Mourning in America

America lost a beacon of hope and strength Saturday with the death of Ronald Reagan. Mr. Reagan, who was 93, may well be remembered more for his personality and philosophy than for his policies, many of which failed. But, he will also be remembered as the president who presided over the demise of the Soviet Union and a return of economic prosperity and optimism in America.

Mr. Reagan, a longtime actor, personified America as amplified through the lens of Hollywood. A vigorous 69 years old when he was first elected to office in 1980, Mr. Reagan possessed good looks and an uplifting demeanor. He spread a message of hope to a country that needed a boost after the lengthy Vietnam War, the unsettling Watergate scandal and the lengthy Iran hostage crisis. Mr. Reagan projected the best of Hollywood – strength, can-do optimism and grace – and the worst – an interest in sound bites over substances and appearances over facts.

With his belief that it was “morning again in America,” Mr. Reagan re-energized the Republican Party and brought legions of new adherents to the GOP, many of whom still speak of the former president in reverential tones. With his cowboy can-do attitude and faith in all that was good about America, Ronald Reagan was the most popular president of our time, winning 525 electoral votes in the 1984 election to Walter Mondale’s 13.

A theme of that race was Mr. Reagan’s question: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Some were as Mr. Reagan’s tax cuts spurred economic growth and his negotiating a nuclear arms agreement with the Soviets sped the end of the Cold War. But, others were not as federal financial support for civil rights, the poor and the environment were cut. During his tenure, the federal deficit tripled and the Iran-Contra affair brought scandal to an otherwise charmed White House.

Mr. Reagan met adversity with pluck and hope. After being shot by a would-be assassin in 1981, the president joked to his wife, Nancy, that he “forgot to duck.” He addressed Congress less than a month later.

At a time when American again needs hope and a sense of purpose, there are many parallels between Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. They shared a determination to fight terrorism, shrink government and lower taxes, a deep religious faith and a cowboy image, reinforced by much time spent at their respective ranches. But, where Mr. Reagan knew that ideology must be tempered with pragmatism and that delivery of the message is often as important as the message, these lessons have not been learned by the current White House.

Mr. Reagan also brought a sense of optimism to his decade-long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. “I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life,” he said in a 1994 handwritten letter to the nation, announcing he had the disease, which kept him secluded in his California home in his final years. Yet, he concluded: “I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”

The sun may have set for the Great Communicator, but his legacy will shine on.