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“TRIBUTE TO RONALD REAGAN ON HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H192-H197 on Feb. 6, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
{time} 1915
TRIBUTE TO RONALD REAGAN ON HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Akin). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2001, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on the following Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, this leadership Special Order is one that we dedicate to and devote the time to our 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
Mr. Speaker, we have a number of Members on the majority side who have indicated a desire to speak during a portion of this Special Order. I have got a number of remarks I would like to make; but others here are here now, so I will immediately yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane).
Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I want to express appreciation to my distinguished colleague from Colorado for taking this time this evening to honor a man who has had a profound impact on the lives of all of us, and a very positive impact in my estimation, and I am a former U.S. history professor, I think the greatest impact of anybody in the lifetime of anyone today, a positive impact that has had a reverberating positive effect, not just here in the United States, but worldwide.
I was familiar, of course, with Ronald Reagan, as one of the most popular and handsome movie actors growing up as a child and going to the movies; but it was not that Ronald Reagan that I got really attached to. Rather, it was during the 1964 campaign.
I was teaching history at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, at the time, and got involved. One of the things that was frustrating in that campaign was we were not communicating our message well on behalf of Barry Goldwater. But something that happened during that campaign was Ronald Reagan delivered a speech that was taped, and that taped message that Ronald Reagan delivered for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 campaign was far and away the most effective message in getting our word out to the people at the grassroots. It certainly turned me on.
I was then intrigued to learn that Ronald Reagan had only been a Republican for 2 years. He had been a Democrat until 1962; and he became a Republican that year, so he had been working on behalf of the values that he believed in, which extended beyond party lines.
Ronald Reagan believed in the same values that he had believed in when he was still a registered Democrat, but he communicated them effectively, and that resounding message was something that we took from that 1964 campaign on into future elections. It was something that got so many of us that were involved in the Goldwater campaign excited that we pushed to try to get Ronald Reagan the nomination at the 1968 convention down in Miami.
I know there was tribute paid for him getting elected Governor of California. That was demoralizing to us, because Ronald Reagan felt that to continue to go from the election of governor to seeking the Presidential nomination was not proper. So we were disappointed that our troops were split down in Miami, and I was down there working behind the scenes for Ronald Reagan at that time.
In 1976 again we had that window of opportunity, and we all got charged up and excited. I must confess to you that the biggest disappointment I have ever experienced in politics was when Ronald Reagan, by that very narrow margin, lost the nomination in 1976. I remember standing on a balcony at one of the hotels down there with tears in my eyes, because I was fearful that was the end of the Ronald Reagan candidacy.
Because of that, I got in that Presidential race in 1980, in the summer of 1978, because it was the principles I believed in; and I was fearful that Ronald Reagan might wait until the end of 1979 and then say, Well, Mommy and I have looked at it and decided to go to the ranch. I figured there was no way I could get name identification between the end of 1979 and getting into that Presidential cycle. As a result, I entered that race.
Ronald Reagan ended up getting in that race, as you all know, and I told him at the time, because I only got 2 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, I knew it was all history, I was going to stick it out through the Illinois primary in mid-March because our candidates out there were on the ballot indicating who they were going to support at the convention, and they were all going to take a bath if they had my name after theirs, and I figured I had an obligation to take a bath with them. But I reassured Ronald Reagan that all of those people would support him and I would support him as soon as we got Illinois behind us. That is exactly what happened.
We went on, as you well know, to the most exciting victory, at a time in our history when Jimmy Carter, the retiring President at that time, was looking to the future of this country with total despair. But those of you that remember back to that era remember that we suffered an inflation rate of 14 percent, 14 percent, that last year. We had unemployment rates and interest rates that were staggering, and, sad to say, President Carter looking to the future was despondent and thought this country had peaked.
Ronald Reagan saw it from a totally different perspective, and he took it and ran with it and started to elevate this country and the world on the right path. That includes not only the biggest tax cut in history, that we are still benefiting from, but I want to also read from some remarks that Ronald Reagan made when he was over at the Brandenburg Gate at that time. That is when the Wall was still there in Berlin.
He pointed out that Kruschev had predicted that he is going to bury us. Mr. Reagan said, ``But in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history. In the communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind, too little food. Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself.''
