Customer Reviews

A SHINING CITY: THE LEGACY OF RONALD REAGAN

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book illustrates (although I prefer video) the powerful speeches of our 40th President. If anyone is interested in why he was labeled the Great Communicator, this book might be a good place to start. Reagan himself denied he was great speechmaker but said that his speeches expressed "great ideas". That's what he was all about... pragmatic yet poetic, realistic, idealistic, and (as history has shown) prophetic.

Ronald Reagan's presidency has been ranked as mediocre by many historians, as one observer so thoughtfully noted. Of course, he failed to mention that many of these same "wise men" (who were carefully eviscerated by Dinesh D'Souza in his latest book on Reagan) were upset with Reagan for a reason. He ignored their advice, proved them wrong again and again, and achieved success despite their frequent and brutal attacks against his character. Many of the historians who have made careers blasting Reagan have spent their entire lives prostrated in front of dead gods (collectivism in all its many forms, the politcally correct, statism, etc.). They were and are apologists for the sytems that produced Stalin, Mao, Mengitsu, Pinochet, Pol Pot, Suharto, Idi Amin, Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, and a host of other genocidal murderers (although most of these historians lack the bootlicking servility towards totalitarianism evident in such "intellectuals" as Sartre). Reagan resolutely opposed these tendencies and won the war, both on the political and intellectual front. He led the vanguard that demonstrated irrefutably that freedom in the political sphere and freedoom in the economic sphere are inseparable.

Proving that Reagan wasn't affected by Alzheimer's in office, or even shortly thereafter this books details his wit, intelligence and vaunted communication skills. The tributes from world leaders meshes nicely with the speeches themselves.

For so long time we have been oppressed by the propaganda of the Evil Empire. And then, all of a sudden, along came the man who liberated us from those evil people. Ronald Reagan will be always rememebered by us as not only as Great Communicator, but also as Great Liberator. The world will be missing him and every February 6 should be observed as Great Presidents' Day. GOD BLESS YOU DEAR PRESIDENT! THE WORLD IS IN DEBT BEFORE YOU!

Ronald Reagan's speeches give us an insight into the complex character of this great and historic man. The liberal press and electronic media still refuse to give him the credit he deserves for ending the cold war and revitalizing the U.S., both spiritually and economically. His critics pan him for deficit spending when during his administrations the governemnt took in more revenue than any time in history despite tax cuts. The Democrat congress just spent all of it and more. President Reagan did not veto the spending bills as many think he should have, but rather used them as chips for political support for his missile defense system. This system, or the contemplation of it by Gorbachev was the single most influential factor in the negotiations between the US and Soviets. These negotiations led to the fall of Communism, an event still troubling many in the liberal press. As far as social programs, propaganda to the contrary, during the Reagan years school lunch programs increased 120% and other social programs were at all time highs. So here was the first 'Compassionate Conservative". George W. Bush is following suit.

While rich in history and with a Republican bent, this work offers readers insight into the words of possibly our greatest presidential communicator, Ronal Reagan. Reading his words as they were elegantly delivered throught his career allows the reader to ponder the challenges faced and provides insight into our 40th US President. An appreciation for his struggles and his quest to level an all too hilly playing field is easily experienced by readers. His words truly embody the spirit of freedom, appreciation of our rich history and values that are solidly American. A wonderful read.

This is an awesome collection of his last few speeches. He could say just about anything and the American people would be right behind him...he was a true leader, and the best President ever!

Unlike the "review" above which pretends to be legitimate when in reality it is nothing more than the same old democrat liberal partisanship and bitterness that Reagan is beloved by millions. Plus the facts are wrong in the "review". Anyway, this book pretends to break no new ground. What do you expect in a book that is a compilation of speeches? But for those who are interested in reading the eloquence of Reagan's speeches and what his last public speeches were about will find the book satisfying.

Wonderful book about the best president of the 20th century. I know everyone says FDR was the best but he only created big government problems that still plague America today. Reagan's economic and political vision created the wide spread economic prosperity that we all enjoy today and finally ended the cold war.

In this so-called "history" book on the "legacy" of President Ronald Reagan, Reagan is shown to be the Republican party's FDR, when in fact he is rated generally by most historians as a mediocre or worse President.

The writers ignore the fact that during Reagan's years, the bottom 80% saw less than 5% of the inflation adjusted income increase while the top 5% saw their incomes skyrocket. The writers ignore that the top marginal tax rate on the wealthy fell from 70% to 28% under Reagan's watch and that the national debt in the Reagan/Bush years(which had taken 38 Presidents 200 years to create)grew by 400% in just 12 years.

For those Republicans who are dying to have a positive Reagan legacy and are willing to fool themselves to do so, this one is a winner.

Yet, for anybody truly interested in history and the real legacy of Reagan, this one is a stinker.

For the real Reagan legacy, we need to turn to only Haynes Johnson's "Sleepwalking Through History," and not these ridiculous right wing books only Rush Limbaugh could enjoy.