Why I Am a Reagan Conservative

by Deaver, Michael K.

• ISBN13: 9780060559762
• ISBN10: 0060559764
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-05-04
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

Former Ronald Reagan advisor and bestselling author Michael K. Deaver gathers the nation's leading figures to define conservatism, explore Reagan's impact on conservative philosophy, and examine what it means to be a conservative in America today. In Why I Am a Reagan Conservative, the most powerful minds in politics and media come together to provide the reasons behind their beliefs, offer personal accounts of their time in politics and government, and explain the late Ronald Reagan's impact on the Grand Old Party. Among them, Bill Frist believes the roots of a person's ideology can be traced to their life experience. Robert D. Novak considers that what really makes a conservative is believing the government is always the problem, rather than the solution. Ken Mehlman expresses that freedom is the foundation of international peace, and the renewed commitment of each generation prevents its collapse. J. C. Watts, Jr., remembers Ronald Reagan, who challenged America to think about what it wanted to become. Bob Dole discusses a long legacy of timeless values, from the bleak 1930s to the difficult days after 9/11. Orrin G. Hatch discourses on how the ReaganRevolution restored the essential American values -- individualism and enterprise, initiative and optimism, charity and sacrifice -- in all of us. And many more. Through them not only do we learn about the people who share with us their thoughts on politics and worldly situations, but we also gain an understanding of the modern conservative mind and movement and all its precepts. As the power of the Republican party continues to grow, a bold new conservative movement is taking form in America. This timely and unprecedented new collection will elucidate and explore the impact of the man who fueled the fire of a rapidly growing political movement.

Author Biography

Michael K. Deaver is the author of Nancy and the bestselling A Different Drummer: My 30 Years with Ronald Reagan. One of Reagan's closest advisors, he served as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff in the White House from January 1981 until May 1985. He currently serves as vice chairman, international, for Edelman Worldwide.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xiii
Being Conservative Gives You a Grip on Reality	1	(6)
Robert L. Bartley
Government: Problem or Solution?	7	(2)
Robert D. Novak
A Legacy of Values, Not Just a Label	9	(4)
Bob Dole
Detroit	13	(6)
Michael Barone
Self-Reliance	19	(4)
William H. Frist
A Ringing Melody of Ideas	23	(4)
Martin Anderson
The Founders Had It Right	27	(4)
David A. Keene
Conservatism: It Works for Me	31	(6)
Michael Medved
Building on What Is Good for America	37	(2)
Rick Santorum
The Government Closest to the People	39	(2)
Trent Lott
A Just and Prosperous Society	41	(6)
Edwin Meese III
Remembering Ronald Reagan	47	(4)
J. C. Watts, Jr.
Optimism	51	(2)
Bill Owens
Sorting Out Conflict	53	(4)
Jon Kyl
The Importance of Transcendent Moral Values	57	(4)
Henry J. Hyde
Keeping Your Dream	61	(2)
G. Gordon Robert Liddy
The Struggle for Freedom	63	(6)
Jim DeMint
The Shocking Convictions and Astonishing Grabbiness of the Left	69	(6)
P. J. O'Rourke
Effort and Determinism	75	(4)
Phil Gramm
Classic Ideas Worth Conserving	79	(4)
Christopher Cox
Different Soils Bearing Conservatism	83	(2)
Lord Douglas Hurd
Eternal Truths	85	(2)
Paul M. Weyrich
America Is Freedom	87	(4)
Grover Norquist
The Making of a Conservative	91	(4)
Frank Fahrenkopf
The Constitution's Groundwork	95	(2)
Craig Thomas
I'm a Reaganite	97	(4)
Jay Nordlinger
The Marks of a Conservative	101	(2)
Robert Livingston
From Cultural Liberal to Cultural Conservative	103	(4)
Suzanne Fields
What Conservatism Is Not	107	(4)
Edwin J. Feulner
All Other Political Philosophies Have Failed	111	(6)
Donald J. Devine
How Can Man Die Better?	117	(8)
Peter Brimelow
I Believe in Freedom	125	(4)
Ken Mehlman
A Philosophy of Governance	129	(2)
Chuck Hagel
Limited Government and Unlimited Prosperity	131	(2)
Katherine Harris
Restoring Essential Values Through the Reagan Revolution	133	(4)
Orrin G. Hatch
Inculcating Nobility	137	(4)
Mona Charen
Free Choice Versus Maudlin Sentimentality	141	(4)
Reed Irvine
The Greatest Nation with a Greater Promise	145	(4)
Adam H. Putnam
Defining Success for Ourselves	149	(2)
Jack Oliver
The Cornerstones of a Healthy Society	151	(6)
Zach Wamp
Government Does Not Know Best	157	(2)
Paul Ryan
The Importance of Fiscal Conservatism	159	(2)
Thomas A. Schatz
A Reagan Man	161	(4)
Michael K. Deaver
Beauty and Fulfillment	165	(6)
Pete Sessions
The Pillars of Our Nation	171	(2)
Darrell Issa
Restoring the Principles of Our Past	173	(2)
Walter B. Jones
God Is Wiser Than Me	175	(4)
Dr. Marvin Olasky
Common Sense	179	(2)
Scott McInnis
Historic Judeo-Christian Principles	181	(2)
Roberta Combs
Strong Values	183	(2)
Jo Ann Emerson
The Power of the Individual	185	(2)
Michael C. Burgess
Individual Freedom	187	(2)
David Vitter
Take a Right Turn: My Conversion from a Democrat to a Conservative Republican	189	(6)
Todd Tiahrt
The Freedom to Do What Is Right	195	(6)
Rob Simmons
Acknowledgments	201

