Reagan Quiz Flashcards
When and where was Reagan born?
1911 in Tampico, IL
What is one word to describe his upbringing?
dysfunctional
Where did Reagan first move to? At what age?
At age 9 he moved to Dixon, IL
What was Reagan’s father like?
he was alcoholic, traveling shoe salesman
How did Reagan feel about his childhood?
Reagan feels isolated from others because he moved around a lot, dad had troubles moved jobs a lot, he never settled anywhere. He was respected for this, but had no close friends.
What did he call his childhood?
gypsy-lifestyle
What was Reagan’s mother like?
a fundamental Christian, from the Church of Disciples of Christ
How does his mother affect Reagan’s personality?
She impacts how Reagan views the world, clear good and evil in his views of the world’s values, good fights evil, obliged to do that.
What kind of schools did Reagan attend?
public high school
What was his most formative experience?
was serving 6 summers as a lifeguard at Rock River in Illinois.
What did he do as the lifeguard?
He saved 77 people from drowning
What did he do as President relating to the lifeguards?
He hung lifeguard picture in his office.
Why did Reagan hang the lifeguard picture in his office?
It reminded him that there was 77 people grateful for him, somewhere out there, people appreciate what he did even if he made some people mad.
Where did Reagan go to college?
Eureka College
What did Reagan do in college?
Majors in sociology and economics, not a great student, very socially active, 3 year letterer on football team, part of theater club there as well.
What did Reagan focus on in college?
Social aspects on campus over academic smarts
When did Reagan graduate? What was happening as he graduated?
In 1932, Roosevelt is elected, we are bottoming out of great depression
After graduating, what did Reagan do?
Reagan finds a job as radio broadcaster, he does Cubs baseball games
How did Reagan’s broadcasting help him for the future?
It develops his ability to reach people, as Reagan had to take facts of the game and create an image and story of the game for the listeners. He communicated so well, he was camera-friendly.
What were his nicknames?
- The Great Communicator
- Dutch (kid)
What career did Reagan pursue next?
Acting in Hollywood
When did Reagan start acting?
1937
Describe Reagan the actor.
- helped his communication skills even more
- not the greatest
- in almost all movies he is the hero
- fits how he sees himself in his mom’s values
What was Reagan’s most popular film?
Knute Rockne-All-American
Who was Knute Rockne?
Notre Dame football coach
What happens in the movie?
George Gipp, team captain is ill and dying, teammates come to see him before the big game and Gipp asks them to win for him
Who did Reagan play in the movie? What nickname did he get for it?
He played Gipp and got the nickname “the gipper”
Who was Reagan’s first wife? When did they marry?
actress Jane Wyman in the 1930s
Describe his first Marriage.
Hollywood image of perfect family, both very attractive, a Hollywood couple. He had two kids, another child who died at birth.
Shortly after marrying Wyman, what did he do?
He served in WWII Army
What was Reagan’s role in WWII?
His benefit is using his communication skills in another way, he does training films for soldiers, tactics on how to fly a plane and war bond drives as actor propaganda
After WWII, what does Reagan do next?
Goes back to acting
What event alters his political views?
The Red scare and McCarthyism
What does he do during the red scare that alters his political views?
When Hollywood 10 are called, he will testify as friendly witness saying there are spies and Communists in Hollywood
Why is what he did with the red scare unusual?
He is in a labor union, when there is a strike during the Hollywood 10, he crosses the picket line and as head of the union, he switches from Democrat to Republican.
How did him leading the union lead to his political switch?
There was lots of violence in the labor strike, Reagan did not support that
What happens to his first marriage?
It ends in a divorce.
Why did Reagan divorce Wyman?
Wyman disliked his new political opinions and values and turning politically away from her..
After his divorce, what happens to his acting career?
It winds down
Why was his acting career struggling?
His strike views and the divorce and he stars in Bonzo series and animals get more money over him in the movies
What thing essentially saves his career?
GE Theater program
When did he participate in GE Theater?
1950s
What was GE Theater?
GE sponsored a movie every Sunday night
What did Reagan do during his stint with GE Theater?
He did the intro to the film speech
How did his stint with GE help him get out there?
TV is big with entertainment in the family, this brought him into everyone’s livingroom every Sunday night, trusted figure bringing good TV for the family, people associated Reagan with those times of the 50s
What did Reagan do during his stint with GE Theater?
He re-marries Nancy Davis
Who was Nancy Davis?
An actress who became Reagan’s protector
How was Nancy a protector of Reagan?
She was very protective, would be unhappy if anyone said anything poorly about him.
How many kids did Ronald and Nancy have?
2
How did his stint with GE help his political views?
He goes to all the GE plants, it shapes his economic policy
What does he learn about his policy at GE?
He is hearing that government’s the problem at these places, too many regulations, limits on ability to make profits, as he heard workers say that taxes are too high, and government is messing things up, and develops conservative view.
When did Reagan first go into politics?
1966
What was his first political position?
Governor of California
When was he the California governor?
1966-1974
Why was being the California governor hard at that time?
