i think that it's -- i tell my kids, you worked for ronald reagan, that is so cool. his stature keeps going up. you know something? over time, reagan stature keeps going up. the last thing i will say, i went out to south dakota three weeks ago. rapid city, saw mount rush more. there is room for one more. there is room. wouldn't be amazing if ronald reagan was on that? [applause] >> judy shelton, last word? >> i think he proved you really can change the world. you can change the destiny of the world and for the good. for me, the 80s started with the privilege of getting to hear about the reagan program from martin anderson, from the people who created it. then seeing that the consequences of that just against my study of the internal monetary -- of the soviet union. who still has the capacity for thermal nuclear exchange to destroy everything. what you saw was that combination of vision and fortitude was able to bring down that nation. i remember, when i see john sitting there, i don't know if he remembers, but you once came to visit gayle and me at our home. you know

and he did his ronald reagan imitating rich little during robbed earned reagan. he went, well yes. tear down the wall. and that is how it happened, folks. and i will tell you, everybody in the foreign policy community tried to get that line out. peter robinson to the brilliant draft. we fought like for it. and we went through a lot of revisions and it came out a bunch of times and we got it back in. >> there was peter specimen. >> yeah. >> well there's an ugly memo about me in the nfc files, to. saying we have had five impassioned conversations with no end in the refuses. but the wonderful part about it was a superb draft, larry. and lincoln were raegan works it over as he would. and it was very much him. but in the final analysis, that was the nature of ronald reagan. everybody wanted out, and he said no. and i will tell you, i wrote this in the wall street journal. if anybody is interested, four little words. it tells the story of the morning of the speech. we got cable from the state department but tom griffin gave it to me as director of communications and i said, thomas out i

ronald reagan came up with the perfect label and helped the media. yes, reagan put these people in so here's a great communicator. they were quoting again when the bill came in the reason was because he said i have a 20 vote on this, we are going to defeat him and reagan did what he had done prior with economic speeches and marty anderson did the audit based on him and am so grateful for bringing that up but reagan wrote the speeches and he been talking about it forever and he said pete, have you seen this tax cut bill? so they did a script together and they insisted on it and no one thought reagan would run for president again so even then his advisors had are you sure you want to be that far out on something like that? 's as we all know, barbara, a great guy but losing his mind talking about that. [laughter] i gave a copy so he could give it to bob quickly in the hospital but these were things, everyone in the chairman told me over lunch where you and i used to commute as well, ronald reagan knew economic as well as anyone and he said he knows and i

what would ronald reagan think of donald trump? >> guest: i'm not sure. y, that's a hard question. i know that a few times. reagan, like roosevelt, like i think most successful politicians, they had a way of making their attacks on the other party, especially roosevelt reagan come with a twinkle in the eye and with some went about them. they also talk about their friends in the other party. there was always a latent generosity to their disagreements with their opposition. trump seemed to have less of that. trump can be very funny but not in the same way reagan was funny. trump is more performance art and jeff to come it's easy to miss it i think. so i think reagan might say, it may be effective in rallying your own troops but i'm not sure i do think we saw that in the election, i'm not sure if it moves over the independents you need. i don't think it leads the other party who lost an election to consent, i think we saw that come the democratic party really didn't accept trump's election. i don't mean that they just thought there's something metaphysical wr

so watch out for my book about ronald reagan. i think reagan needs new ronald reagan. i do know who it is but i think this would be crazy come in the moment given new ronald reagan i moved from germany to the united states. >> host: rainer zitelmann has written 26 books. the most recent is "the power of capitalism: a journey through recent history across five continents." thank you for joining us on c-span's booktv trinity thank tk you very much. i appreciate it. >> if you are enjoying booktv then sign up for our newsletter using the qr code on the screen. to receive the schedule of upcoming programs come author discussions, book festivals and more.

i'm a big ronald reagan fan. and so once up there, my book is about ronald reagan and what i think america needs new ronald reagan. i don't know who it but i think this would crazy things in the moment you have a new ronald reagan i move from the united i move from germany to the united states. reiner seidelman has written 26 books, the most recent is the power of capitalism. a journey through recent history across continents. thank you for joining us on c-span's book tv. good evening, everyone, and welcome to politics and prose. i'm brad graham, the co-owner of the store, along with my wife, lissa muscatine. and we're very excited to have with us this evening one of my favorite journalists, the ever entertaining mark leibovich, who's to talk about his revealing amuse and ultimately quite alarmed my new book, thank you for your service to donald trump's washington and the price of submission. mark has enjoyed a distinguished career in journalism with with some of the nation's best newspapers and publi

i'm a big ronald reagan fan. and so once up there, my book is about ronald reagan and what i think america needs new ronald reagan. i don't know who it but i think this would crazy things in the moment you have a new ronald reagan i move from the united i move from germany to the united states. reiner seidelman has written 26 books, the most recent is the power of capitalism.

