Ronald Reagan in Real Change, by Rep. Newt Gingrich (R, GA)

On Immigration: 1986: One-time amnesty for illegal aliens

In 1986 I voted for the Simpson-Mazzoli immigration bill because we were told it would solve the problem of massive illegal immigration. In his diaries, President Ronald Reagan said he was going to sign the bill because we had to regain control of our borders. The Simpson-Mazzoli bill contained three promises:

The government would make a concerted effort to control the borders.
An effective employer verification program would ensure that only legal workers were hired.
One-time amnesty would be granted for people illegally in the United States.

All three promises were broken. The government has made no serious effort to control our borders. Employers continue knowingly to hire illegal immigrants without any real fear of punishment. Source: Real Change, by Newt Gingrich, p.126 Dec 18, 2007

On Principles & Values: 1950s: 375 speeches as GE employee education on free markets

I recommend "The Education of Ronald Reagan" as a study of the impact eight years at General Electric had on Ronald Reagan. While working with Lemuel Boulware, GE's vice president and labor strategist, Reagan delivered 375 speeches to GE employees. This was part of the most elaborate employee education program about free enterprise, markets, and productivity in that generation.

Boulware gave Reagan books by great free-market thinkers like Hayek & Friedman. Reagan spent hours reading them on the train, which is how he travelled in those days, and this prepared him to talk to blue collar workers about the American system.

Boulware believed every issue had an "M"--the point where the majority opinion on that topic was found. If you could "move the M," you moved the entire framework of the debate. Reagan did not argue within the framework of the leftwing elites. He "moved the M," changing the fundamental framework of the debate and requiring people to think about issues in a completely new way.

Source: Real Change, by Newt Gingrich, p. xviii-xx Dec 18, 2007

The above quotations are from Real Change: From the World that Fails to the World that Works, by Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of Ronald Reagan. Click here for Ronald Reagan on all issues.
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Page last updated: Feb 21, 2019