He went on to say, ``We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.
``General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization; come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.''
Amen. And we know the Wall came down.
I had a meeting in my office today with 12 businessmen from Russia coming to talk about expanded trade opportunities between us and them. It is exciting to hear them expressing their interest in pursuing those values and those principles that Ronald Reagan played such a key role in achieving.
It is something that has brought our Nation to a peak that is unprecedented in history, and it simultaneously has brought the world to a peak unprecedented in history. It is not that we still do not have a lot more to accomplish, we do indeed; but we can be excited about this.
Let me just conclude with one final word. Ronald Reagan, and I say this as an Illinoisan, Ronald Reagan is the only President we have ever had from the State of Illinois. He was born in the little town of Tampico. He grew up in Dixon, Illinois. In high school and while he was going to college, he used to serve as a lifeguard at a park there every summer, and he pointed out that he did that for 7 years. He was working for like $15 or $20 a week in those days. But he pointed out that during the 7 years that he served in the capacity of lifeguard, that he saved 77 lives, 77 lives.
I just want to pay tribute to the man who has saved more than 77 lives as he remarkably did in his years as a lifeguard. He has saved millions and millions of lives, and he has left his permanent stamp on the course of history. We salute that gentleman who has turned 90 today and pay tribute to him.
God bless you, President Reagan. We are all eternally grateful for that unprecedented role that you played in our national experience and which will never be forgotten.
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Nevada
(Mr. Gibbons).
Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank my friend and colleague from Colorado for granting me the time to speak on this very important issue this evening.
Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to join my colleagues this evening in recognition of former President Ronald Reagan's 90th birthday. Last year, for his 89th birthday, the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Dunn), the late Senator Paul Coverdell from Georgia and I introduced legislation to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal to President Ronald Reagan and his beloved wife, Nancy, in honor for their individual, and, may I say, combined dedicated service to the United States. I would like, Mr. Speaker, once again to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for joining with me in that tribute, a tribute which touched both President Reagan and Mrs. Reagan very deeply.
Upon passage of the Reagan Congressional Gold Medal bill, Mrs. Reagan remarked personally to me, ``It means a lot to us to receive so much support at this difficult time, and we are very honored.''
Yet, Mr. Speaker, and may I say not surprisingly, honor and fame were never the priorities of Ronald Reagan, and his journey to the White House was not marked by a desire for personal power or position of personal privilege. He preferred to see himself, however, as just a simple citizen who was called upon to serve the Nation he so loved.
Ronald Reagan truly is a great American in every sense. Led by his belief in the limitless potential of Americans, President Reagan turned the tide of public cynicism and sparked a national renewal.
During his 8-year tenure, the United States enjoyed a period of astonishing economic growth, renewed military superiority and international respect. Ronald Reagan's contagious optimism and passionate patriotism served as an inspiration to the entire Nation. Under his leadership, Americans believed once again in that American dream.
As we enter the 21st century, Mr. Speaker, our Nation still finds its strength in President Reagan's ideals and his steadfast confidence in democracy, freedom, and America. Often as Americans we look back at our history to learn from our mistakes, but as well as Americans we look back and celebrate our triumphs.
The leadership and accomplishments of President Reagan certainly will not be forgotten, for they shaped the country we call home and the world today as we know it.
Thank you, President Reagan, for your commitment, dedication, and faith in America and her people. Today as you celebrate your 90th birthday, please know that we wish you and Mrs. Reagan the very best, and we also thank you for distinguished service to our great Nation.
Mr. SCHAFFER. I thank the gentleman for joining us tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I now yield the floor to my good friend and colleague from the great State of Colorado (Mr. Tancredo), who a few years before coming to Congress was an appointee in the Reagan administration and served with distinction in our region out in the West in the Department of Education.
Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer).
It is true, as has been cited here by other Members, that there was one time in history, about 1966 or 1967, at the time I was in college in Colorado, and I happened to see a television rebroadcast of a speech that, again, as I say, has been cited here, by Ronald Reagan. It was at a campaign rally for Goldwater. I was mesmerized by that speech. It was the first time I had heard that man speak. I was amazed at his ability to capture the imagination of the audience he was speaking to directly and of the millions of people he was speaking to through the power of television.
