"A Time for Choosing", also known as "The Speech", was a speech presented during the 1964 U.S. presidential election campaign by future president Ronald Reagan on behalf of Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. The speech launched Reagan into national prominence.
Video A Time for Choosing
Background
Many versions of the speech exist, since it was altered over many weeks. Contrary to popular belief, however, the speech was not given at the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco, California as a nomination speech for presidential candidate Senator Barry Goldwater; Richard Nixon gave that nomination speech. Reagan, though he campaigned for Goldwater, did not use "A Time for Choosing" until October 27, 1964, when it was part of a pre-recorded television program, Rendezvous with Destiny. In his autobiography, An American Life, Reagan recalled going to bed that night "hoping I hadn't let Barry down."
Speaking for Goldwater, Reagan stressed his belief in the importance of smaller government. In the speech, he revealed his ideological motivation: "The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing." He also said, "You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream - the maximum of individual freedom consistent with law and order - or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism." The speech raised $1 million for Goldwater's campaign, and is considered the event that launched Reagan's political career.
Maps A Time for Choosing
Aftermath
To this day, "The Speech" is considered one of the most effective ever made on behalf of a candidate. Nevertheless, Barry Goldwater lost the election by one of the largest margins in history. Soon afterwards, Reagan was asked to run for Governor of California; he ran for office and won election in 1966. Reagan was later dubbed the "Great Communicator" in recognition of his effective oratory skills.
References
Further reading
- Bimes, Terri. "Ronald Reagan and the New Conservative Populism." (Institute of Governmental Studies, 2002). online
- Friedenberg, Robert V. (2002). Notable Speeches in Contemporary Presidential Campaigns. Greenwood. pp. 143ff.
- Kiewe, Amos, Davis W. Houck, and Davis L. Houck. A shining city on a hill: Ronald Reagan's economic rhetoric, 1951-1989 (Greenwood, 1991)
- Perlstein, Rick (2009). Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus. Nation Books. pp. 509ff.
- Ritter, Kurt W. "Ronald Reagan and 'the speech': The rhetoric of public relations politics." Western Journal of Communication (1968) 32#1 pp. 50-58
External links
- Ronald Reagan, "A time for choosing" (1964) Online
- Transcript, audio, and video of the broadcast
- Analysis of "The Speech", The History Channel
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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