sign what was called or ends up signing what the right derided as proto-bill in 1991, something ronald reagan had reluctantly advanced affirmative action policies during his presidency but it is george hw bush who really takes it on the chin for advancing those policies or compromising. any pragmatism for reagan was part of his appeal, pragmatism and george hw bush was heresy and those ideas that george h w bush was a heretic made it easier for pat buchanan to run in 1992. you may have forgotten in 1988 pat buchanan wanted to run. he floats a trial balloon for a campaign in spring of 1987 when still part of the reagan administration and realizes very quickly he is going to be a sacrificial lamb for the new right and he lets pat robertson take that role and waits four more years and once he is running against bush instead of reagan, then the same politics take hold and gain more traction than they would having 88. >> host: something i had forgotten, president biden gave his speech about crime calling for the assault weapons ban, forgot how strongly ronald reagan supported the assault weapons b

named after somebody who was shot in an assassination attempt against ronald reagan but even after that came to the assault weapons ban reagan was strongly opposed. he comes out with other former presidents or he would strongly supportive of, comes out with other presidents and says yes, we should have this assault weapons and he runs up against the opposition of the nra. >> i think pat buchanan could sue donald trump for plagiarism. you go to the 1992 campaign and something i even cover that campaign but had forgotten that at the end of that campaign, pat buchanan went to the border with mexico and he called for building a wall, that was back in 1992. talk about the buchanan campaign where you know, it really was this mixture of a certain kind of populism on economics because of trade with these very very right wing positions on culture, race and immigration . that was almost a perfect template. it's hard to 'figure out where donald trumps campaign was actually different from pat buchanan's i think that's right t. >> which is why is on the cover. >> so pat buchanan even changes quite d

what kind of conservative is ronald reagan? >> what that means is he was really not that conservative and a couple of ways. remember it reagan very fond of quoting tom payne was a radical sympathizer of the french revolution. if you love quote pain then we have it in our power to make the world over again. i member george will the times f is four years ago now any time anywhere that is nonsense but that's most unconservative thing you could possibly think. people sets part of reagan's optimism. there is a certain truth to that. on his headstone where he is married at the luncheon. at that lot i know in my heart man is good. ryan was disposed by his character to look at the good side of human spree that certainly lives leaves out the christian doctrine of sin. which other keep in the forefront of their mind. as wright reagan wasn't conservative libertarian sympathies of course in traditional sympathies. but he was his own special thing. >> when did ronald reagan become that? >> that is an interesting question. probably starting m

how did he metal during ronald reagan's presidency? steven: i wrote that book 15 years ago and i've forgotten some of the details. but he was saying why reagan should be resisted but most presidents stay out of the scene , but he seemed more active than that. his carter center wasn't just the presidential library -- this is being copied by other people. his views on human rights, some of that is fine but he's a different kind of x president and he is now the model for ex-president. john: michael and broward county, florida, you are next. caller: good morning. you mentioned desantis and history and i want to see if we can weave these together. i'm in broward county, and activist school district and this issue of people schools opening and closing and it's a matter of life and death, usually for the elderly. i think i'm going to be able to give both reagan and trump and -- and out here because -- based on history. i want to describe what i heard myself -- i wonder if reagan would have been there where trump and desantis said they were wis

hatch became ronald reagan's faithful executor in the senate of most of the reagan agenda.t the same time, hatch had the freedom and the strength, as evidence from his early years in the senate, and his blessing by ronald reagan, the sun king of conservativism, to start sitting down with ted kennedy and figure out bipartisan ways of fixing big health problems in the united states. the two of them sat alphabetically, they were kind of shackled together, h and k, in this committee and other committees, and they were given the job, hatch and kennedy, as the ranking members of the health and labor committee at the time that it was called, to work on big health issues. the biggest issue of all of the 1980's was hiv/aids. in 1990, i get into detail in the book, orrin hatch never got credit for this sufficiently, personally rescued the ryan white hiv comprehensive aids emergency resource act of 1990. it was called the ryan white act. as you know, ryan white was the heroic young man, he was 13 when he contracted hiv/aids from a blood transfusion and died at about 18, right as the b

