tonight i want to welcome you to the reagan library for the latest installment of the reagan foundation speaker series, a time for choosing. it has been my honor to help manage this important program behind the scenes beginnings. given the departure an hour executive director soon, but not too soon, i will be stepping forward more often to be introducing our special guest for this series. a presidential library is one of the ways we honor and remember american leaders of the past. tonight, because our speakers home state, i was to get about one of the other ways we have immortalized four of our greatest presidents. mount rushmore. it is a symbol so powerful, not just in america, but around the world that ukrainian president zelenskyy invoked it during his recent address to congress. two of the presidents gazing out of the mountainside, abraham lincoln and theodore roosevelt famously were republicans. and over time, the parties founded by lincoln, shaped by roosevelt, was revolutionized by reagan. today, we wonder who will take up the mantle and lead the party forward in the next decade.

reagan was unique. unique not only in the continuity of his beliefs, he's also unique in his personality, the way in which he was able to be a populist figure but represent a populism that was much more uplifting, hopeful. i thought, if we just include reagan as one character as many, we see the real picture of the american right. the picture we see is one where reagan is the outlier. especially on issues such as immigration. when you get to the george w. bush era, that is away of discrediting the reagan policy. susan: we're going to go back in history. from the 1950's, after world war ii, the foundational principles both in politics, intellectual conservatism, and economics. some of the names that came up. james burnham, russell r, william f oakley. what were their foundational contributions? matthew: james burnham wasn't at communist -- x communist. -- ex-communist. he contributed a hardheaded realism to the pursuit of rolling back common is him, defeating communism. he was called a primary intellectu

reagan. how do you plead guilty? mr. president how good a politician is mrs. reagan? oh, absolutely don't you think so? the words right out of my mouth. i think she prompting you again. is reckon some people have suggested that you have been the driving force in your husband's career and that you wanted the presidency more than he did. yeah. i know i've read that too. not true. i i thought i married an actor. and actually, he was asked he was asked to run for office. soon after we got married and turned it down by the democrats when he sold democrat. and then when the governorship came along i went along with it, but that wasn't something that i had carved out for for our future and certainly the presidency wasn't something that i said you've got to do this. no that that isn't true. i think what people get mixed up. as far as i'm concerned and this whole thing of my my pushing pushing him. that they don't understand that. if he had decided to go into the shoe business, i'd be out pushing shoes. you know, whatever aren't you? glad he didn't yeah, that was my next point

reagan, how do you plead? >> guilty. >> mr. president, how good a politician is mrs. reagan? >> absolutely sensational, don't you think so? >> you took the words right out of my mouth. >> i think she's prompting you again. >> mrs. reagan, some people have suggested that you have been the driving force in your husband's career and that you wanted the presidency more than he did. >> i know. i read that, too. not true. i thought i married an actor. actually, he was asked to run for office soon after we got married and turned it down by the democrats when he was still a democrat. and then when the governorship came along, i went along with it, but that wasn't something that i have carved out for our future and certainly the presidency wasn't something that i said, you've got to do this. that isn't true. i think what people get mixed up, as far as i'm concerned in this whole thing of my pushing him, that they don't understand that if he had decided to go into the shoe business, i would be out pushing shoes, you know. >> aren't you glad he didn't? >> yes. now, that was my next poin

you to do the reagan diaries? >> i had been recommended to her -- well i wrote an article for the new yorker on ronald reagan's pen pal, a woman named lorrain wagner who ended up writing -- reagan wrote her hundreds of letters. >> did she keep them? did you meet her. >> i did, i got a random call from lorrain saying she got these letters from reagan, i immediately thought they were xeroxed letters, she lived in philadelphia, told me she worked for the irs all these years and more i interrogated her on the phone, i say, can you just fax me one of your letters so i can pick a winner and let me see the tone and tenor of it and she says no i won't fax it, i don't have a fax machine. i say is there a motel near you? she says i'm by a marriott i say one -- she wouldn't, she says you have to come and see them. >> what year was this? >> 2004, let's say -- >> and you went to see her? >> and yeah, so i went on a plane to philadelphia, wondering why am i doing this because it's probably going to be a dead end, and i went and

