Was Ronald Reagan Hard To Become President?

Ronald Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 through 1989, created economic policies throughout his presidency that aimed to pull the United States out of a recession. His policies, called Reaganomics, reduced government spending and reduced tax rates in order to foster economic growth. Reagan also appointed many conservative judges to the Supreme Court and federal courts in order to shift ideologies to the right. Because of this, Reagan was both underrated and overrated as a president.

One major reason Ronald Reagan was able to defeat Carter in the election of 1980 was because Carter failed to rescue the hostages from the American embassy, prior to the election. He had already run for president in 1968 and in 1976, but didn’t win until 1980 as a Republican nominee because he established himself as the conservative candidate with the support of like-minded organizations such as the American Conservative Union. Reagan had several policies to try to recover the economy, one of them being deregulation, in which he advocated limiting government involvement in business. Following this policy, he deregulated several industries from government control. Another policy was to reduce inflation by controlling the growth of the money

When Ronald Reagan became the president of the United States in 1980, he took on the worst economic mess since the Great Depression. The United States was involved with the Cold War with the Soviet Union, mortgage rates were two and a half times that of the amount in 1960 (15.4%), seven million Americans were unemployed, the national debt was $934 billion dollars, and tax rates skyrocketed as high as seventy percent (Reagan, “The State of the Nation’s Economy” 290). Reagan’s predecessor Jimmy Carter planned to fix this dreadful economy of the 1970s with a tax increase of fifty billion dollars, whereas Reagan knew that the best way to fix the economy was with tax decreases. Under the Reaganomics program, “tax rates were to be cut by thirty percent. Tax revenues were to be reduced by forty-four billion dollars in 1982 and eventually result in a $500 billion reduction over the next five years. Never before in the history of the nation had a president proposed reducing taxes by so much for such a long period of time” (Wilson 25). Reagan’s tax cuts involved a greater decrease for the wealthy, but everyone else also received massive tax relief. Reagan’s idea was that when the

President Reagan’s radical tax cuts lead to a decrease in unemployment and an increase in incomes for Americans of all statuses. Despite the fact that, “in the late 1970s, the US economy was experiencing what was then the greatest economic crisis since the great depression… almost every economic measure substantially improved after Reagan’s reforms took effect” (Hannaford). Editors Pat Hannaford and Darcy Allen observe that, “by reducing America’s tax burden, Reagan’s

The phenomenon dubbed the “Reagan Revolution,” can have its roots traced back decades, as early as the 1950s. It is important to start in this era, as it sets the stage for the 60s, which ultimately leads into the 70s and 80s, as history tends to portray a cause and effect relationship. Each of these generations contribute to this revolution of conservatism becoming the most popular view in the nation because of their cultural and social elements, with the 60s being the most important period. However, there is also an effect that stems from the previous Presidents, and their governing abilities, or lack thereof, that held office before Reagan. Ultimately, it is a blend of these two components at the same time in their respective decades,

He believed that a tax cut would stimulate the economy and help balance the budget. Reagan had the uncanny ability to project what he wanted and he trusted people to do it. Sometimes that backfired on him but for the most part, it stood firm. The “Power of Persuasion” was something that learned how to do well from his acting career (Reagan, n.d.).

Neither Republicans nor Democrats will admit it today, but Ronald Reagan was a very fiscally liberal president. His eagerness to please citizens with tax cuts and a boost in defense spending, all while balancing the budget, seemed well placed, but with the largest deficit run in peacetime up to that time, Reagan proved he did not have the heart to make cuts to control the budget. Additionally, the change from reactionary monetary policy to monetarism by Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker dealt with the increasing inflation and unemployment problem of the late 1970’s, but at the cost of deep recession. Reagan, who as a candidate had promised economic prosperity, found himself in a difficult situation, as his plans for growth were

The United States during the mid to late 70’s was in a constant state of alert; millions of citizens waiting for the piercing sounds of the air raid sirens to slice through the night air. America was in need of a leader, someone who could unify a divided country and save it from crushing economic failure. One man saw his need and stood up to the task, his name is President Ronald Reagan. Reagan rose to power as President during one of the most critical periods in not only American history, but also, World history: The arms standoff of the cold war. His actions as a unifier in the homeland and as a diplomat in foreign halls changed the way Americans and citizens of the world lived their lives.

Although many people have a very positive outlook and perspective on Ronald Reagan’s bold motives, he was a risk-taker and many people disagreed with his plan of actions. Despite lowering the poverty rates, the Reagan Administration set records for budget deficits. After scrutinizing President Carter for acquiring a $50 billion deficit, Reagan’s personal deficits exceeded $200 billion. He quadrupled the national debt in only a matter of eight years. Even though many Republicans blamed Congress for the deficits, all eight of the budgets Congress passed had less spending and smaller deficits than the budgets proposed by Reagan. James Tobin had this to say about Reagan’s leadership: “The awful truth is that Reaganomics was a fraud from the beginning. The moral of it’s failures and of it’s legacies is that a nation pays a heavy price when it entrusts its government and economy to simplistic ideologues—however smooth their performances on television. (James Tobin, 1988, pg. 103) Despite bringing poverty rates down, Reagan managed to increase the nation’s deficit by an all-time. Opposed to his bold decision-making, his standards of taking risks counteracted his main objective of decreasing the nation’s poverty.