when i heard ronald reagan's vision for the country -- strong national defense, limited government, strong national values, i heard the ideals i was raised to believe. i joined the reagan revolution. i met president in 1988 when i was close to the age of most of the people in this room. i was a candidate for congress, standing with my bride. the president was ending eight years of an extraordinary administration that transformed the american economy and the world. i had been inspired to become a republican because of ronald reagan and was in line for the photo op. i turned to my wife karen, who has not changed a bit in 37 years, and i said our campaign team said that was supposed to mention our campaign, about how we needed a bridge or something, or a river to go with a bridge, something you ask the president for. and i said, i am going to tell my grandkids about this meeting, and karen said, talk from your heart. i walked into the blue room and set down and i looked into ronald reagan's face and thought i was talking to mount rushmore. he said how is the campaign going? i said fine, but i

kind of conservatives ronald reagan? here's a whole bureaucratic conservative. that means he was not that conservative in a couple of ways. reagan was fond of quoting tom payne, the radical supervisor of the french revolution and loved saying we have an hour power to make again four years ago now george said anytime anywhere it's nonsense, most unconservative thing. people say it's reagan's optimism and creative spirit but on his headstone where he's fair at the reagan library, i think the word is i know in my heart man is good. reagan was disposed by character to look at the side of humans that's good t but that leaves ot sin which other conservatives keep at the forefront of the mine, especially the design of an institution and so forth, he has libertarian sympathy and traditional sympathy but his own special thingng. >> when did ronald reagan become conservatives. >> probably starting may be in the 40s when he adopted liberal anti-communism, a german support and 48, democrat action but in the 50s especially touring the

and something ronald reagan had reluctantly is affirmative action policies during his presidency but is george h&wbu bush who really takes on the ten for advancing those policies are compromising any pragmatism for reagan was part of the appeal which the signs of heresy and it is those ideas that age w bush made it easy for pat buchanan to run in 1992, and then in 1988, pat buchanan wanted to run any ran for a campaign in the spring of 1987, while he was still part of the reagan administration and he realizes very quickly that he was be thet sacrificial lamb and pat robertson to carol instead an iced for four more years once he was running against bush, then the very same politics take hold and gain much more traction than they would have been 88. >> another thing that i had forgotten him maybe particular today because joe biden did his speech about a crime and the assault with a weapon fan and i forgot help strong reagan supported this. when he first passed and he was quite elegant on this was a. >> this where you start to see the policy issues immigration is one of them, and garner

named after somebody was shot in an assassination attempt against ronald reagan.ut even after that came to the assault man was strongly supportive of it. comes out of the president said yes we should have the assault weapons ban he runs up against the opposition of the nra. >> i think pat buchanan could suit donald trump for plagiarism. you go to the 1992 campaign had forgotten at the end of the campaign pat buchanan went to the border with mexico talk about the buchanan campaign third and kind of populism on economics. they trade with these very, very right wing positions on culture, race and immigration that was almost a perfect templates. it's hard to figure out where donald trump campaign was actually different from pat buchanan street. >> that is exactly right too. >> which is why he is on the cover. pat buchanan changes on immigrationwa a very short perid of time. 1984 he was talking about undocumented immigrants. and how they paidth payroll taxs they paid a sale taxes per their good taxpaying citizens were not on the where pharaoh wrote basically his way he

was called-- or ends up finding what the right derided as a pota bill in 1991, something that ronald reagan reluctantly affirmative actions in the policy, but it's george hw. bush who takes it on the chin for advancing those policies or any part of reagan was had i appeal prague matism and george h.w. bush it was signs of heresy and it's those ideas that george h.w. bush was a hair heretic paid it easier for pat buchanan to run. and he floats a trial balloon for campaign in spring part of at reagan administration and realizes quickly he's going to be a sacraficial lamb for the right and he lets pat robertson take that role and waits four years and once he's running against bush instead of reagan, the same politics take hold and gain much more traction than in 1988. >> parenthetically that i had forgotten and thinking about it today because joe biden gave his speech on crime, and the assault weapons ban. i forgot how much ronald reagan supported the assault weapons ban and he was quite eloquent on the topic. >> this is where you see policy issues, immigration is one of them, but guns are abs