reagan, how do you plead? >> guilty. >> mr. president, how good a politician is mrs. reagan? >> absolutely sensational, don't you think so? >> you took the words right out of my mouth. >> i think she's prompting you again. >> mrs. reagan, some people have suggested that you have been the driving force in your husband's career and that you wanted the presidency more than he did. >> i know. i read that, too. not true. i thought i married an actor. actually, he was asked to run for office soon after we got married and turned it down by the democrats when he was still a democrat. and then when the governorship came along, i went along with it, but that wasn't something that i have carved out for our future and certainly the presidency wasn't something that i said, you've got to do this. no, that isn't true. i think what people get mixed up, as far as i'm concerned in this whole thing of my pushing him, that they don't understand that if he had decided to go into the shoe business, i would be out pushing shoes, you know. whatever -- >> aren't you glad he didn't? >> yes. now, that

okay reagan in fort but ford felt that reagan in 76 was criticizing him. much and -- you're damaged forged ability to beat jimmy carter. richard nixon i watched you and luke nectar together at politics and pros talking about the nixon tapes. how did you put that book together? there are two volumes of the nixon tapes their massive what we realized in luke realized. is that a lot of these tapes you're dealing with thousands of hours. just never you would think the press would have had adam. but no nobody did any there you have to listen so carefully and so long and a lot of the tapes are just clanking of you know, they were voice activated. so a lot of it is just, you know, weird noises and coughs and shuffling and you've got to be very patient and then you have to have the best equipment to listen to it and then you've got to able to decipher the voices and who it is. let me ask you this though back in april of '74 the government published tapes the transcripts of tapes. what's the difference between what the government published and what you all do govern

he did what reagan reagan i think reagan. i i haven't researched enough but reagan believed, you know way to assemble the governance you surround yourself with good people and then you let them do their jobs fdr had that same approach toward the war and if you think about it. all the brilliant men who had serving in wartime. he had eisenhower and he had nimitz he had king and he had patent and he had marshall and he had macarthur and he had so many others omar bradley so many other superb military leaders, and he didn't interfere he would meet with them. he would ask questions for them, but he didn't interfere. he'd let them conduct the war they saw fit and that was what his real brilliance was in in conducting the war of world war two, but you know, he was he was for all intensive purposes. he was not just president of states during world war two he was president of the world. he we were not only supplying the us service man, but we were surprised supplying the british service man, and we were supplying the soviet service ma

i didn't know president reagan but i did know mrs. reagan a little bit. [laughter] if ronnie married nancy the first time he would have won an academy award. [laughter] s but i heard i would he and she wouldn't and i would say i just heard a minister say that president reagan improved on jesus. she said yes that's the kind of thing that ronnie did a lot. [laughter] may someday we all the loved das nancy davis loved reagan. [laughter] >> i don't believe that. >> is part of the shining city on the hill and the redeemer nation and it keeps us from confronting who we actuallyha are. so that binds us to the truth. and withh a streetcar named desire and then to evade what is looking back in the mirror it is the matter is that calls for. >> so my sense it is a good thing and then seeking justice that aspirational element that there is a gap. >> it out read the sentence in that way that motivation is that aspirational claim and baldwin is constantly saying at howard with many young activists there were these various clicks in the fifth national groups and then yo

and i never knew president reagan, but i did know mrs. reagan a little bit. as jimmy stewart said if ronnie had married nancy the first time he would have won an academy award. but i had heard this, and i was at lunch where i would eat and she wouldn't, and i said you know, ma'am, i just heard a minister say-- it's amazing, president reagan improved on jesus and she said, well, yes, that's the kind of thing that ronnie did a lot. may some day we all be loved as nancy davis loved ronald reagan. back to baldwin. >> i don't believe that? do you all believe that? >> why would i make that up. >> some believe that we're the shining city on the hill, and to be achieved, and that that particular illusion and keeps us from confronting who we actually are. >> sure. >> so there's a kind of falseness that we live in that blinds us to who we are, and with the iceman cometh, and blanch in "street car named desire," what does it mean to imagine ones self in a way and evade looking back at you in the mirror. so there's a kind of madness, what has gotten into these young folk

