I thought I knew a lot about Reagan but I learned some things from the books that really astonished me about the man.
First off I find it interesting to note that both authors mentioned that Reagan really had no intimate friends. He had A LOT of associates but no one that he was really close with and opened up about everything. Even Nancy his second wife who was by his side through a lot seemed to not truly know the man. While in the Presidency he spoke with his aids daily and I guess as soon as he was done as president that he never spoke to many of them ever again. He would be close enough to work effectively with people but never had true deep friendships.
One reason that has been mentioned for this lack of friendship is the fact that Reagan was an actor. He was always in the spotlight and not always enjoyed it. Even with him being an actor though it was noted that he truly did not have friends even in high school while he was the captain of his football team.
Secondly, it was interesting to learn how simple minded President Reagan was. This should not be taken negatively but actually as a compliment with how he ran the country. His ability to be relaxed and laid back really helped him as President especially while working with the Soviet Union.
His simple minded leadership really could be seen by how he addressed issues he had to deal with. He required that his aids would compile a 1 page paper listing the issue at hand. ALL ON ONE PAGE, the issue, the problem with it, the proposed plan and important facts would be listed. Yeah I do not think the health care bill could be listed on one piece of paper.
Something really cool though was the fact that President Reagan had a photo graphic memory. He would really surprise other leaders by his understanding and knowledge simply because he had a photo graphic memory.
All in all, my respect for Reagan grew a lot through reading the books. I do feel that he might be overrated in some facts of his presidency but as a whole, the way that he led the country has been missing since he left the presidency.
Which 2 books did you read, Jacob? I have on my wish-to-read list "When Character Was King." Have you read that one???
ReplyDeleteI read "The Reagan I Knew" by William F. Buckley Jr. who was the editor of the National Review. It speaks of their friendship but even he mentions that Reagan was not close to others. I also read "Ronald Reagan: How and Ordinary Man Became and Extraordinary Leader" by historian Dinesh D'Souza. Bother were very good but Buckley's was from a more personal approach while D'Souza's was from a more historical approach. I have not read that one.
ReplyDelete