I was able to do something yesterday that I regretted not doing since I left California back in 2006: I went to the Ronald Reagan Museum. It was well worth it, in my opinion. (July 2014).
I took two of my children and we all enjoyed many aspects of the building in picturesque Simi Valley, Ventura County, California. It was hillier and rockier and drier than I had imagined. But still quite pretty. Dry, warm (but not overwhelming) and no signs of forest fires.
Reviewing the life of this iconic American and former president, plus all the accompanying US and world history that he was associated with ,was an interesting way to look at the past, consider the present and perhaps see into the future. My children at their respective ages, soon to be 5th grader and 1st graders, were able to find a lot that they were interested by and engaged in.
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) was president when I was cutting my teeth about politics and world affairs as a young person and then becoming an adult. I bought into the Republican party as mine, preferable to the Democrats, even though I registered in 1988 as non-affiliated. I later joined the GOP as a member in 1994 or so, during college. I figured I had more sway that way. And I still consider myself a GOPer, even though I think that any candidate could win my vote regardless of party if they were the right person and message.
Back when I was finishing high school at the end of Reagan's presidency in the late 80s many of my childhood friends claimed that Reagan was awful, Republicans were so wrong in general. Many of their families tended to be Democrats, but I was convinced by then the GOP had better plans and made more sense economically and morally. Even militarily. Too many, of course militarily. And the end of the Communist Soviet Union under President Gorbachev during Reagan's tenure was a big deal.
Seeing all the things Reagan did in life was impressive; from sports athlete to sports commentator to Hollywood actor to GE spokesman, California governor and of course Commander-in-Chief, to even his last 10 years of dealing with Alzheimers and somehow surviving that long.
Impressive guy. Some of the tour guides at the museum and store seemed to be quite pro-Reagan or Republican in general. This makes sense. It made me think of all the gamesmanship in politics and what people think make successful times, attitudes, presidents, economies, societies, etc.
Seeing him as a paid spokesman for General Electric in the 1950s and that company maintaining their own part of exhibit with its own theatre was also instructive. Reagan said that going into all those plants was like getting a doctorate in political science. Very interesting way for him to be educated in business and economics and further polish his knowledge and speaking skills.
Yeah. Existential questions of prosperity and success. Meeting "rendezvous with destiny", to borrow from a Reagan speech in 1964.
Each person usually has their own positive and/or negative take on presidents, past and present.
For many years I have more seriously thought that US presidents have received both too much credit and blame for everything. And yet, presidents have more or less reflected our populations over the years. George Washington and the rest to Barack Hussein Obama, number 44. First Catholic, 1960, first black, 2008. First woman? Remains to be seen.
No matter the diversity or the lack of it at the Chief Executive's office in our 200 plus years of nationhood, our country is strong and wealthy. Blessed.
Going through this museum and seeing the personal history of this hugely famous US icon (first through the silver screen) and later politics was interesting and instructive.
I hope to go to more presidential libraries and tours and museums in the future.
Ronald W. Reagan (1911-2004). RIP. And God bless America.
Blog it. EMC.
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