Ronald Reagan’s Enduring Legacy

By Mike Pence

Wednesday, June 05, 2024

 

I remember it like it was yesterday: sitting in the National Cathedral, hearing “Mansions of the Lord” somberly echoing through the rafters. I remember watching the horse-drawn caisson carry the casket to the Capitol, my young children at my side. It is hard to believe it’s been 20 years since President Ronald Reagan “slipped the surly bonds of Earth.”

 

I began my political life in the Democrat Party. But when I heard the voice, the vision, and the optimism of Ronald Reagan, I knew the Republican Party was where I belonged.

 

I came to revere our 40th president. When I first ran for Congress in 1988, I was invited to Washington to meet with President Reagan. I thanked him for all he did to inspire my generation to believe in our country again.

 

And that is exactly what Reagan did. The economic, political, and cultural turmoil of the 1970s caused many to lose faith in our country and in our founding principles. Some even believed that the Soviet Union and communism would outlive the American experiment. But President Reagan knew it was always darkest before the dawn, and he knew that it would soon be morning in America once again.

 

When Reagan took office, inflation rates were double-digit, unemployment was sky-high, and communism was spreading like wildfire. By the time he left office, he had helped create the most powerful economy in recorded history, Soviet communism was on its last legs, and the Cold War would soon end in American victory. He accomplished it all not by compromising conservative principles, but by standing firm on what he knew was right.

 

Some Republicans today view Reagan as a figure best confined to history books: revered, but no longer relevant to our current challenges. I respectfully disagree. While the specific issues we face may differ, the foundational principles of our nation remain unchanged. The principles Reagan championed — limited government, traditional values, the right to life, and a strong national defense — will endure forever as a light to the feet of future generations charting the path of our nation in the years to come.

 

These core American principles are the foundation upon which our nation was built. They have guided America through a civil war, two world wars, and the horrors of 9/11. They will continue to sustain us through future challenges.

 

Some may find it fashionable to question the relevance of Reagan’s wisdom, asking, “Don’t you know what time it is?” Political fads may come and go, but the traditional-conservative principles and ideals Reagan championed are truly timeless. They are hardwired into our American DNA, from the Founding Fathers to the present, and they will endure long after the rest of us have joined our 40th president in the next life to come.