I was later privileged to be a delegate to the national convention, a Reagan delegate in the 1980 election, and shortly thereafter was asked to serve, as the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer) mentioned, in the Reagan administration.
Although I am truly humbled and proud of my service here in this body, it is a wonderful experience; it is an incredible experience for anyone. I must say that I have never cherished anything in my public life more than I have cherished the time I spent in Mr. Reagan's administration, because I was serving in the Reagan revolution and he made me feel like a revolutionary, and he gave me the zeal and the ardor and the enthusiasm for the cause.
His words inspired me. His integrity illuminated the American spirit. How wonderful it was to be proud of the President of the United States. How wonderful it was to see him up there on that dais when he spoke to the assembled Congress of the United States, or when he spoke at the Berlin Wall or when he spoke at Normandy. How wonderful it was to recognize that this man, the leader of the free world, was in fact a man with as great a heart as anyone who has ever occupied that office.
{time} 1930
I have in our office in Denver, our regional office, I have almost a shrine to Ronald Reagan. We have everything, every imaginable picture that has ever been taken, we have all of the Christmas cards that they sent us from the White House in those days, and every time I walk into my office, I look back and see that and I am just again reinspired for what he did for us.
Mr. Speaker, Michaelangelo, I believe it was, stated once, when they asked him about his particular talent as a sculptor, and I am certainly paraphrasing here, I know I am not quoting, but he said something like, I am just the person that takes away all of the exterior rock from this form that God has put inside that thing. I can see it in there. I am just moving the rock away, that is all I am doing. I often think of Ronald Reagan in that way. I think that Ronald Reagan saw the beauty of America and the American spirit. He saw it inside a complex and somewhat rough mold that we would see it as, someone without his insight, and he saw the opportunity of America, the greatness of America, and he expressed it eloquently. And, in doing so, he let us all see inside that rock. He let us all see that form. He made us all part of that incredible experience.
Mr. President, you made us proud. You made me proud to be part of the Reagan revolution. And even as you said good-bye to America, you, once again, inspired me personally in your message to the country when you told us of your debilitating disease, of Alzheimer's, and I say you inspired me personally because my father is stricken with the same affliction.
This is the way the President left us; these are the words he gave us in this letter: ``I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
``Upon learning this news, Nancy and I had to decide whether as private citizens we would keep this a private matter or whether we would make this news known in a public way. In the past, Nancy suffered from breast cancer and I had my cancer surgeries. We found through our open disclosures we were able to raise public awareness. We were happy that as a result, many more people underwent testing, they were treated in early stages and able to return to normal, healthy lives. So now we feel it is important to share it with you. In opening our hearts, we hope this might promote greater awareness of this condition. Perhaps it will encourage a clearer understanding of the individuals and families who are affected by it.
``At the moment I feel just fine and I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done. I will continue to share life's journey with my beloved Nancy and my family. I plan to enjoy the great outdoors and stay in touch with my friends and supporters.
``Unfortunately, as Alzheimer's disease progresses, the family often bears a heavy burden. I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience. When the time comes, I am confident that with your help, she will face it with courage and faith.
``In closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your President. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for this future.
``I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.
``Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you.''
And may God always bless you, Mr. President, and happy birthday.
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart).
Ms. HART. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for allowing me the time to honor this great statesman. I am pleased to see that so many of my colleagues have thoughts about the gentleman, President Reagan.
Interestingly, from a different perspective, as a college freshman, I did have the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to travel to Cleveland to witness the presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio between President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. That evening, I saw what so many of us came to know as the quintessential Reagan, the perfect mix of humor and sincerity, while still being able to communicate the passions that he felt inside, the passions and desires of our Nation. Most people remember that debate for his famous challenge to President Carter over Medicare. However, my memories focus more on the hope that he presented for America that night. I saw a man who sought to govern this Nation not for self-serving reasons or for power, but for the chance to restore the confidence and the spirit to all Americans, a vision which all of us shared, regardless of our party affiliation.
