FREE ESSAY ON REAGAN'S POPULARITY

REAGAN'S POPULARITY

Ronald Reagan presided over the United States from 1981 to 1989. Even though the country
was experiencing major economic and social problems, he was popular for the majority of
the time he was in office. Throughout his presidency, he and his administration worked
continuously to build his image as a true American. Partially because of his image, the
public ignored the rise in unemployment, the drop in salaries, the increase of people
living in poverty, the increase of children born out of wedlock, and the rising number of
people in jail. Reagan was popular because the public was focussing on his image and his
promises, not what was actually happening.
Ronald Reagan's inaugural speech had a patriotic theme. In it, he stated that the
country, which had unlimited potential, was limiting itself by jeopardizing its future.
Striving to create a sense of confidence, he pledged to "cut taxes and end deficit
spending" and to restore the glory of the United States (35). He sensed what the public
wanted, and he promised to achieve it. Throughout his terms, he wanted them to feel that
life was improving, whether it actually was or was not.
Reagan's image played a key role in his popularity. To his oath taking on inauguration
day, he wore a formal suit. The public approved of his formal attire; his glamorous image
seemed to promise that prosperity and security were in store. His good looks and sense of
humor won over the public, and his self-confidence persuaded them to trust in him. His
acting ability allowed him to convince his audience that everything he said would happen;
the audience automatically trusted him to take care of them. To give him the appearance
of a hard worker, his staff released a daily schedule that showed him working long hours.
To protect his image, his staff allowed him to take part in few news conferences. His
strong, self-confident image would be shattered if the public saw his confusion that
resulted from his partial deafness and the unexpected questions. When he did not say
anything worth printing, White House spokesman Larry Speakes would supply a quote. Reagan
increased his patriotic image by hosting a party in celebration of the Statue of Liberty.
Leslie Stahl, a reporter for CBS, called him a "symbol of pride in America" (64).
Along with his image, the public also fell in love with his personality. They enjoyed
hearing his speeches, filled with entertaining anecdotes and jokes. Knowing that he meant
well, they overlooked his factual errors. Most people did not realize that somebody else
had written the President's speeches, anecdotes, and jokes. His sense of humor also
fascinated the public when he joked about John Hinckley's assassination attempt on him.
His popularity increased, and he received increased support from both the public and
Congress. Reagan had an "instinctive ability to reassure and soothe...grieving Americans"
after a tragedy (54). After the Challenger exploded in early 1986, he gave a speech that
emphasized renewal, saying that Americans must move forward and achieve great
accomplishments to honor those who died. Reagan also made an effort to meet his promises.
In order to lower taxes and to build up the military, Reagan met with Congress about 70
times to discuss the issues. 
Reagan's administration and the media were other key reasons for his popularity. James
Baker, Edwin Meese, and Michael Deaver, all three of whom occupied major positions in the
White House, "sensed the public's strong desire to see a president succeed and understood
that the media could play a critical role in assuring success" (54). His staff welcomed
the media in hopes of controlling them and gave them many opportunities to photograph
Reagan working. To appeal to a television audience, Reagan gave many speeches
specifically written to appeal to their emotions. An article on television criticized
Reagan, contrasting his attendance of the Handicapped Olympics with the reduction of
federal support for the handicapped. The article was to his advantage; the pictures of
him with the red, white, and blue increased his patriotic image. The viewers saw the
pictures of him, glorifying his image and ignoring the message of the article. 
During the 1984 Presidential Election, Reagan's administration concentrated its effort on
proving his main opponent, Walter Mondale, appear inferior to Reagan. On television,
Mondale looked gray and had a whiney voice, contrasting sharply with Reagan's vitality
and commanding voice. Reagan's staff used special lighting to emphasize Mondale's droopy
eyes, making him appear tired. Mondale was a pessimist, while Reagan was an optimist. The
public favored optimism, as they wanted to enjoy life and ignore threatening issues.
Reagan's staff designed commercials that emphasized his patriotic spirit and family
values. When his age was questioned, he implied that it gave him maturity and experience.
