Charles Shiflett Column June 13, 2004

Win One More For The Gipper

Several weeks ago I cleaned out my bedroom closet and loaded up a few bags of clothes for the
Salvation Army. While rummaging through my outdated wardrobe, I came upon an old t-shirt I had
picked up in the mid-1980's. The shirt features a muscled up shirtless caricature of Ronald Reagan
wearing a Rambo bandana with the caption: “Ronbo - You Can Run, But You Can't Hide”. While
humorous, there was a grain of truth in it - just ask Moammar Gadhafi.

I shed a few tears last Saturday, June 5th. Ronald Reagan was more than a president… he was my
president. Both of my grandfathers had passed away in the 1970's and in some ways Reagan also
became my substitute grandfather. He connected with me in a way no other president or elected
official ever has or probably ever will.

The media elite and pointy-headed college academicians could never understand why Americans twice
overwhelmingly elected this B-movie actor to lead our nation. Many referred to Reagan as “The Great
Communicator” - believing that he used his acting skills to his political advantage. I believe instead that
Reagan communicated great things in a way that connected with everyday Americans.

Whether it was foreign policy, economic policy, or moral issues - Reagan was able to take
complicated matters and simplify them. John Q. Public could grasp the importance of Reagan's policy
initiatives and felt comfortable allowing him to lead the nation. You never had to read between the
lines. He stated exactly what he believed.

Whether on the campaign trail or holding a press conference, Reagan's quick wit and genuine
warmness were his strengths. While campaigning against President Carter, whose term was plagued
by an energy crisis, high unemployment, and double-digit inflation, Reagan said, "Inflation is when
your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose your job. Recovery is when Jimmy Carter
loses his job." Homerun politics!

I became a fan of Reagan as a four-year-old when he delivered a stirring speech espousing
conservative values at the 1964 Republican National Convention that nominated Barry Goldwater as its
presidential candidate. Though too young to fully grasp the message, I embraced the messenger. I
rooted for Reagan as he came close to knocking off incumbent Gerald Ford for the GOP nomination in
1976. I knew in my heart that 1980 would be his year and I walked on cloud nine for days after his
defeat of Jimmy Carter that November.

I remember standing in stunned silence at work in 1981 as news came over the radio that Reagan had
been shot. I poured my heart out in prayer for his speedy recovery - knowing that he had been divinely
placed in office. Under Ford and Carter, America had lost her way. Watergate, Viet Nam, runaway
inflation, high unemployment, and lack of faith in the U.S. military had robbed the nation of its
confidence. Ronald Reagan, the eternal optimist, single-handedly restored it.

He didn't continue our failed policy of containing communism -he knew we could win the Cold War. He
would not accept the decline in U.S. military might - he rebuilt our armed forces. He would not accept
a tax code with a top rate of 70% - he drastically cut taxes. He would not accept the moral decay of
American society - he stood firmly with the pro-life and pro-family movements. He had guts, courage,
and was unflinching in his convictions. Reagan was more than a great President - he changed the
world.

Though the political players have changed - the ideals of freedom, liberty, individualism, and faith in
God as embodied by President Ronald Wilson Reagan live on today in our nation - and we must be
ever vigilant in protecting them.

I was born in the last year of the Eisenhower administration and to this point have lived under ten
presidents. While he may lack Reagan's communication skills, of those ten men, George W. Bush
probably comes closest to Reagan in the way he stands by his convictions and tells it how it is. In
stark contrast, John Kerry opposed almost everything Reagan accomplished.

Like many Americans, the constant barrage of attacks against President Bush by the left and their
friends in the media had dampened my enthusiasm for politics this year. But as I fondly look back on
the positive influence Ronald Reagan had on this nation and the world - my passion for furthering the
agenda laid by Reagan 24 years ago has been rekindled. It's time once again to win one more for the
Gipper.