While President Reagan's policies, once he was in office, guided our country to a brighter future, it was his leadership skills that brought us together as a people. He possessed the unique ability to express our emotions during both times of sorrow and celebration, whether he was soothing our distraught public during the time after the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, or his fiery cry to Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin wall, he was both comfortable and confident in his role as the voice of America, but he always took it very seriously.
It is important to note that his philosophies evolved from a lifetime spent on both sides of the political spectrum. He was not a partisan. He was convicted. In his early years he was a staunch supporter of F.D.R., campaigned for Harry Truman, while years later delivered a rousing speech in support of Barry Goldwater. His message, though, from that speech is one that really rings true today, and that is that government had gotten too big and too intrusive. His message is one that was carefully formulated through his life experiences as a union President and as governor of California. His ideological evolution is the personification of the man. He carefully studied both sides of the issue before he took a stand. He always had principles. He always stood by them, regardless of their popularity. He was a true leader, never one who would settle for the path of least resistance.
Many of the issues that we find ourselves discussing on the floor of the House today are those that were first suggested by President Reagan, such as his Strategic Defense Initiative or Star Wars. Perhaps most notably, he predicted the demise of the communist regime years before scholars and pundits would even acknowledge that his claim was plausible. As early as 1982, he foresaw that the ``march of freedom and democracy'' would leave communism on the ash heap of history where it belongs, and where a lot of us thought it belonged, but where we were not so sure to believe that it could actually happen. His words were dismissed as out of touch. I am very pleased that he was able to see that prediction come true.
Overall, Ronald Reagan's greatest gift was his unbridled optimism. It enabled him to transcend the partisanship of Washington, which I am just starting to experience, and unite our Nation. He realized that the strengths and principles of our democracy are more powerful than any adversity or obstacle that we could ever be faced with. When he was asked in 1991 whether he was responsible for the end of the cold war and the revitalization of our economy, he humbly said that people should believe in themselves, and he was pleased that he was able to get us to believe in ourselves again. He did not take credit for the great accomplishments that he really deserved credit for. It is that ability, that ``aw, shucks'' sort of manner that I think endeared him to a lot of people across the Nation, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, people who were not interested in politics at all. Those who knew him as an actor loved him still.
It is his faith in Americans and the resilience of our great Nation that I remember most about President Reagan. Twenty-one years ago, he taught me about the honor and importance of public service to our country. Today, he continues to inspire a new generation of Americans, as all of the writers and people who knew him place before a new generation stories of his life, stories of his goals, stories of his leadership.
I am pleased that a younger generation is going to be able to experience Ronald Reagan again. I am just sorry that they are not going to be able to experience him in the personal way that we did. My prayers go out to Ronald Reagan and his family tonight on his birthday. My hopes are that the Lord will be with him, and I wish him the happy birthday we all hope we can have.
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts).
Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I rise tonight to join my colleagues in paying tribute to our Nation's 40th President, Ronald Wilson Reagan on this, his 90th birthday.
When Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1980, I had just graduated high school. Already involved in politics, I followed and admired President Reagan over the next 8 years in office, and certainly ever since.
In that time, the world changed a lot. President Reagan challenged the Soviet Union to ``tear down this wall,'' and the wall came down. He saw a day when Eastern Europe would join the Free World, and it did. He stayed firm at Reykjavik and, for the first time, Russia and America stopped building, and started destroying, nuclear weapons.
Over those 8 years, America itself changed.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the eternal optimist, a believer in America's abilities, ideals, and innate goodness. His faith in the greatness of our Nation was best expressed when he said, ``In this land of dreams fulfilled where greater dreams may be imagined, nothing is impossible, no victory is beyond our reach, and no glory will ever be too great.''
Ronald Reagan restored America's confidence in itself.
Three years ago, in commemoration of President Reagan's 87th birthday, I had the pleasure of joining First Lady Nancy Reagan at the Reagan Library in California. I was there as an elected official at that time with the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a step that helped lead me here to becoming a member of this great institution. But I was there, most importantly, to pay tribute to, and to express my deep gratitude to President Reagan for his tremendous service to our Nation. In my conversation with Nancy Reagan that day, my message was simply one of thanks. Thanks to her and, through her, to President Reagan for their dedicated, hard-working and outstanding service to our great Nation and its citizens.