Reagan easily defeated Mondale in the election.
Along with his administration, Reagan's wife, Nancy Reagan, helped her husband with his
job. After Reagan angered the public by suggesting that all who were killed in the World
War II were equal victims of Nazism, she stepped in and arranged for him to give a speech
at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Many people felt that "Hitler's true victims had
perished" there (63). The public forgave Reagan, and his popularity resumed.
Reagan's quest to lower taxes also increased his popularity. Two of his goals were to
decrease federal income and business tax rates by 30 percent over three years and to
eliminate "bracket creep." Bracket creep pushed the taxpayers into a higher income
bracket, forcing them to pay higher progressive income taxes. In support of Reagan,
Congress lowered the taxes 25 percent, which was a staggering percentage. When Stockman
confronted Reagan about the growing deficit, Reagan insisted that there was no need to
decrease federal spending and to raise taxes. He blamed President Carter for the deficit,
and he said that, in the future, the Treasury would have enough money to begin paying off
the debt. 
Reagan also gained popularity by connecting the government and himself to the public. He
would include "ordinary American heroes" in public occasions. The heroes who were honored
had dedicated some of their time to helping others. Some heroes had saved a person's
life, and some were charity leaders. Through connecting himself and the government with
the public, he created a stronger bond between himself and them, and he made them aware
that they could take charge and solve their problems without involving the government. 
Some of President Reagan's decisions increased his popularity. Sometimes he stayed with
his original decision, and sometimes he changed his unpopular decision to a more popular
one. In August 1981, almost 12,000 air traffic controllers of the Professional Air
Traffic Controllers Organization went on strike, even though they had agreed not to do so
in their employment contracts. Reagan warned the controllers to end the strike, but it
continued. He fired them and replaced them with military personnel. Reagan's firm stance
had increased his popularity and given him a decisive image. Reagan also had a strong
opinion that Martin Luther King, Jr. should not be honored with a federal holiday.
However, when he saw that the public supported the holiday, he signed the law to in an
effort to keep his popularity.
When the economy plummeted in 1981, Reagan blamed it and the increasing deficit on
President Carter. However, Reagan, not Carter, was responsible for the growing debt
because of his dramatic cut in taxes and the increase in expenditures. Reagan took credit
for the improving economy in 1983 to 1984. Wages were raised slightly, and, according to
Reagan, the increasing deficit was not a problem. The public was also in good spirits
because the United States had earned several gold medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
There was an added sense of national pride, and a slight feeling of superiority overtook
the nation. Also during his term, relations with the Soviet Union improved, possibly
meaning that the end of the Cold War was nearing. Although Reagan had not caused the
relations to improve, he was given credit for the improvement.
Both President Reagan and his wife encouraged strict criminal penalties for drug use.
They made speeches that described the horrors of drug use, such as the suffering children
of drug addicts. Solving the nation's problem with drugs turned out to be difficult.
Finally, in 1990, the level of cocaine users had dropped, and part of the public credited
the drop to the Reagan's efforts. However, the decrease in usage may have happened anyway
because of the consumer product style. 
Reagan went out of his way to keep his popularity from diminishing. When confronted with
the new issue of AIDS, he avoided it at first. He was afraid that voicing his opinion, or
any opinion, would offend the public and decrease his popularity. If he confronted the
issue, he would have to discuss ways to keep from contracting it. Many of these ways were
unpopular, and he feared that suggesting that the public not take part in them would make
him less popular. However, after Rock Hudson died of AIDS, the public increased its
interest in it. Reagan addressed the issue of AIDS only after he knew that public
interest in it had increased.
If the public had focussed on Reagan's actual achievements rather than on what he
promised to do, he would not have been as popular. He promised to end deficit spending,
but he actually increased it dramatically with his tax cut and increase of government
spending. To protect his popularity, he blamed the rising deficit on Carter. Reagan also
protected his popularity by avoiding issues that might offend the public, causing him to
lose support. He captured the public with his image, which was constructed by his
administration, and his personality, which allowed him to form a bond with his audiences.
His administration's work was a major reason that Reagan was popular.