Lessons from Reagan’s ‘Last Act’

I learned more from Ronald Reagan than from anyone I encountered in all my years in public life.
— George H.W. Bush, speaking at the state funeral for President Ronald Reagan

Many of us who were at Washington’s National Cathedral that day were in tears for much of the 90-minute service. Saying goodbye to President Reagan meant so many different things to people, for different reasons. So many of us had entered the Reagan administration barely out of college. We were young and idealistic and loved President Reagan for having the courage and vision to wear down the Soviets and lift up the economy. We loved how he loved America — it was infectious.

In his third, much-anticipated volume on Reagan, Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan, Craig Shirley provides a further, much-needed, and beautifully crafted exposition on what made Reagan one of our greatest presidents, behind only Washington, Lincoln and FDR.

From the moment he stepped onto the national political stage until his final public written statement about his Alzheimer’s disease, President Reagan radiated an uncanny grace, unfailing strength, and undying belief in the innate goodness of our country. The idea that America wouldn’t remain that “shining city on a hill,” was out of the question. And we all believed.

Just when I thought I knew all there was to know about Reagan, Shirley proves me wrong. “Last Act” chronicles Reagan’s final years after leaving office through his death on June 5, 2004, along with compelling insights on his continuing influence on the Republican Party and conservative movement. Having been provided unfettered, exclusive access to previously sealed Reagan records, the esteemed biographer gives the reader invaluable insights into the life and enduring legacy of our 40th president.

Eleven years after Reagan’s passing, conservatives in the U.S. and, indeed, across the globe, cite him as their touchstone. It may seem unkind to note, yet it is inescapably true, that few GOPers today run as “Bush Republicans.” How many times in this 2016 campaign has Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich or Chris Christie (the more establishment types) identified themselves as “Reagan Conservatives?” Too many to count. Even as some of them may stray from Reaganism on key foreign policy or economic issues, they know the Reagan brand is gold.

Since as long as I can remember, it has been fashionable for political, academic and media “experts” to malign President Reagan as, alternatively, a devious warmonger or malleable idiot. Those of us who saw our ailing country revived under his leadership were witness to the constant ridicule, misrepresentation and demonization of the man, and it made us love him all the more.

Shirley reminds us in “Last Act” that the scorn and deep revulsion that many on the left felt for Reagan continued even during his funeral week.

Shirley reminds us in “Last Act” that the scorn and deep revulsion that many on the left felt for Reagan continued even during his funeral week. There was liberal syndicated radio host Bev Smith, who noted that not one caller during his three-hour radio show said a single nice word about Reagan; and of course there was Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way, whose snarky comments about Reagan I will not repeat here. Watching Reagan’s nastiest detractors during the days leading up to his burial, one sensed it was excruciating for many to muster any positive sentiment about his two terms in office. Some of the stirring descriptions were: He was a “devoted husband,” an “eternal optimist” with a “sunny disposition.”

The man who helped win the Cold War was suddenly Ward Cleaver.

No, Reagan wasn’t perfect. The Iran-Contra saga, the Simpson-Mazzoli immigration bill he signed into law, and his failure to shrink the size of the federal government come to mind. But through Shirley’s gripping account and impeccable, painstaking research, we see that his “last act” plays out every day in some way in our country. His devotion to reducing the power of the federal government, his belief that the people should control their own destiny, his view that prosperity should be encouraged, not punished, his steely resolve against the evils of communism, his refusal to be cowed by his critics, his sunny optimism about America’s future — all of it motivated millions of (then young) people to enter public service, and the millions of Americans who remain grateful and wistful.

Anyone who has assisted in the care of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia will also take comfort in reading Shirley’s account of how the beloved former president, with the help of his devoted wife, Nancy, and close aides, managed to stay active, receive visitors, and find enjoyment in his final years. Even in this struggle, Reagan was a source of inspiration for Americans grappling with the neurological scourge that has robbed so many of their memories, independence, and ultimately, their lives.

In this book, chock-full of new reporting and insights, Craig Shirley takes us back to the future.

For many in my generation, Reagan’s death didn’t just mark the end of a political era, it marked the metaphoric end of our youth. The political memories of my own childhood included watching Walter Cronkite’s reporting on the Vietnam War, long gas lines, 18 percent interest rates and the Iranian hostage crisis. Reagan had felt like springtime after a bitter, long winter. By the time the horse-drawn caisson carrying Reagan’s body was slowly making its way down Constitution Avenue to the U.S. Capitol, conservatism was entering a new season under George W. Bush, the son of his vice president.

In this book, chock-full of new reporting and insights, Craig Shirley takes us back to the future. Twenty-one years after he was laid to rest, Ronald Wilson Reagan is still omnipresent in a new campaign season. In the end, neither his former life as a Democrat, a celebrity, the unrelenting calumny of his political enemies at home and abroad, nor an assassination attempt could change the fact that instinctively he knew what Americans were feeling and what needed to be done.

History stops for no one — not even a giant like President Reagan. Technology advances, new issues arise, and those of us who were young in the 1980s now have the duty of helping to govern this nation without his help. But that’s not President Reagan’s fault. His responsibility was to address the problems of his time — and he did so brilliantly. As a result, he has transcended the political divisions of his day, and joined the pantheon of American heroes.

Kudos to Craig Shirley for this great book, which reminds us that Reagan’s heroism was personal as well as political – and that some of his bravest and most impressive actions took place after he left the White House.