President Reagan's conduct in office and his statesmanship, his love of country, were great role models for all of us citizens, and they were very inspiring to countless citizens. His example helped to reaffirm my commitment to the ideals of public service, to the ideals of giving back to one's Nation, and certainly helped to reaffirm my interest in serving in office and to serving here in Congress.
I am greatly honored to join with my colleagues tonight in saying, Mr. President, happy birthday, and God bless you and this great Nation of ours, the United States of America.
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Pennsylvania for joining us tonight and for his fine remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of President Ronald Reagan on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
More than 12 years having passed since Mr. Reagan left the White House in Washington, the passing of time only magnifies his greatness as a leader and as a human being. I ask our colleagues to recall those early days of the Reagan era.
I remember all too well that January 20, 1981, President Reagan inherited a nation wallowing in pessimism produced by the previous decade. I also remember how Mr. Reagan strode into Washington, confident of America's promise and ideals, and quickly revived this country's morale. By reminding Americans, we are the most able people in the world, he reinvigorated our patriotism like no other President of the postwar era.
Mr. Reagan's tenure in the oval office was underscored by his amazing life story, a tale of one of America's most popular leaders. Most of us remember Mr. Reagan as President. But if we examine his earlier years, we learn a lot about Mr. Reagan, the man, and what fueled the vision he brought to Washington, D.C.
What is often overlooked is that long before he became our 40th President, Mr. Reagan was a liberal Democrat, and just like his father, he cast the first presidential vote that he ever cast for Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1982, and he campaigned for Harry Truman in 1948.
{time} 1945
Perhaps Mr. Reagan felt obliged to be liberal in his younger days. After all, at 26 Mr. Reagan left the great Midwest and his promising radio career to go to Hollywood. The work ethic instilled in him as a young boy growing up in Illinois paid off. He earned a reputation as a solid, dependable performer, even though he appeared in mostly less-
than-memorable films.
Despite the environs of Hollywood, Mr. Reagan's political philosophy evolved as the years passed. While the sixties brought a new era of liberal rule to America, from the Kennedys to the Great Society, Mr. Reagan became more troubled by what he perceived as the erosion of American liberties.
He found himself siding with the country's new conservative movement. Granted, it was not the popular thing to do, especially given his trendy California backdrop. But by 1964, Mr. Reagan was backing Barry Goldwater for President, campaigning vigorously for the Arizona Republican.
It was a mighty display of political courage, and at the same time, it was the courage that brought Mr. Reagan a change of political thought and affiliation which eventually won the former actor two terms as California's governor, and of course 8 years as our President, 8 glorious years that changed America.
How did he do it? Some say it was his vision and his unmatched ability to communicate. Others credit his warmth and congeniality. Still others attribute his success to his strength and his determination.
Whatever the case, no one can dispute the gravity of Mr. Reagan's accomplishments. No one can argue the greatness of his years as our Nation's chief executive. Given the mess he inherited, Reagan's legacy is one to behold.
Remember 1979? The country had fallen victim to the days of malaise, with 21 percent interest rates, 14 percent inflation rates, skyrocketing unemployment, and long gas lines. It was Ronald Reagan who restored the American economy by setting it on a course for long-term success.
With dramatic tax cuts and other measures, Reaganomics produced the longest peacetime economic expansion in the history of the United States. Since 1981, when President Reagan's economic programs were first enacted, we have had less than 2 years of recession. Mr. Reagan understood that if we motivate good people, successful, productive people, instead of punishing them, the whole country would fare better. More than anyone else in the last half century, he brought that concept home and empowered millions of Americans to reach new heights of excellence.
We all reap the rewards of Mr. Reagan's leadership still today. In addition to his economic legacy, we remember Ronald Reagan for conducting the most successful foreign policy in the 20th century. He presided over the conquest of communism and brought the Cold War to a conclusion, all because he never lost faith in the virtues of the American free market and our democratic gospel.
When dealing with the Soviets, Mr. Reagan put aside his affability and labeled the evil empire for what it was. By confronting the Soviet Union with massive rearmament, he gave Americans the upper hand. By replacing detente with the policy of containment and rollback, he was the first President to reach an arms reduction accord with the Soviets. He broke the debilitating grip of the Nation's post-Vietnam syndrome, and restored our confidence in the American military.
