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'''Ronald Wilson Reagan''' (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004, age 93) served as the 40th [[President of the United States of America]] from 1981 to 1989. He was the 33rd Governor of [[California]] (1967–1975), following a successful career in film and television. He has been widely recognized as was one of the greatest American Presidents and an important part of the conservative movement from since the late 1970s to the present. His victorious presidential debate with Jimmy Carter a week before the 1980 presidential election was the most-watched presidential debate in history until [[Donald Trump]]'s first debate with [[Hillary Clinton]] in 2016.

Reagan was a [[movement conservative]] who succeeded in moving the nation to the right in terms of reducing federal regulation and lowering taxes. He promoted Individual Liberty individual liberty and the conviction that government was the problem and private enterprise the solution. He cut taxes but despite his proposals, spending and the federal deficit went up. After a short sharp recession early in his first term, the economy was strong by 1984. Proclaiming "It's Morning Again in America", Reagan carried 49 of 50 states to win reelection. He moved the [[Supreme Court]] and the federal courts to the right with his appointments.

Reagan's [[Supply-side economics|supply-side economic]] policies were based on the [[libertarian]] ideas of [[Milton Friedman]] and the [[Chicago School of Economics]]. "Reaganomics" was based on the idea that tax cuts will spur savings and investment. Reagan was strongly opposed to the concept of [[Big government]], advocating a reduction in the size and budget of the federal government. During his terms in office, he faced a divided Congress split between Republican and Democratic control for six of his eight years as president. Reagan was known for forging alliances with "[[Conservative Coalition|boll weevil]]" (conservative) Democrats to overcome the apparent majority led by Democratic Speaker [[Tip O'Neill]].

In foreign affairs, Reagan rejected ''détente '' with the [[Soviet Union]], but not with [[China]]. His massive defense buildup forced the Soviets to confront their crumbling financial base. He rejected the legitimacy of Communism and in the [[Reagan Doctrine]] systematically challenged and eventually destroyed Soviet strength in the Third World. After 1986 the new leadership of [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] who tried desperately to rescue Communism by cutting its losses; they came to terms with Reagan; the Communist empire collapsed in 1989 a few months after Reagan left office, and Communism was abolished (and Gorbachev repudiated) by Russia in 1991. Reagan is thus credited with achieving victory in the Cold War.<ref>Knopf (2004)</ref><ref>Multiple references:

By all accounts, including by many of his adversaries, Reagan was a highly intelligent individualwith an excellent sense of humor. He also contributed many new well-thought-through [[insight]]s to the general public that were not previously available.<ref>Tear Down This Wall, Laffer Curve, etc. See [[conservative insights]]</ref>

Reagan took religious values into the presidency that he learned from his [[Disciples of Christ]] background at home and at Eureka College, a Disciples school. He was strongly influenced by Ben Hill Cleaver, the minister of the First Christian Church<ref>The formal name of the denomination is the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).</ref> in Dixon, Illinois, during the 1920s, and by Reagan's mother, Nelle, an active member of the church. At many points the positions taken by the Disciples Church of Reagan's youth coincided with the words, if not the beliefs of the latter-day Reagan. These positions included faith in Providence, the association of America's mission with God's will, belief in progress, trust in the work ethic and admiration for those who achieved wealth, an uncomfortableness with literature and art that questioned the family or challenged notions of proper sexual behavior, the presumption that poverty is an individual problem best left to charity rather than the state, sensitivity to problems involving alcohol and drugs, and reticence to use government to protect civil rights for minorities. Reagan's experiences in the church and with the Cleavers provided early training in public speaking and offered a way of learning in which acting played a central part. Reagan's use of the jeremiad and his fusing of Judeo-Christianity <ref>[https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganreligiousliberty.htm Ronald Reagan]. National Affairs Campaign Address on Religious Liberty (Abridged) - delivered 22 August 1980, Dallas Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas.</ref><ref>Tom Freiling (2003). ''Reagan's God and Country: A President's Moral Compass''. p. 19.</ref><ref>Reagan, R. (2005). Memorial Services in the Congress of the United States and Tributes in Eulogy of Ronald Reagan, Late a President of the United States. United States: U.S. Government Printing Office, [https://books.google.com/books?id=L-Oup8TM63MC&pg=PA24 p. 24].</ref><ref name=ae1966/> and patriotism into a civil religion also have their roots in this early period. For her part, Nelle was a pillar of the church and the one who provided stability to the shaky Reagan family when the head was drunkard and a poor provider. She helped spark her son's interest in acting and believed the stage could be a force for noble purposes.<ref>Stephen Vaughn, "The Moral Inheritance of a President: Reagan and the Dixon Disciples of Christ." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 1995 25(1): 109-127. 0360-4918</ref>

Reagan's movie career faded in the late 1940s but he made a successful transition to television, especially as a host, and became a celebrity on the speakers' circuit. He traveled the country as a motivation speaker for [[General Electric]], attracting highly appreciative audiences for his polished, witty speeches based on a wide reading in current events and libertarian economic principles. Reagan also starred in the 1960s television series ''[[Death Valley Days]].''. By 1964 , he had appeared in over 50 more than fifty films.