present -- reagan presidential library. i was just wondering if i've done my math right, you are a third grader when ronald reagan was elected president. you were a high school student when he left office. i was just wondering if you could share some thoughts on what it was like being a young person and growing up in ronald reagan's america. justice barrett: i was in third grade in 1980 when ronald reagan was elected. in our third grade classroom as in many grade schools across the country, every time there is a presidential election, we held a mock election. supreme court justices cannot talk about their politics past their present so i will not tell you what my nine-year-old self voted in the first election. but his is the first election i had any consciousness of because i was in school at that point and i did this election and i paid some attention to it. i would say in my formative years, that may be the wrong word to use but as i became conscious of what was going on in politics, ronald reagan was the president. so in

tonight i want to welcome you to the reagan library for the latest installment of the reagan foundation speaker series, a time for choosing. it has been my honor to help manage this important program behind the scenes beginnings. i will be stepping forward more often to be introducing our special guest for this series. a presidential library is one of the ways we honor and remember american leaders of the past. tonight, because our speakers home state, i was thinking about one of the other ways we have immortalized four of our greatest presidents. mount rushmore. it is a symbol so powerful, not just in america, but around the world that ukrainian president zelenskyy invoked it during his recent address to congress. two of the presidents gazing out of the mountainside, abraham lincoln and theodore roosevelt famously were republicans. and over time, the parties founded by lincoln, shaped by roosevelt, was revolutionized by reagan. today, we wonder who will take up the mantle and lead the party forward in the next decade. as we wonder, south dakota has captured the party's attention and im

[laughter] and i never knew president reagan but i did know mrs. reagan a little bit. [laughter] is jimmy stewart said of brown he had married nancy the first time he would've won an academy award. [laughter] but i had heard this i had lunch were i would eat and she wouldn'tno. and i said you know it ma'am i just heard a minister say it's amazing president reagan improved on jesus and she looked in said well yes that is the kind of thing ronnie did a lot. [laughter] might someday we all be loved is nancy davis loved ronald reagan now go back to baldwin for. >> don't believe it do all believe that. [laughter] >> how can i make that up? >> part of this idea that we are the shining city on the hill redeemer nation were an example of democracy that particular illusion keeps us from confronting who we actually are. and so there is a kind of falseness that we live in we know this interim what does it mean to imagine oneself in a particular sort of way? and to evade what is looking back in the mirror, right? there is a kind of magnus what has gotten into these young folks? th

he did what reagan -- i think reagan -- i haven't researched enough but reagan believed, you know, the way to assemble a government, you surround yourself with good people and then you let them do their jobs. fdr had that same approach toward the war. if you think about it, all the brilliant men who he had serving, in wartime, eisenhower, nimitz, he had king. he had patton, and he had marshall, and macarthur, bradley, so many other superb military lead evers. he didn't interfere. he would meet with them and ask questions of them. he didn't interfere. he let them conduct the war as they saw fit. that was the brilliance of him conducting the war in world war ii. for all intents and purposes he was not just president of the united states during world war ii. he was president of the worlds. we were not only supplying the u.s. servicemen, but we were supplying the british servicemen, and the soviet servicemen. we were sending them foodstuffs and material, and uniforms and things. whatever they needed, we were supplying them. so he was running a global war. he was kind the varsity operator a

reagan, how do you plead? >> i do. >> mister president how good a politician as mrs. reagan? >> well. >> absolutely sensational don't you think so? >> you took the words right out of my mouth. [laughs] . >> mrs. reagan, some people have suggested that you have been the driving force in your husband's career. that you wanted the presidency more than him. >> i've read that too. it's not true. i thought i married an actor. and, well, actually he was asked to run for office soon after we got married and he turned down. when he was told democrats. and then, when the governorship came along, i went along with it. but that was not something that i had carved out for our four for our future. and certainly the presidency was not that. you don't like you've got to do that. that's not true. i think people get mixed up as far as i'm concerned in this whole thing, my pushing, pushing him. that they don't understand that if he had decided to go into the shoe business, i would be out pushing shoes. you know. >> aren't you glad he didn't? >> yes, now that was my next point. my next point was