Excerpts

Why I Am a Reagan Conservative

Chapter One

Bob Dole

A legacy of values, not just a label

To me "conservative" is a legacy of values that are at oncetimeless and vulnerable, not just a label. It is a faith; thehumbling perspective that not every change representsprogress; a fierce defense of individuals and national freedom;and a healthy skepticism toward institutions too large,too remote, and too impersonal to be truly democratic. Conservativesshare the Founders' fears over too much powerconcentrated in too few hands. We prefer organizing societyfrom the grassroots to dictating it from the top down.

Thomas Jefferson said, "The God who gave us life, gaveus liberty at the same time." Growing up on the edge of theDepression-era Dust Bowl, I was taught to put my trust inGod, not government, and never confuse the two. I eventuallycame to see conservatism as a creed of opportunity,rooted in the ability of seemingly ordinary people to accomplishextraordinary things. The worst of times brought out the best in my neighbors. In Russell, Kansas, adversitytested character. But it also bred a sense of responsibility forothers who were hurting.

In any event, when I returned from World War II, I wassustained by neighbors who were anything but stingy withtheir love and encouragement. I learned then, if I hadn't alreadyknown it, that there is no such thing as a wholly selfmademan or woman. Life has taught me well that thegreatness of America lies, not in the power of the government,but in the goodness of her people. That's why genuineconservatives trust people to make their own decisions andrealize their own dreams. We trust parents to choose thebest education for their children. We trust entrepreneurs togenerate new ideas and the jobs that follow. We entrusthard-earned dollars to the workers who earned them insteadof centralized bureaucracies that limit options and frustratedreams.

I confess that it took me years to fully understand conservatismand its many different interpretations. I was sometimescriticized as not being a "true" conservative byright-wing pundits and some one-issue special-interestgroups. Being a compassionate conservative in the 1970sand 1980s was not appreciated by the right-wing ideologues,most of whom never ran for any office or cast a voteon any issue.

Of course, for a long time even genuine conservativeswere the object of scorn, even ridicule from the Left ... you know, we were lampooned as little old ladies in tennis shoesworried about Communists under the bed and fluoride inour water supplies, our overstuffed tycoons in batwing collarswho were unwilling to look at the new moon out of respectfor the old one. Ironically it was Ronald Reagan, theoldest of American presidents, who proved the most youthfulof leaders. Far from living in the past, President Reaganlooked forward to a future in which all of God's childrenwere free, and all Americans celebrated the source of life andliberty.

Liberty, I might add, that should never be confused withlicense. Conservatives have no monopoly on virtue. Yet if weare true to our stated beliefs, we will take exceptions to apopular culture that all too often peddles trash for cash. Indeed,conservatives have a special responsibility, it seems tome -- precisely because we embrace what President Reagancalled the magic of the marketplace -- to raise our voices inprotest when the profit motive turns poisonous, coarseningour culture, polluting our air or airwaves.

In many ways my life traces the trajectory of Americanconservatism, from a marginalized faith in the bleak 1930sto triumph in the cold war to our current agenda-settingprimacy. Recent tests have confirmed that the tide of eventsflows our way. In the days since 9/11 we have all drawn inspirationfrom young Americans, many in uniform far fromhome defending our most cherished values. You don't hearanyone questioning the courage or character of Generation X these days. They know, just as surely as the heroes of Gettysburgor Omaha Beach, that freedom is never free. As a result,the world in 2004 is freer, more democratic, moreentrepreneurial, and more hopeful than at any time in mylife. That's why I remain what I proclaimed myself to be in1996—the most optimistic man in America.

Bob Dole, called "the most enduring Republican leader of the twentieth century," twice served as majority leader of the Senate. He currently serves as chairman of the International Commission on Missing Persons and of the National World War II Memorial.

Why I Am a Reagan Conservative. Copyright © by Michael Deaver. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

---

Excerpted from Why I Am a Reagan Conservative
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.