Before I drove up north to Simi to patronize the Reagan Presidential Library I reviewed the Reagan presidency on Wikipedia.
Ronnie did some bold things. He implemented supply-side economics got involved in Grenada and Libya called out the Soviet Union and ballooned defense spending to beat the Reds in an arms race. My libertarian sensibilities prevent me from cheering only limited tax cuts interventionism and deficit spending. But the historical legacy of the rest of Reagan’s actions remains unclear.
I hoped time at Reagan’s library would give me a better sense of the presidency that defined the 1980s. So I donned my ironic “Reagan-Bush ’84” t-shirt hopped in my ’99 Pontiac Grand Prix and rode north.
After miraculously finding a spot in the packed parking lot I entered the library through a Pepperdine-worthy courtyard and paid $12 for a sticker that got me into the museum.
An introductory video played up the Reagan presidency in sweeping melodrama. Only covering the beginning of his presidency in detail the video shows how Reagan rescued the nation from the miserable throes of the Carter administration. This raised the question of how much a president really affects the country. I know executive power is pretty great these days but can one man really galvanize an economy and put 300 million people to work? I’m not so sure. The video did do a good job of showing Reagan’s belief in the positive good of the nation. He really believed in America.
As I pondered the power of the presidency a protest broke out in the next room. People began shouting: “Guile guile guile!” They were calling the president out for being deceptive and crafty right in front of the blue-haired lady’s tour group! Oh wait they were shouting “Kyle Kyle Kyle!” They wanted a 10-year-old boy to read from the teleprompter behind the podium. My bad.
Then a library volunteer kept me watching the jarring footage of John Hinckley’s assassination attempt. They don’t have the actual gun though — just a replica. They’re all like “This gun is just like the one that shot the president through the lung!” Thus the revolver is more informative than haunting.
Then I proceeded down a ramp to a mock-up of the Oval Office. This was a very cool exhibit and smelled genuinely like the ’80s; shoulder pads and Scotchgard waft through the office. Right outside is a picture of the president celebrating a successful putt across the presidential carpeting. Fighting communism wasn’t without its fair share of fun.
Glass cases held extravagant gifts from heads of state. There was a gold eagle from Egyptian president Anwar Sadat bearing words to the effect of “From one country of believers to another.” Good thing for the curators and the Reagan estate it wasn’t from Hosni Mubarak.
A long walk brings visitors to a hangar holding the old Air Force One and Marine One. A conspicuous sign lists the donors that made it all possible: T. Boone Pickens oilman; the Boeing Corporation; the Hilton family; Merv Griffin creator of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune”; and the Republic of China (Taiwan) among others.
Then I had to wait in a long curvy queue. I made a discovery while in line. Those doors that say they’ll sound the alarm don’t when they’re opened by a blazer pushing a wheelchair. Also you’re not supposed to touch the plane’s wingtip. It’s really tempting though. That alarm is functional. The queue ends with a mandatory photo-op at the boarding of the Boeing 707. This looming plane could fit thrice inside the present 747 Air Force One.
Inside I was reminded just how large laptops and Xerox machines were in the ’80s. Reagan’s seatbelt is emblazoned with the presidential seal and there’s a jar of Jelly Bellies on his table. A faux Football — the suitcase containing the launch codes of all U.S. nuclear weapons — also sat on the floor of the plane. It’s an artifact slightly less tasty and a little more radioactive than Jelly Bellies.
A Western exhibit features the Gipper’s saddles and belt buckles. I sat on a little horsey stealing the seat from a crying child and snapped some pictures of buckles bearing diamond-encrusted submachine guns and slogans like “Top Gun.” After a stirring video — two women in front of me were crying — I exited through the gift shop.
Overall it’s clear that the man who decried the primacy of the state in the Soviet Union championed the American nation as its head of state. Reagan sought a return of the spirit of 1776 in his presidency. He was an ardent nationalist who believed his work as president was a gift from God and the United States was the last great bastion of freedom an eternal idea. Whether his deeds were right or wrong he believed he did them for the nation.
Oh I forgot to say at least six different people complimented my shirt. I wear it well even if I equivocate.