While remaining a Democrat Reagan married Nancy Davis on March 4, 1952, at The Little Brown Church, located in the 1950sSan Fernando Valley, California. Nancy Davis's father was a strongly [[conservative]] neurosurgeon from the [[Midwest]], Dr. Loyal Davis, who had a big political influence on Reagan started to increasingly hold . By 1961, Reagan wrote a lengthy [[conservative points ]] article that was published by the [[Association of viewAmerican Physicians and Surgeons]],<ref>https://jpands. After org/vol27no4/reagan.pdf</ref> a conservative group of doctors founded in 1943. Reagan remained a registered Democrat in the 1950s, but actively supporting [[Richard Nixon]]'s campaign for president in 1960and had been developing [[conservative]] viewpoints while working for [[General Electric]].<ref>https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/01/ronald-reagans-conservative-conversion-as-spokesman-for-general-electric-during-the-1950s.html</ref> In 1962, Reagan felt that the [[Democrat Party]] had left him and he publicly switched his political parties and officially became party to become a Republican in 1962. He realized that he had diverged greatly from fully rejected the tax-and-spend liberalism of the Democratic Party, and its appeasement of [[communism]]. As a part of Reagan's change in viewpoints, he came to be a fan of former president [[Calvin Coolidge]], and would later replace a painting of Truman with that of Coolidge in the White House Cabinet Room.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/04/opinion/calvin-reagan.html Calvin Reagan], [[The New York Times]]</ref>

[[Image:Reagangovernor.jpg‎|left|thumb|275px|Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan at the Victory celebration for California Governor at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California 11/8/66.]] In the 1966 gubernatorial campaign, conservatives generally supported Reagan over George Christopher, the Republican mayor of [[San Francisco]].  Already at the 1966 campaign Reagan began to stress Judeo-Christianity.<ref name=ae1966>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/reagan/ The American Experience | Reagan]. [http://www.shoppbs.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/filmmore/transcript/transcript1.html Enhanced Transcript].<blockquote><small>Lyn Nofziger, Press Secretary: They looked at Ronald Reagan, that dumb actor and they said, oh man, this is the guy we want to run against. He has no political experience, ah he's not going to be able to handle himself well . Stu Spencer: So we devised a technique where he would give his twenty-minute speech and incidentally Ronald Reagan wrote all his own speeches when he ran for Governor in 1966. He'd give the twenty-minute speech and we'd open it to twenty minutes of Q and A for... for the people there at the meeting or the press, and if he could handle those questions we felt we could get over the hump of here's an empty person who doesn't know anything about government or doesn't have any real ideas. Reporter: Ronnie, where do you stand on the death penalty. Reagan: You just expressed a question which is also as much on the minds of the people in the state as Berkeley. This too is a question asked all over the state. And as I've answered to those other people, I would tell you I think all of us have wavered back and forth on this issue because of our Judeo-Christian background our questioning as to our right to take human life. But I believe we have the right to take human life in defense of our own.</small></blockquote></ref> Reagan defeated Christopher, and incumbent [[liberal]] [[Democrat]] [[Pat Brown]] in the general election, taking fifty-three of California's fifty-eight counties. Reagan's strategists wanted to emphasize libertarian support for smaller government and less taxation, as the state verged on a revolt against high property taxes. As student and black unrest exploded in the headlines, Reagan's call for [[Law and order]] won the votes of former liberals. Reagan's victory marked the end of New Deal liberalism in California.<ref>Dallek, Matthew. "Liberalism Overthrown." ''American Heritage'' (1996) 47(6): 39+ Fulltext online at Ebsco</ref>

The U.S. Senate rejected Bork's confirmation on a 42–58 vote. Reagan then turned to [[Douglas Ginsburg]], who withdrew his name from considerationwhen it was discovered he smoked [[marijuana]], which was [[illegal]], with his students. Finally, the much less controversial (but more [[liberal]]) Californian [[Anthony Kennedy]] was nominated, who was confirmed on a 97–0 vote.

Executive Order 12612 was rescinded with Executive Order 13083 by the [[authoritarian]] [[Democrat]] [[Bill Clinton]] on May 14, 1998.<ref>[https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=55957 Executive Order 13083 - Federalism]</ref><ref>[https://www.heritage.org/research/reports/1998/06/president-clintons-sellout-of-federalism President Clinton's Sellout of Federalism], [[Heritage Foundation]]</ref>

*Reagan was the first and only divorced president.*Reagan was the first president to break the so-called "[[Curse of Tippecanoe]],", i.e., the first president elected in a twenty-year cycle who did not die in office (although an attempt was made on his life in 1981).

[[Category:Former Democrats]]