Posts Tagged ‘Reagan’

Remember when Volkswagen meant a small, affordable, rather unattractive import car? Most people were so familiar with the automobile they just called it “Bug.” There was absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind as to what was meant by Volkswagen. A direct corollary was that at one time Volkswagen enjoyed over 60% market share for import autos in the US. That is a whopping percentage!

Now-a-days Volkswagen means nearly anything automotive as the company offers a full line of very nice cars. What about the market share numbers? Well…let’s just say ambiguity has its drawbacks.

The above is a great illustration for the current state of the GOP.

Ronald Reagan was and is a figure who elicits strong feelings both positive and negative. Because he was unambiguous regarding his convictions, and because he clearly communicated conservative principles, Reagan engendered great loyalty among the like minded. But he did more than that; President Reagan also won over large numbers of people who were dissatisfied with the liberal direction of the nation but had never been introduced to a clear, concise argument of our founding principles of government. I became a Republican as a direct consequence of thoughtful deliberation and comparison of Liberal verses Conservative ideology and the outcomes of each.

Oh, and by the way, let us not forget Reagan’s “market share” on Election Day 1980 and 1984. The term landslide does not even come close to describing what happened. There was no doubt as to what Mr. Reagan stood for and no doubt that the nation stood with him.

But ever since President Reagan left office the Republican Party has been walking away from the conservative ideas so persuasive to me and millions of others. And lest you think this a mere nostalgia piece praising Reagan let me point out the man had his failings. Yet it is abundantly clear that the areas of failure were when he did not live out conservative principles. The point is this:

No one really knows what it means to be a Republican anymore! And, as we have already established, ambiguity has its drawbacks. The last elections should teach us that much at least!

A final thought for any GOP leadership out there. Being “Fiscally Conservative” is like three day old fish…it stinks! More and more it sounds like a cloak to hide behind, an effort to straddle the fence and not offend anyone. A list of the presidential candidates you have fielded demonstrates clearly that the lessons of Ronald Reagan have been lost on you. Please, if you don’t believe in personal liberty and personal responsibility just admit it. We will find a party that does.

But if the party of Reagan is to become a thing of the past then let us go down fighting for our constitutional liberty rather than just fade away into meaninglessness. God forbid that “this is the way that liberty ends, not with a bang but with a whimper.”

the Berlin Wall came down.

While, Bush 41 was there and helped facilitate the dismantling of the Wall, it was Ronald Reagan’s speech nearly 18 months earlier at the Brandenburg Gate that started the process. Reagan was called a cowboy, an instigator, a rebel, and countless other names; because of his stance, he was ridiculed and maligned. His opponents were sure he’d ignited WW III when he referred to the USSR as the “evil empire,” and yet, now the world is better place for it.

General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberation: come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

I was only six years old when the Wall came down, but I still remember very well the unbelievable and dramatic events of fall 1989 that fortunately ended the infamous division of my country. My own background, originating from a large family of seven in East Germany – the second dictatorship on German soil in the 20th century – and the close study of oppressive systems provided me with an understanding of what freedom, inter alia freedom of speech, religious freedom, free movement, free trade, and academic freedom really means. I am more than convinced that oppression never works and that no such system can survive in the long run.

Conrad Rein

Visit the Reagan Library for more information.