Last week I ambled on up to the late Ronald Reagans ranch high in the mountains ofSanta BarbaraCounty. Rancho del Cielo (Ranch in the Sky) comprises 688 acres and one very small home. In fact I was surprised by how modest it is.
The Reagans purchased the property in 1974 shortly before the late president completed his second term as governor ofCalifornia. The story goes that Nancy Reagan was not thrilled because the property is so isolated and the house is tiny: six rooms including a small master bedroom and kitchen and no air conditioning. The Young Americas Foundation has kept the house exactly as it was when President Reagan died in 2004.
It is obvious that Reagan didnt care about amenities. He wanted to ride his horses chop his wood and get some alone time. My visit to the ranch confirmed that Reagan was a regular guy who valued basic things.
And thats why he defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Its eerie. That presidential election 32 years ago is strikingly similar to the one we have today: a Democratic incumbent in big trouble with the economy andIran. Sound familiar?
President Carter had to deal with a bad economy folks lined up to buy gasoline Iran taking and holding 52 American hostages in Tehran and the perception that he was too inexperienced for the job. But Carter thought he could beat the shallowHollywoodguy Reagan whom Democrats labeled as out of touch with the folks.
Reagan however kept his message simple. He simply stared into the camera during one of the debates and asked Americans: Are you better off than you were four years ago?
The answer was a resounding no. Reagan won in a landslide as Carter had no effective comeback.
President Obama is a much stronger presence than Carter ever was so his challenger will have to do more than sloganeer. But the Republican candidate will have to keep it simple. If he allows himself to get bogged down in social minutiae Obama will win.
It will not be enough to do what Reagan did to compare the present day to four years ago. No the Republican challenger will have to convince independent voters that he can do something Obama cannot do. He will have to be very specific about that.
Finally there is the authenticity factor. Walking around the Reagan property I saw that the president lived the same way he talked: simply. There were no Jacuzzis no canopies over the bed no designer furniture. The house could have been inAlbuquerque. Reagan actually was the same guy on and off the stage.
In debating Obama the Republican candidate will have to channel Reagans demeanor: cool calm and precise. The Gipper knew how to win. So does Obama. His challenger had better learn fast.
Bill OReilly is host of the Fox News show The OReilly Factor and author of Whos Looking Out For You? and Pinheads and Patriots.
Last week I ambled on up to the late Ronald Reagans ranch high in the mountains ofSanta BarbaraCounty. Rancho del Cielo (Ranch in the Sky) comprises 688 acres and one very small home. In fact I was surprised by how modest it is.
The Reagans purchased the property in 1974 shortly before the late president completed his second term as governor ofCalifornia. The story goes that Nancy Reagan was not thrilled because the property is so isolated and the house is tiny: six rooms including a small master bedroom and kitchen and no air conditioning. The Young Americas Foundation has kept the house exactly as it was when President Reagan died in 2004.
It is obvious that Reagan didnt care about amenities. He wanted to ride his horses chop his wood and get some alone time. My visit to the ranch confirmed that Reagan was a regular guy who valued basic things.
And thats why he defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Its eerie. That presidential election 32 years ago is strikingly similar to the one we have today: a Democratic incumbent in big trouble with the economy andIran. Sound familiar?
President Carter had to deal with a bad economy folks lined up to buy gasoline Iran taking and holding 52 American hostages in Tehran and the perception that he was too inexperienced for the job. But Carter thought he could beat the shallowHollywoodguy Reagan whom Democrats labeled as out of touch with the folks.
Reagan however kept his message simple. He simply stared into the camera during one of the debates and asked Americans: Are you better off than you were four years ago?
The answer was a resounding no. Reagan won in a landslide as Carter had no effective comeback.
President Obama is a much stronger presence than Carter ever was so his challenger will have to do more than sloganeer. But the Republican candidate will have to keep it simple. If he allows himself to get bogged down in social minutiae Obama will win.
It will not be enough to do what Reagan did to compare the present day to four years ago. No the Republican challenger will have to convince independent voters that he can do something Obama cannot do. He will have to be very specific about that.
Finally there is the authenticity factor. Walking around the Reagan property I saw that the president lived the same way he talked: simply. There were no Jacuzzis no canopies over the bed no designer furniture. The house could have been inAlbuquerque. Reagan actually was the same guy on and off the stage.
In debating Obama the Republican candidate will have to channel Reagans demeanor: cool calm and precise. The Gipper knew how to win. So does Obama. His challenger had better learn fast.
Bill OReilly is host of the Fox News show The OReilly Factor and author of Whos Looking Out For You? and Pinheads and Patriots.
