Three score years ago this Sunday, one of the seminal moments in modern American politics occurred in the service of a presidential campaign that would suffer a resounding defeat. Ronald Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing” broadcast endorsing Barry Goldwater’s unsuccessful candidacy did far more than herald Reagan’s arrival on the national stage. Somewhat paradoxically given its title, Reagan’s speech holds a principled timelessness that makes it as relevant today as it was six decades ago.
Clear, Relevant Words
For all the derision so-called elites directed toward a star of movies like “Bedtime for Bonzo,” Ronald Reagan could craft and communicate words with lasting effect. Crisp, clear phrases in his speech — “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny” — echo through the years in a way that few current politicians can match. No inane pablum about being “unburdened by what has been” in this address.
Reagan’s description of the issues facing Americans in 1964 continues to instruct in the present. At a time of trillion-dollar deficits, the federal government spending far more than it takes in still gives the “uncomfortable feeling that this prosperity isn’t something on which we can base our hopes for the future.” Reagan’s discussion of the hollowness of the Social Security Trust Fund, and the pernicious effects of inflation, resonates with seniors worried about the future of entitlements and families struggling to make ends meet. And stories of government inefficiency — “we bought dress suits for Greek undertakers, extra wives for Kenya[n] government officials” —