ronald reagan had reluctantly advanced through his presidency but it's george hw bush who really takest for the policies or for compromising. any pragmatism for reagan was part of his appeal. it's those ideas george hw bush hand that made it easy for pat buchanan to run and 92. you may have forgotten that in 1988, pat buchanan wanted to run in the spring of 1987 while he's part of the reagan administration. he realizes very quickly he is going to be a sacrificial lamb for the ride and let's pat airobinson take the role instead and raised four more years of running against bush instead of reagan. the very same politics take hold and gain much more traction than they would have. >> parenthetically, and another thing that i've forgotten and had to thinky about it particularly today because joe biden gave his speech: for a restoration and his whole weapons ban. i forgot how strongly ronaldwh reagan supported the assault weapons ban when it was first passed. he was quite eloquent on this topic. >> yeah, you remember where you start to see a particular issue, immigration is one of them. but

i think a lot of it had to do with knowing ronald reagan very briefly.audible] i'd say wait ati minute. you are excited about ferraro until he met ronald reagan. >> just to back up as a summer of 1984 youai will remember it well. the republican national convention is being on. the democrats are first, party out of power. i was so enthralled. there she is just like the women here raise me in italian catholic woman preaches a congressman from queens, waltere mondale the democratic nominee tapped her she's going to give a primetime speech and accept that nomination of the first woman ever on a major party ticket. and i listened to her. thought she was a great messenger. but that meston did not grant me the way president reagan's did group to me. h peace through strength, calling out communism. i think he had a very joyful way of communicating free market capitalism of communicating why it's important to invest in military strength. why it is important going back to an honest day's wage for an honest days work for. >> are attracted his message or you were at

that is something you ronald reagan, had reluctant advanced affirmative action policies to his presidency. but it's george h.w. bush who really takes it on the chin for advancing those policies or for compromising any pragmatism from reagan was part of his appeal. pragmatism in george h.w. bush was signs heresy and. it's those ideas that h.w. bush was a heretic that made it easier for pat buchanan to run in 1992. you have forgotten that in 1988, pat buchanan wanted to run. he floated trial balloon for a campaign. in the spring of 1987. while he's still part the reagan administration. and he realizes very quickly that he's just going to be a sacrificial for the new right. and he lets pat robertson that role instead. and he waits for more years. and once he's running against bush of reagan, then the very same politics take hold and gain more traction than they would have. 88 you just parent that actually another thing that i had utterly forgotten and maybe and i'm thinking about it particularly today because joe biden gave his speech about crime calling for a restoration, the assault weapon

but even ronald reagan. -- not even ronald reagan.aid we have a constant flow of newcomers to our country and when we close a door, we will be diminishing our preeminence in the world. don't take it from me. go to google. look at president reagan's last speech as president of the united states. this is the last speech i will make us president of the u.s., and i want to communicate a message to the country that i love, and go from there. >> [indiscernible] -- protest about the arrest of a woman two weeks ago. that was she was killed in police custody has grown far more than the capital. and now there's an international outcry about it. firstly, i want to ask you about women in iran burning their mandatory job. what do you think about women in iran protesting the mandatory job? -- hijab? and secondly, with all the calls growing for the downfall of the islamic republic. do you think if in fact regime falls in iran washington, d.c. will be ready for them? >> well, let me just say that we're all in awe of the courage of the women of iran c

listen to ronald reagan. when i quote ronald reagan and my republican colleagues he doesn't get any applause. can you imagine that, not even ronald reagan who has said america is preeminent in the world because we have a constant flow of newcomers to our country. and when we close the door we will be diminishing our preeminence in the world. don't take itfrom me. go to google, look up president reagan's last speech as president of the united states . this is the last speech i will make as president of the united states and i want to communicate a message to a country i love and go from there . >>. [inaudible] will you ask is a whole are of the women ran out in terms of personal. the status of the, the murder as we've seen. it is of her death, of his brave woman is heartbreaking. but it has a response. his anguish is his response can be helpful in terms of freedom of which is. anyone who hasn't spoken out support will and courage have come forward. at least two machines and governments in we will see what happ

i hone that skill, eight dollars an hour job at the ronald reagan's upholsterer. i credit frank with giving my great opportunity to get back into polling after had a law f degree at dawn i had something else that are brought to theth table to the men which was they all talk like pollsters. they all talk like people of data. what did the data mean? even over the decades of having my own polling company i woulde say to my team okay that's the data. when you are weighting the analysis stop every twos paragraphs and actress elsa what?? what does it mean? hockley communicated to people? what are telling us? argued a great example. i saw an race you are the campaign manager i saw early on in 1997 i believe it was or even 1997 or so, this ridiculous polling question that asked which of the following would you vote for a president? al gore or george w. bush?sh the summer of 1997 is closer to 1996 election than the 2000 election. how do you know who the00 candidates are going to be? the answers at the time of 48% and 47%. of course everybody goes on tv and says oh my god i

