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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of
Labor Elaine L. Chao
Ronald Reagan Tribute Dinner
Leadership Institute
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Thank you for that kind introduction, Jim [Gilmore, former Governor
of Virginia].
I want to say thank you and congratulations to Morton Blackwell and the
Leadership Institute. Your commitment to training young conservatives over the
last 25 years is deeply appreciated by our movement and our nation. Your alumni
can be found heading institutions throughout the country. In fact, one of your
alumni, Dr. Gary Gregg, is doing a terrific job at the McConnell Center for
Leadership at the University of Louisville.
Tonight, we are gathered not only to celebrate the Silver Anniversary
of the Leadership Institute but also to pay tribute to the greatest
conservative leader of the 20th Century, former President Ronald Reagan, who
changed the course of history.
Working in the Reagan White House was my first experience following a
principled, conservative leader. The great communicator had the courage of his
convictions and he took his ideas directly to the American people and often he
led them his way. His philosophy resonated with the public because it was based
on the core values that made our country great, such as freedom, liberty,
empowerment of the individual, strong defense, peace through strength and
limited government.
President Reagan helped our nation believe in itself again and restored
our sense of greatness. When Ronald Reagan first took office, Jimmy Carter had
scolded the American people for a sense of malaise (his term). The economy was
in recession. Inflation and interest rates were in the double-digits.
Unemployment was 7.5 percent. The price of gasoline was $2.79 a gallon in 2004
dollars. The Soviets dominated in Afghanistan. And, as former U.N. Ambassador
Jeanne Kirkpatrick once said, when someone kicked America, we apologized.
Thanks to President Reagan's tax reforms, our economy not only
recovered but was responsible for the longest economic expansion in peacetime,
creating more than 15 million jobs. And thanks to President Reagan's
consistent, strong stand against communism, the Soviet Union and the Iron
Curtain ultimately collapsed.
Ronald Reagan was successful because of his principles, not despite
them.
Nothing demonstrates that better than his victory in the Cold War. Who
can forget his trip to the Berlin when, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, he
uttered the six words that have since become part of history: "Mr. Gorbachev,
tear down this wall!" Some of his aides thought those words were too
provocative. President Reagan himself insisted on keeping them in. And two
years later, history proved him right and the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.
Ronald Reagan changed history forever. His bright optimism gave us hope
and made America great again! His conservatism changed the course of our
nation-the reforms we see today are still a legacy of his Administration and
his philosophy.
As we cultivate a new generation of conservative leaders for our
nation, it is important to recognize, remember and pay tribute to the greatest
president of the 20th century, President Ronald Reagan.
God bless you. God bless America!
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