In the realm of social issues, President Reagan was a conservative of the heart. He sided with and supported at every turn the traditionalists. He convinced us that smaller government was a good thing. He waged with unprecedented stamina the national war on drugs and crime, and without apology, he valiantly defended the sanctity of the unborn.
No focus groups, no poll-driven shifts, no triangulation, Reagan was driven by what was in his heart and what he perceived to be right. Opposed by a hostile Congress and a rabidly liberal news media, Mr. Reagan stood up for what he believed was correct, and stood up to those who he opposed.
Indeed, the Reagan years were revolutionary years. Looking back, that revolution was not only a shift in the legislative priorities and White House personnel, it was an intellectual challenge to the status quo that had reigned for a generation prior. Suddenly, because of Mr. Reagan, no serious national politician wanted to be identified as a
``liberal.'' Of course, the same holds true even for today.
With a perfect blend of realism and idealism, this courageous man single-handedly overhauled our system of politics, as well as our collective outlook. The greatest communicator of all time, he reaffirmed with eloquence the value and validity of the American dream. Most of all, he trusted his fellow Americans like no other.
As he said in his farewell address, by appealing to our best hopes, not our worst fears, to our confidence rather than to our doubts, he made us conscious of our own potential. He restored our optimism, and brought together his party and his countrymen in an unprecedented manner. Never were we as proud to be Americans as when the Gipper was at the helm.
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. SCHAFFER. I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.
Mr. HAYWORTH. I thank the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Speaker, for yielding to me.
Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, this Congress remembers President Ronald Reagan, celebrating his life and his legacy.
In the current time, where some confuse legacy with licentiousness; when some confuse notoriety with being notorious; when some, regardless of partisan stripe or political philosophy, so confuse the notion of leadership to be poll-driven rather than principle-based, we celebrate the life of Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Prime Minister Thatcher said that one man more than any other was responsible for the spread of freedom and the embrace of democracy in the world. His name is Ronald Reagan.
It is interesting, Mr. Speaker, at a time when the dominant media culture castigates simplicity for lacking in intellectual rigor, the triumph of Ronald Reagan is the notion that simple beliefs sincerely held are not only eloquent, they are eminently practical: faith, family, freedom; the notion that individual spirit outweighs the heavy hand of bureaucratic government; the notion to first provide for the common defense to ensure not only national security, not only personal security, but financial security. These are the lessons of Ronald Reagan.
Mr. Speaker, those who hear me come to the well from time to time note my fondness for an observation of Mark Twain. Quoting Mark Twain, now, ``History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.''
Our greatest leaders, regardless of political pedigree, were those brave souls who unflinchingly embraced a set of principles and knew the true meaning of leadership: that leadership is not the searching for a legacy, it is the creation of a record; that history is best served by working with the energy and intellect and all we can bring at this time, in this place, in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, understanding that the Constitution is not just a document to be put on the shelf to collect dust, but the very cornerstone of our liberty, and if you will, in the parlance of the 21st century, the mission statement that defines us.
Ronald Wilson Reagan, called by some a revolutionary, instead went about the business of restoration, restoring more than our pride, restoring a sense of national purpose. That is what we celebrate, and that is what we remember, and that is what will sustain us in the days ahead, celebrating his life and his accomplishments, and learning from the rhythm and rhyme of his days in Washington the example that can motivate us in what he called the last best hope of mankind.
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for joining me tonight on the floor. I was in college, starting my freshman year, it was 1980, during the campaign between President Reagan and President Carter, and I remember the first debate, I think it was the debate in Cleveland, that was televised.
All of my friends who I had just met at the University of Dayton met in my dormitory room, so imagine 10 or 15 people packed into a small little cell and watching this debate on television. For many of us at that time, we were just starting to figure out where we stood politically in America.
We were just youngsters, graduated from high school and moving on to college. President Carter, as you know, was a very honorable man, a very well respected President, in his personal qualities. He might have caused some, those of us who ended up being pretty conservative in Washington, to be at least open and attracted in some ways to the liberal thought governing the country at that time.