Because of Vietnam and counterculture, San Francisco was a big area for protests, as well as at Cal, and the race riots in Watts and San Diego.
What did Reagan have to do with the Cal Vietnam protest?
His oldest daughter was a student at Cal when Reagan sent in National Guard to stop an anti-war protest.
What else did Reagan do as governor?
- wanted to rebuild the California economy
- gives nominating speech for Goldwater in 1964
When did Reagan first run for President? Who did he run against?
1976 vs. Ford
How did Reagan fare in the 1976 election? What did he do afterwards? How did this election affect him?
He loses, but this puts him out nationally and sets him up to win later on, he then puts together “the conservative coalition.”
What is the conservative coalition?
It is the perfect system for republican if they want to win votes. Republicans are nearly unstoppable if this system works.
What are the four parts to the conservative coalition?
- Nixon’s Silent Majority
- Business Leaders
- The Religious Right
- The “Hawks”
What is Nixon’s Silent Majority?
White, middle class Americans, they have a sense of patriotism and are not protestors
Who are the business leaders?
The top 1% that Democrats are trying to tax on, elite, wealthy business leadership of America.
Who are the religious right?
Fundamental Christians in America, the “700 club people” they are anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, based on religious values first
Who are the “Hawks”?
Pro-military people, people who believe American starts in military strength, fight for America first and we run on military.
Who did Reagan beat in the election of 1980?
Carter
Why was it a surprise that Reagan beat Carter in 1980?
It is very rare that an incumbent President loses, Carter is sitting President, and Reagan beats him badly
How much does Reagan win in 1980?
He wins all states except Georgia, Minnesota, WV, Maryland, and DC
Who did Reagan run against for re-election? When?
Walter Mondale in 1984
Who was Walter Mondale?
From Minnesota, Carter’s VP
How much does Reagan win in 1984?
All but Minnesota, Mondale’s home state
Does Reagan have popular mandate? How?
Yes, as well as the backing of the nation and an electoral vote landslide
What was Reagan’s management style?
Chairman of the Board philosophy
How old was Reagan when elected?
69, the oldest ever President elected
What was the concern as he got older?
He had small Alzheimer’s disease in his second term in which he could lose awareness.
What was Reagan’s Chairman of the Board philosophy?
He sets the big picture and asks his people to get it done, does not matter how it is done, just make it happen, it is more detached from day to day decision making
What is the name for his closest advisors?
The Troika
Who are the people who make up the Troika? Why were they special to Reagan?
- James Baker, Chief of Staff
- Ed Meese, Attorney General
- Michael Deaver, Assistant Chief of Staff
- They capably served Reagan and worked closest to him in decision making.
What was Deaver’s responsibility in addition to helping make decisions?
He kept tabs on Nancy
Why did Deaver need to keep tabs on Nancy?
Reagan loved her and valued her opinion, Nancy would come in and give ideas, and Reagan would agree with her and people thought she was nuts she was valued a bit too highly.
How did Deaver keep tabs on Nancy?
He had to divert Nancy from going into the meetings.
When was the Assassination Attempt of Reagan?
March 30, 1981
Describe the background before the assassination attempt.
Several weeks after inauguration, he is giving a speech at Washington Hilton, as he leaves, he has a 20-30 foot walk to the limo.
What is Reagan doing as he is nearly shot? Why was he doing this?
Reagan liked the popularity of being President, he goes out and meets people on his way to the limo.
How does the assassin fire at Reagan?
A quick pop pop pop of 6 shots being fired at Reagan
How did Reagan’s assassination attempt differ from Kennedy’s?
The security is much greater to protect Reagan.
Who is on hand there to protect Reagan?
- Agent Jerry Parr
- Press Secretary Jim Brady
What happens to Parr at the assassination attempt?
He takes a bullet to the abdomen, and he takes Reagan and shoves him in the limo
What happens to Brady at the assassination attempt?
He takes a bullet in the head, gives him permanent head damage
After Brady’s injury, what is passed?
The Brady Bill
What did the Brady Bill do?
It imposed five day waiting period on guns after purchase.
What actually happened to one of the bullets?
The bullet goes off limo, hits Reagan’s armpit, one inch from his heart, he did not realize he was shot.
After being shoved into the limo, what happens to Reagan?
They rush him to hospital, he walks in before he collapses, surgery saved his life, he is cracking jokes after surgery.
Who is not so amused during the whole hospital process?
Nancy
What joke does Reagan tell the doctor before surgery? How did the doctor respond?
I hope you are all Republicans. The doctor says Today we are all Republicans.
Who was the assassin?
John Hinckley Jr.
What was his goal by trying to kill Reagan?
His goal was to impress Jodie Foster
Why did he want to impress Jodie Foster?
He saw the movie Taxi Driver where Robert DeNiro and Jodie Foster get in love and thinks he proves his love for her by killing the President
What happened to Reagan after the attempt for the future?
It closes him off from Hollywood role, he never worked the fence line again, never worked across a tarmac. It closed him off from the public part of the Presidency.
