He didn't see himself as "the great communicator." It was so famous a moniker that he could do nothing but graciously accept the compliment, but he well understood it was bestowed in part by foes and in part to undercut the seriousness of his philosophy: "It's not what he says, it's how he says it." He answered in his farewell address: "I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: it was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things." It wasn't his eloquence people supported, it was his stands — opposition to the too-big state, to its intrusions and demands, to Soviet communism. Voters weren't charmed, they were convinced.
His most underestimated political achievement? In the spring of 1981 the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization called an illegal strike. It was early in Reagan's presidency. He'd been a union president. He didn't want to come across as an antiunion Republican. And Patco had been one of the few unions to support him in 1980. But the strike was illegal. He would not accept it. He gave them a grace period, two days, to come back. If they didn't, they'd be fired. They didn't believe him. Most didn't come back. So he fired them. It broke the union. Federal workers got the system back up. The Soviet Union, and others, were watching. They thought: This guy means business. It had deeply positive implications for U.S. foreign policy. But here's the thing: Reagan didn't know that would happen, didn't know the bounty he'd reap. He was just trying to do what was right.
The least understood facet of Reagan's nuclear policies? He hated the rise of nuclear weapons, abhorred the long-accepted policy of mutually assured destruction. That's where the Strategic Defense Initiative came from, his desire to protect millions from potential annihilation. The genius of his program: When developed, America would share it with the Soviet Union. We'd share it with everybody. All would be protected from doomsday.
The Soviets opposed this; the Rejkavik summit broke up over it, and in the end the Soviets' arms spending helped bankrupt them and hasten their fall. Years later I would see Mikhail Gorbachev, who became Reagan's friend. He was still grumpy about Reagan's speeches. "Ron — he loved show business!" Mr. Gorbachev blustered. The losses of those years must have still rankled, and understandably. It's one thing to be outmaneuvered by a clever man, but to be outfoxed by a good one — oh, that would grate.