But it was that debate that stated with such clear terms the distinction between liberal leadership in America and a conservative vision for America's future. It was at that point in time, after watching the whole debate, that I was inspired in a way that is almost beyond description. I not only decided that I wanted to become an active Republican, but signed up that very day with the Republican organization there at the University of Dayton, and that was the beginning of my political activism.
That was what really radicalized me on this concept of American liberty and American freedom, and conservative from the standpoint that President Reagan harkened back to the early days of our Nation's founding. He quoted Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Franklin, and all the rest, and applied the wisdom of those Founders to every modern problem that confronted America at the time.
It was that sense of continuity, that sense of American purpose, that firm belief that God has blessed the United States of America with a destiny that is truly the hope for the world, that was something that I wanted to be part of. That was the America that attracted my grandparents as immigrants to this country. That was the America that I wanted to be part of. That was the America that I wanted to work for. That was the America that I wanted to entrust my children to as I raised my family, and raised them up in a glorious Nation that Ronald Reagan has delivered to them.
Ronald Reagan's speeches throughout the course of his Presidency, and even after his retirement, have had that kind of effect on American after American after American. To this day when we speak with Members of the Congress, our colleagues, it is remarkable the number of times core beliefs, the fundamentals of philosophy that people bring to this Congress, have been inspired by President Reagan, by some speech that he made, by some action he took, by some moment of courage when, against all odds, he stood up not for what was politically expedient, not for what pollsters might have advised him, but stood up for what was right and what was just and what was fair.
That is the kind of courage that I think about often on this House floor. It is something that I know many of us think about, not just on the President's birthday. We think about President Reagan every day as we carry out the business of the United States Congress.
{time} 2000
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from Colorado is caught up in collegiate revery for what was for the gentleman a political epiphany in the campaign debates of 1980, I thought back in my own memory to a brilliantly beautiful day in late October in 1992 when former President Reagan, answering the call of duty to his party and to his Nation, hit the campaign trail.
It was my honor to serve as a master of ceremonies at a time, while as a public figure, as a broadcaster, still ostensibly was a private citizen, not a candidate for political office, not an office holder. In that appearance, one of his last public campaign appearances, the genius of Ronald Reagan came through. And, again, it was not something that would please the intellectual elite, but it was the simplicity of his optimism.
Another great President, Dwight David Eisenhower, noted that the most important component of leadership is optimism. In contrast to those who came before who, in a moment of introspection and personal disappointment, referred to a national malaise, Ronald Reagan championed the essential goodness of the American people. That notion that tomorrow would bring a better day, that notion that this constitutional republic represented the last, best hope of mankind, that vision of a shining city on a hill was more than poetic license. For Ronald Reagan, it was a vision that he championed every day to make reality.
The lessons are legion and the examples are great. When professional diplomats of the State Department said, ``Oh, no, do not give that speech,'' Ronald Reagan went to West Berlin and in the sight of the terrible wall, Mr. Speaker, said, to the general secretary of what was then the Soviet Union, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.''
His sense of purpose and his clear and unmistakable call led eventually to The Wall coming down and opportunity and freedom being swept up, not only across what was called East Germany, but all of Eastern Europe.
When he said the Soviet Union would be relegated to the dustbin of history, he was not disdainful of the Russian people but instead of the tyranny and the ultimate unworkability of their system. And Ronald Reagan was right.
When those in this town championed, oh, we must have a nuclear freeze, we must be subservient to the Soviet Union, we must throw up our hands in hopelessness and despair, Ronald Reagan believed in the goodness of the American people and the constitutional charge of this unique, grand experiment. And his vision, his prophecy was correct.
A British writer today put it, talking about other contemporary leaders, saying of those who may have sat in seats of power here or in the halls of Parliament from our British allies, lesser men who easily enjoy the fruits and labors of a greater man with firm conviction.
That is what we remember and that is what we champion and that is why the American people, regardless of political party, rise as one, Mr. Speaker, to say'' ``Happy Birthday, President Reagan.''
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, that vision of the shining city on the hill is one that the President did make a reality. And despite the fact that in the 1984 Democrat National Convention it was Governor Cuomo whose job it was to discredit the President in the course of his reelection campaign, stood there before the convened assembly and ridiculed that vision of the shining city on a hill and said that it was unsuitable for an American ideal, for an American understanding of itself.
