The Great Communicator: THE RHETORIC OF RONALD REAGAN
February 1, 2019





Ronald Reagan (born February 6, 1911) was unsurpassed at conveying basic truths in simple terms, using humor to make his points (“There you go again…”), and making people feel part of the Great American Project. His rhetorical skills are sorely missed:

• sunny optimism
• timeless, unwavering principles (moral clarity)
• simple, heartfelt messages (down-to-earth)
• humor and story-telling
• sparing but effective use of indisputable facts and figures
• call a spade a spade
• happy warrior
• identification and personal connection with the audience
• sense of shared mission
• make people feel good about themselves and America
• appeal to patriotism and our better nature
  
• uplifting and inspiring
• years of practice and coaching
  
  

Some of his memorable quotes:

• “Facts are stubborn things.”
• “As government expands, liberty contracts.”
• “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."
• “The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.”
• “The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.”
• “How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.”
• “time to choose”
• “rendezvous with destiny”
• “shining city on a hill”
• “peace through strength”
• “trust, but verify”
• “The Evil Empire”
• “Where’s the beef?”
  
  

PTP highly recommends Speaking My Mind – Selected Speeches by Ronald Reagan.

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