The Greatest Communicator What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politic, Leadership, and Life
Dick Wirthlin with Wynton C. Hall
John Wiley & Sons Inc
1111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
www.wiley.com
9780471736486, $14.95, www.amazon
Ronald Reagan has become one of the Republican party’s legendary figures through the years. His campaigns of 1980 and 1984 are both memorable for many reasons.
“The Greatest Communicator” depicts a multi level man and president by someone who worked with him for so many years. Wirthlin goes behind the scenes of the two campaigns, Oval office meetings, his long relationship with Ronald Reagan from governor of California to after his presidency are just a few of the things he covers.
Wirthlin was a witness to the primary where Regan announced he had paid for the microphone, the lead up to his memorable remark to Walter Mondale in their debate, the day the president was shot and how he handled the situation, and the sense of humor Regan had throughout his life. The book is touching when Wirthlin met with Reagan different times during the presidents’ last years where he had Alzheimer’s. Wirthlin also reveals things he learned from Ronald Reagan and how he was affected when Reagan passed away. The insight Wirthlin gives as a person who worked with Ronald Reagan as well as a personal friend for so many years makes “The Greatest Communicator” so much more interesting to read.