But as I have since learned and had a chance to meet many people through the course of being a Member of Congress around the world, I have come to realize just how prophetic Ronald Reagan was and that these words were not merely words. These were not hollow statements. These were not just a pretty collection of syllables. America really is the shining city on the hill. And at the time, was the hill to which, the city to which people around the world in some very dire circumstances looked toward with hope and with optimism. Sometimes that vision of America was all they had.
Mr. Speaker, I am reminded of a trip I took to Israel. I met with Mr. Scharansky who had grown up in the old Soviet Union and who had spent a number of years in the Russian gulags being oppressed as a political prisoner, as a Jew, and in a very antireligious society in the Soviet Union. He said that when word passed through the prison cells that Ronald Reagan had publicly and emphatically described the Soviet Union as an ``evil empire,'' that was the day their hearts began to pound, because they knew that it was just a matter of time before they were released.
As I stood there in Jerusalem listening to this story years later about a former Soviet prisoner, it made me extraordinarily proud, not just to be an American, but to be one who voted for, supported, worked for Ronald Reagan and his candidacy, because it was a victory that did more than set the United States of America on the proper course. It was a victory that did represent that shining city on the hill that shone bright to the darkest corner of the globe and represented real hope and opportunity and optimism for those who saw no other source of optimism.
Mr. Speaker, I have heard lots of stories like that. I have heard stories like that from people who have spent time in Chinese prisons suffering behind bars as a result of religious persecution. That the words of President Reagan, the firmness with which he would deal when it came to communism and the oppressive nature of communism, it has inspired revolutionaries across the planet. It has inspired those whose thirst for democracy has been fulfilled. It has inspired those who have run for office in countries where pro-democracy, pro-free markets, pro-
religious expression, those kinds of sentiments are all but abolished. And we see President Reagan's firm commitment to these concepts taking root in some of the most unlikely places.
Here in the United States, as I mentioned before, there are many, many people who have come to Congress for the first time this year who have won seats in the State legislatures around the Nation, who have campaigned and won titles as county commissioner and city council member and school board member, who are inspired in their vision of a constitutional government of local strength, of a Nation that defines itself from within, inspired to run for office in the first place, to be active in their communities, and to lead as real Americans lead.
Mr. Speaker, Ronald Reagan taught us that character means the world. With his unwavering moral sense, steeped in selflessness and decency, President Reagan offered a vision, a vision to all America, and then he followed through. For that I am grateful, as is this Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I say to the former President, ``Mr. President, I thank you and happy birthday. America and the world are better because of you, because of your courage, and because of your sacrifice. We shall never forget you.''
If we have time left, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding. As the gentleman discussed, those who have crossed his path who have run for public office, whether in this country or beyond these borders, I think of the scores of young people who apply for internships or that first job here in Washington or back in our districts who unfailingly cite the example of Ronald Reagan coming to political awareness, whether in elementary school or junior high, looking to that example of leadership. It is an example which will continue to inspire and motivate what he called the last, best hope of mankind.
Mr. Speaker, it is the optimism that this noble experiment would continue. That despite the travails and the challenges we face, our basic goodness as a people and our reliance on principle and the notion of limited government will prevail. We shall not see his like again, though he will be emulated, though he always will be remembered.
Mr. Speaker, the special nature of the leadership of Ronald Reagan, his optimism, his eloquence, his leadership ability, his foresight give us all reason to pause on this, his 90th birthday, not only to remember the past, but to pledge ourselves to work in the present, to provide for a glorious future. For as he said, America's greatest days are still to come.
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to close with three quotes from President Reagan. In his first inaugural address in January of 1981, he said, ``No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.''
Later that year, in September of 1981, he said, ``We who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity, and ultimately human fulfillment are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Trust the people.''
And, finally, in a speech to the Republican National Committee, August 23, 1984, President Reagan said this: ``In this springtime of hope, some lights seem eternal; America's is.''
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for recognizing me for this special order and for all of my colleagues who joined in this special order tonight in wishing President Reagan a happy 90th birthday. The country is grateful for the President's service and for his optimism and passion for the country.
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