Who decided Reagan should not go in public much anymore during his Presidency?
Nancy
What were the nicknames of Reagan’s economic plan?
- Voodoo Economics
- Supply Side Economics
- Riverboat Gamble
What was Reaganomics’ theory opposite of?
The New Deal
What is the typical answer during a recession?
To increase spending, take us out of the depression spiral, put in money, more jobs, work our way out of the depression
What side of economics did Reagan focus on?
the supply side
What theory was the center of Reaganomics?
The trickle down theory
How did Reagan’s economic plan carry out?
He gives the wealth a tax break, and counts on them to re-invest money. When they re-invest, it creates more capital in their business, increases supply, prices go down, inflation is lowered.
What was the other half with Reagan’s plan?
It increases jobs, increases demand, brings down recession.
What were the goals of Reaganomics?
- re-invest money from tax breaks
- deficit is erased
- inflation goes down
What kind of tax break did the wealthy get?
38-50%
What was the idea behind Reagan’s economic plan?
They will take money from tax breaks, re-invest it, create jobs, generate demand, and money will trickle down and cause investment and deficit is erased more.
What film related to Reaganomics? What line of the movie shows this?
Wall Street, the line “greed is good.”
How did the movie line relate to Reaganomics?
Reagan wants better economics and wants to take a tax break and turn it into big money.
What must be depended on the people getting the tax breaks?
They must keep re-investing
What was the early problem with Reaganomics?
Some people are not investing money, so they pocket the money, if money stops here and does not trickle, only the rich benefit
What were the parts of the Reagan economic plan?
- Tax Cuts and Reform
- Balance the Federal Budget
- Trickle down theory
- New Federalism
- Fed controls spending
- Reduction of entitlements
- Government deregulation
What were the tax cuts in Reagan’s first years?
5% (1981), 10% (1982), 10% (1983)
How must you balance a budget?
You must decrease spending and increase income.
What was the federal deficit in 1980?
$80B
Does Reagan find the easy way to balance the budget?
No, because he spends less, but he lowers taxes, so government does not get direct money.
What happens if Reagan reduced the tax rate?
If he reduces tax rate, puts more people to work, sell more at a lower profit margin, if you lower things, more people buy it and generate more profit.
What theory did Reagan use to acquire money without getting people to pay taxes?
The trickle down theory
What was the trickle down theory?
Reduce the taxes for wealthy to create more money for investments and business, they can hire more workers by re-investing, build more, increase supply so prices go down, cost goes down, but creating more jobs, it fixes unemployment rate and creates demand for people to spend money.
What was the other name for New Federalism?
Shifting to Unfunded Mandates
If the money trickles right, what happens?
Jobs can be created, you can collect a lower tax rate for more people, can earn more money back.
What is the other part of the economic equation of balancing the budget?
cutting spending
How did Reagan try to cut spending more efficiently?
He shifted federal mandate programs from federally funded to non-federally funded mandates in the states.
What programs fall into federal mandate programs?
- social security
- school lunch
- federal housing
- highway programs
What does it mean for a program to be federally mandated?
It is required to be funded by the government
What is the benefit of shifting the federal mandate programs?
Less federal spending and work gets done to erase the deficit
What is the problem with federal mandate shifting?
States have more funding to worry about with millions of dollars.
Did the shifting help the federal government balance their budget?
Yes, but it put a huge burden on the states
What is the “fed”?
Federal reserve bank
How did Reagan have the fed control spending?
He raised interest rates and controls spending, as he is a conservative
What does it mean to be entitled to something?
Taking ownership of it, earning it.
What government programs are entitlement programs?
- Social Security
- Welfare
- Healthcare benefits
- Unemployment Comp.
- more…
What is the idea behind the entitlement programs?
You pay taxes for these, but when you need the help of these programs, it is there for you.
What did Reagan do to the unemployment comp?
He reduced it from 36 weeks support to 29 weeks.
What was good about Reagan cutting Unemployment Comp by 7 weeks?
Saves government money, helps to balance the budget
What is the problem with Reagan cutting the Unemployment Comp by 7 weeks?
People are mad because they are entitled to it and pay taxes for it and now get limits on it.
Does Reagan get away with cutting unemployment comp though? How?
Yes, his communication skills help people vote for him as he was very personable.
What else did Reagan reduce that was an entitlement program?
Social Security
Why did Reagan want to deregulate the government?
The government is in the way, too many agencies, OSHA, EPA, FAA, FCC, etc.
What does Reagan to do deregulate the government?
He downsizes these programs
What is the benefit of Reagan deregulating the government?
It saves money for government as Reagan feels the businesses can do this themselves.
What is the issue with deregulating the government?
It is a huge risk for the people that there are less precautions taken and less preparation and security.
What was the national debt in 1980?
$914B
What was the deficit in 1986?
$221B
What was the debt by 1989?
$3.1T
Did balancing the budget work?
No
What was the other problem in addition to the debt rising?
Homelessness was an all time high and unemployment rates were high.
