40 - Ronald Wilson Reagan (R-CA)
January 20th, 1981 - March 30th, 1981
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
In the minds of those of a certain age, no other figure elicits such wide-ranging feelings as the 40th President of the United States. Ronald Wilson Reagan, whose political stardom rose from the ruin of Barry Goldwater’s presidential aspirations, still holds a grip over some of the American zeitgeist despite serving as the President for less than 100 days.
Although his leaving came as a shock to the nation, his arrival to the Presidency seemed inevitable in many Republican circles since the late sixties. His movie-star looks and superb communication ability allowed him to easily overshadow other national conservatives in prominence. Having nearly taken down the sitting president of his party in the 1976 Republican primaries, his nomination in 1980 seemed all but assured with the Presidency just a short step away.
In 1980, President Carter was embroiled in crisis after crisis with the holding of American hostages in Tehran since last November being the most stressful of them all. Carter could feel his grip on the presidency fading, and with Ted Kennedy breathing down his neck with a primary challenge, he had to do something big. He had to rescue the hostages; it was the only way now.
Thus, after some planning and a brief delay, Carter gave the green light to Operation Eagle Claw to commence on May 1st, 1980. Carter was a religious man; his piety was one of the pillars of his personal life and his public persona. On the night before the operation, the President, on his knees in the White House residence, would say a prayer asking the Lord to show providence to those involved. That night, he would barely sleep.
In what would come to be a spectacular mission success, US special forces in conjunction with CIA assets in Tehran would seize the embassy, rescue the hostages, and escape from the country. The events would later be portrayed in the 1984 star-studded and Oscar-winning film Eagle Claw. Carter’s popularity as a result would shoot back up as he regained the confidence of the American people as a decisive leader on the world stage. Eagle Claw would also effectively stifle Ted Kennedy’s primary challenge, with Carter winning the vast majority of remaining contests, and allowing him to enter the convention triumphant. Kennedy remarkably would even bend his knee, leading to Carter and Kennedy sharing a moment of unity on the stage.
While Carter bounced back, Reagan’s inevitability was challenged by former CIA Director George Bush who put up more of a fight than expected. As an insult-filled feud broke out between the two leading campaigns, John Anderson would leave the party and announce an independent bid for the Presidency. While Reagan would clinch the nomination by late May, it was bittersweet as his inevitability and poll numbers began to wane.
The situation before the convention left the campaign and Reagan in a precarious position, and it was deemed that they needed a ticket mate that would return the spotlight and stop the bleeding. Reagan was losing moderates, and it appeared many Bush supporters were shifting to Anderson. It was then that an unconventional and historic idea came about within the inner circle of the campaign. There would be no better figure to help unite the party and generate headlines than the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford. While it had never been done before, Reagan was not opposed and was willing to take the chance.
Ford was surprisingly receptive and not insulted by being offered the number two slot on the ticket. Negotiations would take place in maximum secrecy at Detroit Plaza Hotel with Reagan proposing a sort of co-presidency system elevating Ford’s role beyond a typical Vice President’s. Ford’s terms were the return of Kissinger as Secretary of State, and Greenspan at Treasury. The former was the real sticking point with conservatives, with many in Reagan’s camp trying to negotiate him out of the deal. Ford would hold his ground though, bringing the negotiations to a standstill. After a short recess, many of Ford’s people thought the deal had fallen through and that they should pre-eminently decline. They would be shocked when Reagan returned to the suite with a framed peace pipe to present to his former rival.
“Well… I thought it over, and I think it’d be better to have this be our legacy. I accept your terms as long as you agree to keep this framed and on your wall,” Reagan said with a sly movie star grin.
Ford shared a glance with his aides and then his wife, Betty, before returning to Reagan. Taking a deep breath and feeling the pressure on him, he responded, “Sounds like an all-right deal, Governor.” With that, the two men shook hands, while the rest of the room was in a state of awe at what would prove to be a historic moment.