Conservatives’ fear of Big Government put Ronald Reagan in a good spot based on his ideology “that all the nation’s problems stem from the belief that Federal Government can fix all problems,” (102) and that we “asked [working people] to carry the additional burden of a segment of society capable of caring for itself,” (116). These fell well in line with the deeply conservative standpoint against social welfare. Reagan also appealed to the more morally conservatives by his own moral and religious standpoints (121). As a support of small government, this resounded very well within the conservative moment. It was observed that, “The success of Reagan’s campaign signaled a transformation of American political landscape. He had managed to create a fusion,” (117).

Ronald Reagan won his presidency in the year of 1980. His win was a part of the vast growing conservation movement that was so vastly coming across American territory. At this time, he spoke about the “economic freedom”. Reagan had doubters but he didn’t let that stop him. He felt that in order to receive the “economic freedom” he would need to limit the power that was held by the unions. Another way was helping reduce tax prices and dissolving current regulations. He had an opinion for the tax policy. Reagan principles as stated in (Foner, 480) "of the right to earn your own keep and keep what you earn". As Reagan would see it tax assessment the standard of (Foner, 480) and this is "being free" (Foner, 480). He could achieve his arrangement to diminish assesses in 1981, when he persuaded

As the infected number and death toll continued to rise, Reagan made the fight against AIDS a priority and over the course of the 80’s spent $2.3 billion on it to search for a cure. Although the national debt severely increased under Reagan, he struggled to fix the failing American economy and there was economic growth during his presidency. Reagan inherited a poor economy from past presidents, but he did his best to fix it. Reagan’s economic policy was dubbed Reaganomics, or supply side economics, and it had the goal of lowering the taxes of wealthy individuals and businesses in hopes that they would stimulate the rest of the economy. Under Reagan, the Economic Recovery Tax Act lowered many different types of taxes, and he believed that under a free market and a more laissez faire approach, the economy would fix itself over time. Reagan also deregulated industries, especially transportation and oil industries. Although manufacturing declined, the service industries actually grew under Reagan. Reagan also had the vision of shrinking the size of the federal government. He spent less on social programs, but kept previous programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. While in office, Reagan appointed many new positions in government. He is remembered for appointing the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor. She was more liberal than Reagan expected her to be, and he continued to appoint more conservatives to the Supreme Court.

His impact owed more in part to being at the right place and at the right time, as seen in support from the rise of tax activists nationwide at the time. Of course, his actual substantive policymaking only generally followed much of his anti-tax, anti-government message that he emphasized on his campaign into the white house. Facing a Democratic congress in his final two years as president, many of his objectives especially that of welfare reform, fell short. He faced critics on both sides of the party aisle who remained critical of his positive belief in supply side economics and whose objectives for government shrinking was curtailed as the federal deficit nearly doubled under his presidency. Fortunately, by the end of his term as president, the federal tax rate was shown to experience a severe decrease under his presidency. The effect of his favorability in the American public has also meant that his influence has carried on, well after his presidency. Today, the impacts of his administration are felt as many political officials herald Reagan and his objectives for a lower governmental role. Popular support of his presidency also means that many political nominees will closely align themselves to his presidency. Both Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul in 2012 are an eager example of this as both claimed to have a favorable relationship towards the Reagan

The late 1970’s represented a discouraging time in United States History with high unemployment rates and radical countercultural movements (History). The honeymoon stage of the 1960’s and 1970’s dreams were long over; in its place came inflation, turmoil regarding foreign policy,and crime rates that raised to an all time high (History). America was going through both foreign and domestic unrest spurring an economic crisis that eroded the public's faith in both their fellow citizens and their government. America embraced Ronald Reagan’s proposed policies in the election of 1980 because it gave them hope. Ronald Reagan qualifies as the best president because economically he revitalized the United States’ economy, utilized aggressive means to achieve his foreign policy, and created a multitude of domestic policies to strengthen the United States.

He made no doubts that he was an outstanding communicator; he recalls the responses of the audiences at his campaign speeches. Other likeable characteristics were parts of the way he practiced politics. For example, he was a staunch adherent to the “11th Commandment”. Some Republicans followed this ethic, and it forbid one from attacking a fellow party member on any basis other than policy. Reagan was also one to learn—not cut himself—from the past, whether it was in his own past or in world history. His past experiences influenced his policy making when he remembered his father leading an organization during the Great Depression that helped the unemployed find work. The pride in the workmen’s eyes once they found they could be self-sufficient once again inspired Reagan to fight against the excesses of the New Deal which brought dependence on government and a feeling of worthlessness among Americans. Finally, his reasoning behind running was never for self-aggrandizement. Seeing major problems plaguing his state and the nation as a whole, Reagan felt obligated to postpone his own retirement on a serene ranch in California to take action in service of the