Posted on 02/06/2011 5:13:53 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON — On the evening of May 1, 1976, Ronald Reagan warbled the lyrics of The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You into a telephone from a hotel in Indiana.
On the other end of the line, hundreds of Reagan revolutionaries in Houston burst into applause as the former California governor's rendition of the state song punctuated their giddy celebration of his 2-to-1 thrashing of incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in that day's Texas presidential primary.
Little did anyone at that Houston victory party know, but that moment would be a turning point not only for Reagan but also in the history of the Texas Republican Party and of Texas politics in general.
...............In 1976, prominent Houston attorney Jim Baker.. was among the detractors who at first viewed Reagan as "a shoot-from-the-hip cowboy." ...
"Our (Bush) campaign called it 'voodoo economics,'" Baker recalls. "I'm a reformed drunk when it comes to that. The Reagan economic policies that he put into place worked."
Touched by optimism
Charles Bacarisse, associate director of President Reagan's Office of Media Relations, was typical of the new Republicans brought into the fold by Reagan. His great-grandfather was chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party. His father was a Kennedy Democrat. But he was touched by Reagan's optimism, his toughness and his ability "to capture the hopes and desires" of average Americans.
....In October 1988, Reagan bade his political farewell to Texas. His hair now streaked with gray, Reagan appeared to thunderous applause at the Mesquite Rodeo wearing a brown suit, waving a white Stetson and riding in the open cab of a horse-drawn wagon.
"He made people feel good," says Baker. "He was such a sunny optimist. He was almost totally guileless. And he's one of the kindest, lovely men I've known."
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
I grew up during the 80’s and I didn’t know much about politics. But what I did know was, that President Reagan was like a grand-father to me. I knew he cared about me, was looking out for me and he made me feel safe. He was like a family member to me.
When he passed away a few years back, I felt like a part of my youth slipped away and felt uneasy knowing he was gone from this world.
Great reply. President Reagan was 1 in a million.
Thanks for your reply. I enjoyed reading it. I felt exactly the same way, and that feeling came back again this past weekend.
The changes since President Reagan was in office have not been good. I’m grateful that his legacy is as powerful and as enduring as it is or we would be much worse off than we already are with oscumbag roosting in the WH and wreaking havoc across the country and beyond.
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