago, in February 1982, our 40th president celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Voice of America. We think you will truly enjoy these remarks – not only does he give a history of the Voice of America, but tells some great old radio stories to entertain his audience.

The Presidential Press Conference

In Ronald Reagan’s eight years as president, he held a total of 46 press conferences which is one of the lowest numbers compared to other presidencies. For example, in their eight years, Eisenhower and Clinton faced the press 193 times, Bush ’43 met with the White House Press corps 210 times and to date, Biden is at number nine. Although President Woodrow Wilson held the first presidential press conference on March 15,1913, the modern idea of a live, televised press conference dates basically from the Eisenhower Administration. Prior to that, the rules governing press conferences favored the president.

Faith and the National Prayer Breakfast

The month of February held very special meaning for Ronald Reagan for a number of reasons. Yes, his birthday was February 6th followed by Valentine’s Day when he always honored his beloved wife, Nancy. But the other important event in February during his presidency was the opportunity to address the national prayer breakfast. In case you aren’t familiar with it, the National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held in Washington, D.C., usually on the first Thursday in February. It’s actually a series of meetings, luncheons, and dinners—and has taken place since 1953 and has been held at least since the 1980s at the Washington Hilton’s International Ballroom attended by some 3500 guests, with invitees attending from over 100 countries.

Hosni Mubarak, Former President of Egypt

One of the most heartbreaking moments in Reagan’s presidency came early in his term, when his dear friend and colleague, Anwar Sadat, was assassinated. The President greatly admired everything about his leadership and character and worried about who would follow and uphold the principles the fine man initiated. Who would take the helm in Egypt? The man who followed Sadat, Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, was an Egyptian military and political leader who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011.

FDR and Reagan

Ronald Reagan had tremendous respect for FDR, in many ways; in how he communicated and inspired the American people and how FDR was a devoted public servant. 40 years ago, on January 28th, 1982, the President delivered remarks at a White House Luncheon, celebrating the Centennial of the Birth of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We’ll listen to these remarks but first, on May 25th, 1977, then former Governor Ronald Reagan delivered a radio address, entitled Public Servants. As you listen, think about the Air Traffic Controllers strike which occurred 4 years later in 1981, during his first year in office.

State of the Union

On January 27, 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivered his sixth State of the Union address, calling for cuts in domestic spending, an increase in the defense budget, and an assurance of no tax increases. But before he delivered the speech to Congress, he prepared a radio address to the nation, to be delivered several days before his annual State of the Union Address. Inspired by FDR’s Fireside Chats, Ronald Reagan felt there was an intimacy to radio which could not be replicated. And this intimacy provided an opportunity to touch the American people in a completely unique way. So, on January 24, 1987,  in this informative address, the President gave the American people a little history on the State of the Union tradition.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

In this podcast, we’ll look back to a few addresses delivered by President Reagan in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. As you recall, beginning almost immediately after King’s assassination in April 1968, members of Congress proposed that his birthday ought to be a national holiday, but bills mandating the occasion went nowhere. The effort received more publicity when, after about a decade, shortly after the failure of a bill that was introduced by Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan in September of 1979, Stevie Wonder released a song called “Happy Birthday.” Despite its cheery title, it was specifically meant to make a case for the holiday, calling out anyone who didn’t support the idea. In 1982, Coretta Scott King and Stevie Wonder presented a petition with more than six million signatures in support of the holiday to the then speaker of the house. In November 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill establishing the third Monday of January as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday.

A Global New Year’s Greetings

Delivering a warm New Year’s greeting to the American people was always an important tradition for President Reagan. And these greetings reflected more than the extension of glad tidings and joy. By January 1982, 40 years ago, he had been in office 11 months, he already witnessed the successful passage of his economic agenda and, interestingly, began to transition to a global strategy with speeches throughout the year, echoing his intentions.