reagan cut tax rates. he lowered marginal tax rates across the board for businesses, for individuals, for capital gain. it didn't take effect for a while. but when it did, it increased the supply side of the economy. more people producing, more people working. think about this for a minute. if one definition of inflation is too much money chasing too few goods, he had volcker curb the money supply, but reagan increased the supply of goods. so that was anti-inflationary. those tax cuts created a 3 decade long prosperity. the final point, reagan deregulated and decontrolled the price of oil. reagan took out the price controls that were left over from nixon, ford and carter during the 70s. i remember james s lerks ssen ever. he said if you decontrol oil it will go to a hundred. i said it may go to a hundred, but it will go to 10 first. and guess what, the economy was booming. that was the reagan supply side free market prescription. it took a while, but he conquered inflation and started a three decade long b

reagan. they are called spatz if we were married. >> can you do that in louisiana? >> probably not. so reagan's phrase, shining city on a hill, is adding the adjective to a life of the sermon on the mount. jesus said it should be a city on the hill and his light shall not be hid. reagan did that so well that i'veth actually heard ministers- true story -- the pulpit say, as jesus said, america shall be as a city, shining city upon a hill. and i never knewrs president reagan but i did know mrs. reagan a little bit. [laughing] as jimmy stewart said, if ronnie married nancy the first of he would've won an academy award. but i heard this, i was at lunch i would eat and she wouldn't, and i said, you know, i just heard ais minister say this is, it's amazing. president reagan approved on jesus, andkewe she looked and se said, well yes, that's the. kind of thing ronnie did a lot. [laughing] may someday we'll be loved as nancy davis loved ronald reagan. now go back to baltimore. >> i don't believe that

from reagan's camp now. i think it's an excellent observation and i think it tells you a lot about both reagan and baker right? i mean again whether you like reagan or don't like big, but don't already like baker or not. reagan was not so wedded. to ideology that he wasn't willing to reach outside of his team. you're exactly right about that baker and run not one but two campaigns against ronald reagan, the 1976 gerald ford convention fight the beat back reagan for thought last campaign that reagan lost and the george hw bush primary campaign that lost a reagan in 198. so baker had been on the other side of the republican divide twice reagan picks him anyway partly because people like michael dever and stu spencer did not want edniece davichievous doubt. they thought at meese was a good guy. they liked him a lot, but he would be a disaster as a chief of staff because he was a man for whom was known if a piece of paper went into his briefcase it never came back out again, you know idea what things are. they d

host: for viewers who do not know your background on ronald reagan, how many reagan books at this point? guest: five. i am working on two more. it is endless. this man wrote letters from the time he was a young man to the time after the presidency. he had a half-dozen successful careers. this was an endlessly fascinating man. most presidents are one-dimensional or two dimensional. a bram lincoln was a railroad lawyer, but reagan was a movie star and radio announcer and president of the screen actors guild and governor and in the newspaper and a president. he had all these careers, so it makes him endlessly interesting to somebody like myself. for obvious reasons. host: the buckeye state. this is nathan, an independent. caller: i had a good story about my dad. he was 16 years old in 1943. he joined the navy on a brand-new destroyer and i took him -- he had 10 battle stars. i took him to his one and only reunion 58 years since he saved those guys and one guy was there that he wanted to see but jack could not remember dad. that night in the motel room, dad says, jack cannot remember me bec

reagan did that so well. that i've actually heard ministers true story from pulpit say as jesus said america shall be as a city a shining city about a health. and i never knew president reagan but didn't know mrs. reagan a little bit as jimmy stewart said if ronnie had married nancy the first time he would have won an academy award. but i heard this i i was at lunch where i would eat and she wouldn't and i said, you know man by just heard a ministers say this is you know, it's amazing president reagan improved on jesus. and she looked and she said well, yes, that's the kind of thing. ronnie did a lot. they someday we all be loved is nancy davis love. ronald reagan now go back to baldwin. i don't believe that y'all believe that no. i'm just how could i make that up? so when i part of you know this idea that we are the shining city on the hill that we're the redeemer nation that we're an example of democracy achieved. that that particular illusion stands in or keeps us from confronting who we actually are. and

