The Last Best Hope: The Greatest Speeches of Ronald Reagan

by Ronald Reagan, Michael Reagan (Introduction)

From the time he arrived on the political scene in 1964 – throughout his presidency and beyond, Ronald Reagan – used his speeches to inspire and reinvigorate America. When he spoke, Reagan, said, he was “preaching a sermon.” The American people saw his vision of America and his dreams for the future and they overwhelmingly responded; he was re-elected in 984 by the largest number of electoral votes in the nation’s history. Here in this collection of twenty-eight speeches spanning the Reagan era, readers can find inspiration in Reagan’s “sermons.” From his first speech in the political arena in 1964 to his Last Letter to America, informing Americans of his Alzheimer’s disease, Ronald Regan’s words show a profound belief in God, freedom, individualism, limited government, and his great love for his country. In addition to an introduction by Reagan’s son, Michael Reagan, each speech features an informative introduction which puts the speech into historical context, making The Last Best Hope the perfect entrée into the influence of one of the major figures of the 20th century.

Genres: History, Politics

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 2016

About the author

Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party and became an important figure in the American conservative movement. His presidency is known as the Reagan era.
Born in Illinois, Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932 and was hired the next year as a sports broadcaster in Iowa. In 1937, he moved to California where he became a well-known film actor. During his acting career, Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild twice, from 1947 to 1952 and from 1959 to 1960. In the 1950s, he hosted General Electric Theater and worked as a motivational speaker for General Electric. Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech during the 1964 presidential election launched his rise as a leading conservative figure. After being elected governor of California in 1966, he raised state taxes, turned the state budget deficit into a surplus and implemented harsh crackdowns on university protests. Following his loss to Gerald Ford in the 1976 Republican Party presidential primaries, Reagan won the Republican Party's nomination and then a landslide victory over President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election.
In his first term as president, Reagan began implementing "Reaganomics", which involved economic deregulation and cuts in both taxes and government spending during a period of stagflation. On the world stage, he escalated the arms race, increased military spending, transitioned Cold War policy away from the policies of détente with the Soviet Union, and ordered the 1983 invasion of Grenada. He also survived an assassination attempt, fought public-sector labor unions, expanded the war on drugs, and was slow to respond to the AIDS epidemic. In the 1984 presidential election, he defeated former vice president Walter Mondale in another landslide victory. Foreign affairs dominated Reagan's second term, including the 1986 bombing of Libya, the secret and illegal sale of arms to Iran to fund the Contras, and engaging in negotiations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, which culminated in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Reagan left the presidency in 1989 with the American economy having seen a significant reduction of inflation, the unemployment rate having fallen, and the U.S. having entered its then-longest peacetime expansion. At the same time, the national debt had nearly tripled since 1981 as a result of his cuts in taxes and increased military spending, despite cuts to domestic discretionary spending. Reagan's foreign policies also contributed to the end of the Cold War. Though he planned an active post-presidency, it was hindered, after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994, and his physical and mental capacities gradually deteriorated, leading to his death in 2004. His tenure constituted a realignment toward conservative policies in the United States, and he is often considered an icon of American conservatism. Historical rankings of U.S. presidents have typically placed Reagan in the upper tier, and his post-presidential approval ratings by the general public are usually high.

Reviews

[Descending Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can only give this 5 stars. 28 wonderful speeches that are thought provoking, hopeful, speaking to common sense, inspirational and are full of optimism. Reagan wasn't known as "The Great Commuicator" for nothing. This book includes pictures and context to the speeches as well. It's funny and sad because American and the West seem to be in the same situation as it was in the 70's ~ inflation, big government and going from one crisis to another. These speeches are a part of history but the content still rings true.

[Martin Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the words of the man. Read these speeches and you will see why he was called The Great Communicator by some. Agree or disagree with his policies, there can be no argument that he had a vision and was able to communicate it in a manner that resonated with millions around the globe.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

last best hope, eastern block and communist spell mostly black map, 8m out of work inflation unemployment interest all double digit, belief in people build on strengths, capacity for self-govt, up/down not left/right, if you cant govern self who is capable of governing, self respect in welfare, you are born with these rights, individual rights, if need govt to regulate how can you choose, 68% of union vote for right to work 1975, 16% of nations welfare in CA, implemented 1600 cost cutting measures, dems turned back on conservatives in 60’s, black vote not for granted need to earn with good education and opportunities, idiots in DC, govt at local level, freeze federal hiring and cut waste as done in CA, solve problems put trust in people, limit spending energy independent, if we cant govern self who can govern, the states created federal govt, inauguration day as day of prayer, verify arms reduction, if not covered by God by tyrants, if America ceases to be good ceases to be great, prayer in schools like Supreme Court and congress, right to life, a spiritual awakening and moral rebirth, appeasement squanders freedom and morality, there is right and wrong and good and evil, ye shall be as gods in garden sin pride, El Salvador freedom fighters 1m of 5m killed, Nicaragua traded one tyrant for another, free or controlled media and govt over people, taught right history line item veto constitutional amendment requiring balance budget gerrymandering risks multiple terms only, hello American sailor hello freedom man, 19m new jobs can do spirit, clean house 1992, cut tax and regulation and spending, rediscover values and common sense, turn to free markets free speech, reverse course of govt via we the people, man more free the more limited govt, if forget what did forget who are teach at dinner table, Churchill as greatest communicator, appeasement leads to war, a world without walls a brotherhood of man in all corners of the world.

[Terry Misfeldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful accumulation of the words and speeches of President Ronald W. Reagan. Having had the privilege of meeting him on several occasions, including once in the Oval Office, these speeches are a tribute to his eloquence and to his unfailing belief in the American spirit. So many years later, our nation is in dire need of the type of leadership President Reagan provided to the United States of America.

I share a quote from page 245: "You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wager earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."

One might think they were the words of President Reagan, but they were spoken by President Abraham Lincoln and cited by President Reagan at the Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas, on August 17, 1992...just more than 25 years ago.

Having read this book, I can only hope our political leaders face up to their obligation to represent the people, not their own selfish interests. It also reminds me that we, as citizens of this country, need to exert our influence and take the government back from the politicians.

[Winnifred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard many of these speeches at the time they were made in the 1980s, however, I had forgotten what an inspirational speaker he was. Ronald Reagan truly loved America and its people and always acted in our best interests.

[Dionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ronald Reagan is one of my favorite presidents. His optimism and faith in America is so inspiring.

My only complaint about this book is that I wish at least some of the speeches had been recordings of Reagan's actual voice delivering the speeches.