The news of Ford joining the ticket would send shockwaves through the press, with the convention practically roaring at the sight of the two. Ford would approach the podium to give his speech accepting the nomination for Vice President.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to once again have your support, and I will support Ronald Wilson Reagan with my full will. We will unite this party! We will unite this country! We will make it all the stronger, and we will make America great again!”
Both major party candidates would receive a post-convention boost that would lock Anderson out of the debates as he dropped below the polling threshold to attend. In the first debate, Carter and Reagan would go at it with strong performances from each. Reagan would exude optimism and strength, while Carter would speak about his faith and his work to fix the problems that had plagued America in the last few years. Carter, though, would stumble in the second debate when he mentioned discussing nuclear policy with his 13-year-old daughter, Amy. Reagan would pounce on the comments and question the President’s seriousness. Reagan would end the debate with the ultimate question for the American people: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Soon, they would answer.
While not a knockout punch many in the GOP wanted, Reagan would easily claim victory. Carter would narrowly hold many Southern states keeping them in the Democratic column, sparing many several down-ballot Democrats from going down with him.
The joys of victory, though, would soon be followed by the realities of the victorious unorthodox ticket. As per the deal between Reagan and Ford, they would need to work together to form their cabinet. Reagan would move into a tiny white row house in the District in preparation for the inauguration and the transition. It would serve as the setting for several long meetings forming the list of appointees. The newsworthy pick was that, as promised, Kissinger would return as Secretary of State. Although this would please many global diplomats, many conservatives would see it as a step backward.
The rest of the Cabinet would eventually fall into place as follows:
Secretary of State - Henry Kissinger
Secretary of the Treasury - Alan Greenspan
Secretary of Defense - George H. W. Bush
Attorney General - William French Smith
Secretary of the Interior - James G. Watt
Secretary of Agriculture - John Rusling Block
Secretary of Commerce - Malcolm Baldrige Jr.
Secretary of Labor - Raymond J. Donovan
Secretary of Health and Human Services - Richard Schweiker
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Samuel Pierce
Secretary of Transportation - Drew Lewis
Secretary of Energy - James B. Edwards
Secretary of Education - Terrel Bell
Chief of Staff - Donald Regan
UN Ambassador - Jeane Kirkpatrick
Many conservative members of Congress, such as John Ashbrook, would scoff at the cabinet list when he first saw it, decrying, “So much for the conservative revolution.”
This would pass, though, as the excitement for Reagan’s inauguration grew by the day. By the time January 20th arrived, Reagan would take the oath of office to waves of cheers throughout the Capitol. Carter would attend, just the same as outgoing President Ford attended his inauguration. Although saddened at the end of his Presidency, Carter retained that while his presidency had its lows, it also had its triumphs allowing him to be viewed through both lenses.
Reagan, following in the footsteps of his boyhood hero Franklin Roosevelt, set forward an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days. His top focus would be fixing the economy and providing tax relief for the American people. He began working with his Congress allies, notably Representative Jack Kemp, on a tax reform bill. He would task Defense Secretary Bush to prepare plans for the largest military buildup since the Vietnam War, signaling to the world that America was not going to be pushed around anymore.
On the 69th day of his Presidency, Reagan spoke at an AFL-CIO luncheon at the Washington Hilton. The speech, although well-received, was noted more for the President’s soaring pose than any specifics on policy and would be his last. As he was leaving, President Ronald Reagan and several members of his entourage were shot at by John Hinckley Jr., a mentally disturbed 25-year-old man from Colorado. Reagan would be rushed in the Presidential motorcade to George Washington University Hospital but sadly would pass before his arrival.
Despite his short time in office and lack of legislative achievements, President Reagan casts a remarkably large shadow across the minds of America. Like Kennedy, Reagan represented optimism and the very character of America itself. Reagan’s greatest impact would come with those who followed him. Many scholars reflect that Reagan’s greatest decision was to bring peace between factions of the Republican party by picking Ford. Although America had once again suffered a tragedy, it was never in doubt that the nation had a capable and tested leader to pick up the pieces.