baker ran not one but two campaigns against ronald reagan inor 1976 in the last campaign that reagan lost in the george h.w. bush primary and is lost to reagan. reagan takes them anyway partly because people like spencer did not want ed meese. they thought meese was a good guy and they liked him a lot but he was a disaster. if the piece of paper went into his wreath case you'd never see it again. baker they felt had been impressive in the two campaigns. think about that. when is the last time you heard someone -- the president taking his number one aide. it shows you the reagan was more pragmatic than people remember. reagan always said he's super ideological. i would rather get 80% of what i want then go over the cliff flying the flag. while baker took a lot of heat from the reagan crowd the conservatives thought he was k kind of a mushy sellout. the truth is baker was operating andd he landed the big jobs because he had shown he could do it. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. that was truly a fascinating conversation and thank you for that inside look at washington. without i wo

back reagan. in the george h.w. bush primary campaign lost. ebaker on the other side of the republican divide twice. partly because people like michael beaver and spencer did not want ed needs to be chief of staff they liked him a lot but he would be disastrous chief of staff he was a man for whom is not a piece of paper went into his briefcase it never came back out again. you had no idea where things would go. a bee disaster to the staff and baker they felt like had been very impressive in these two campaigns. they convinced reagan and he said yes i will take every think about that one is the last sunday member c a president takg someone who'd run two campaigns against him as his number one aid? show should reagan is pragmatic and people often remember. baker quote if not once a thousand times reagan always said to him, super ideological obviously but said i would rather get 80% of what i want and go over the cliff line and then get nothing. while baker took a lot of heat and let reagan be reaga

the reagan centennial. and he was a great friend a great leader and certainly has been extraordinary in transforming the work of the reagan foundation and preserving and continuing to advance the legacy of our 40th president of the united states. so congratulations john for your great achievement. joining john on stage or my friend jean becker former chief of staff to president george hw bush and first lady barbara bush lewis picone historian and board trustee for the groveland cleveland birthplace memorial association and author of grant's tomb the epic death of ulysses s grant and the making of an american pantheon. and nicola longford executive director of the sixth floor museum at dealey plaza, nicola. thank you for welcoming. so many of our guests the other day to your wonderful museum, please welcome us. and our panel as we continue the mornings program. thank you so much stewart as stuart mentioned he and i've had the chance to work. in the past both at the red cross and stuart was just an absolutely

we will feature first ladies lady bird johnson, betty ford, rosalynn carter, nancy reagan, hillary clinton, laura bush, michelle obama, and melania trump. watch "first ladies: in their own words" saturdays at 2 p.m. eastern on american history tv on c-span2, or listen to the series as a podcast on the c-span now free mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. >> and otto had ended her dues are moderator for this afternoon who is kai bird, author, biographer whose latest book biography is on jimmy carter. so welcome, kai. [applause] >> good evening. so i'm going to be the interrogator of this session, interviewing peter baker and susan glasser. peter baker is a chief white house correspondent for the "new york times." is the author of six books including obama, the call of history, days of fires, , bush d cheney in the white house and kremlin rising, vladimir putin russia, the end of revolution. susan glasser is a staff writer at the new yorker. she previously served as editor of "politico" during the 2016 election cycle, a founding editor of "politico" magazine, and editor in chief of "

in 1980, when ronald reagan was elected. and in our third grade classroom, as in many great schools across the country, every time there's a presidential election we held a mock election, and supreme court justices can't talk about the politics, past or present, so i will tell you what my nine-year-old self, but i caster no election. but it's the first election that i have any consciousness of. because i was in school at that point, and we get this election. i paid some attention to it. and so i would say that in my formative years for my -- my formative years might be the wrong word to use -- but i became conscious, somewhat, of what was going on in politics, ronald reagan was the president. so in many respects, you shape my idea of what a president should be because he was the president that i knew when i first started paying attention. >> terrific. well, we are so glad that you can visit the library, and we hope you return again. >> it is wonderful. i've been told it was a wonderful library, and it exceeded expectations.