you were excited about geraldine ferraro until you met ronald reagan. "cavuto coast to coast" summer of 1983, the republican and democratic national conventions are going on, democrats were the first party out of power and i was enthralled with geraldine far aro, she was a congresswoman from queens, walter mondale tapped her and she was going to get her primetime speech and accept that nomination, first on a major party ticket and i listened to her and she was a great messenger but it didn't grip me the way president reagan's did. pulling out communism, had a very joyful way of communicating free-market capitalism, why it is important to invest in military strength. going back to an honest day's wage. >> you are attracted to his message or the fact that you have his instincts. "cavuto coast to coast" the election cycle, i won't say he won every state, to walter mondale's district of columbia. at that time republican presidential candidates were competitive, here is ronald reagan in new jersey, september of 1984, cocaptain of the field hockey team, i had

bush doesn't find what's called -- and up in 1991 that ronald reagan reluctantly advanced affirmativeuring his presidency but it's george h.w. w bush who really takes it on the chin for advancing those policies or compromisingng pragmatism reagan part of his appeal, pragmatism was as heresy. it's those ideas george w. bush was a heretic and made it easier for buchanan to run in 1992. you may have that in 1988, he wrote fraud campaign in spring of 1987 part of the reagan administration and realizes quickly will be the sacrificial lamb for the new right and robinson takes the roleag and waits one more year and once he runs against bush instead of reagan, the same politics take hold and gain more traction than they would have an 88. >> another thing i have forgotten and particularly today because joe biden gave his speech on for the assault weapons ban. ... brady named after somebody who was shot in an assassination but even after that and went to the assault weapons, reagan was not only opposed, comes out with the other former presidents. he comes out with other presidents and says we s

i was not registered to vote i missed voting for ronald reagan by two and a half months. that's right because you're born in january 20th, and that's right being able to vote for him. i was still 17 for his re-election. you're absolutely right the first words in my entire book. here's the deal donna, you know, by every imaginable metric. i should have been a democrat and liberal and a feminist and probably a man hater too. my father left the men in my life my uncles my cousins. they expanded family members all these great male role models in my life who stepped in and and stepped up for me. they pretty much were all members of the private trades carpenters and welders and iron workers plumbers and who you know graduated high school with their skill certificate and their high school diploma went to work right away and have had those jobs for decades being able to support themselves and their families the most wonderful people so, you know, they tend toward the democratic party irish and italian catholics at that time. i think, you know not to over generalize. they absolute

at the time, his administration in areas of finance but the people running the campaign for ronald reagan which was george herbert walker bush and william casey later became head of the cia negotiated a secret agreement with the new revolutionary regime under the ayatollah ho maney in iran -- host: do you want to bring us up to the midterms of this year? caller: this shows how elections can be manipulated. guest: i can name october surprises before the term became common. lyndon johnson's bombing hauled to north vietnam announced on national tv without much prior buildup. it was right before the november election which helped get hubert humphrey into a near tie back in 1968 step there are plenty of cases we can talk about. that was not the key event that produced jimmy carter's 10 point loss. he was behind by 2-3 points already and that was more than enough in that particular year given the tilt of the electrical -- electoral college to elect ronald reagan and even if the collapse of the negotiations with the iranian regime had not occurred in the sunday before the election, let's keep it

well, ronald reagan's most quoted author has a new book coming out. the theme is, quote, we live in a twilight zone beyond capitalism and freedom. and the book is called life capitalism. george, we appreciate your time on book tv. thank you so much, peter. always well, here on book tv, we want to introduce you to stephen kent. he has written a book called how the force can fix the world lessons on life, liberty and happiness from a galaxy far far away. mr. kent, that cover and some of the words you use in that title. sound familiar? what's this on? this is based on our star has dominated our ctu

like ronald reagan. ronald reagan came in to defeat communism. the soviet union -- russia is the most powerful country when it comes to arsenal. ronald reagan's listings to rest because of beliefs. he was the greatest president of the 20th century, hands down. host: what would you like our guest to address? caller: guest: i'm, it is great that people have opinions -- it is great that people have opinions about the past president. whether you live ronald reagan, or jimmy carter, whoever it may be, one of the things that is important to go back to is, debates help people inform people's decision on whether or not to vote for and if they are ready for presidency. caller: how do you expect women voters to vote this election season without having turning bankruptcy protection and student loans on s2598. there are many women voters who have predatory student loans and a there have been nothing done about it. we need these bills passed in order for us to move on. can you answer that question honestly and openly? guest: what i can say, thank you for that