Making of the Great Communicator

Ronald Reagan's Transformation from Actor to Governor

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Elections, Biography & Memoir, Political, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Making of the Great Communicator by Kenneth Holden, Lyons Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kenneth Holden ISBN: 9780762794348
Publisher: Lyons Press Publication: May 7, 2013
Imprint: Lyons Press Language: English
Author: Kenneth Holden
ISBN: 9780762794348
Publisher: Lyons Press
Publication: May 7, 2013
Imprint: Lyons Press
Language: English

One week after Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for governor of California, the San Francisco Chronicle gibed: “It was simply a flagrant example of miscasting.” Reagan was tanking, and his businessmen backers panicked. Their bold experiment was about to fail. Then a think-tank friend suggested the expertise of two UCLA social pyschologists. Kenneth Holden and Stanley Plog agreed to take the job only if they could have three full days alone with Reagan. The candidate and his backers agreed, and the three men disappeared into a Malibu beach house. Those three days remade the bumbling neophyte into an articulate, confident politician whose devastating sound bites shredded the opposition. Holden or Plog remained by Reagan’s side for the rest of the campaign, feeding him information about California’s problems, teaching him to handle the press, writing his position papers, and helping develop the programs he offered, all while battling factions of the campaign team who seemed determine to sabotage their own man. Not everyone who voted for Reagan supported his positions, but voters preferred his honesty and forthrightness to the waffling of other politicians. Reagan won by a landslide. Holden and Plog had shaped an actor into a governor, but they were also turning a governor into a president. Here is the untold story of how they did it.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

One week after Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for governor of California, the San Francisco Chronicle gibed: “It was simply a flagrant example of miscasting.” Reagan was tanking, and his businessmen backers panicked. Their bold experiment was about to fail. Then a think-tank friend suggested the expertise of two UCLA social pyschologists. Kenneth Holden and Stanley Plog agreed to take the job only if they could have three full days alone with Reagan. The candidate and his backers agreed, and the three men disappeared into a Malibu beach house. Those three days remade the bumbling neophyte into an articulate, confident politician whose devastating sound bites shredded the opposition. Holden or Plog remained by Reagan’s side for the rest of the campaign, feeding him information about California’s problems, teaching him to handle the press, writing his position papers, and helping develop the programs he offered, all while battling factions of the campaign team who seemed determine to sabotage their own man. Not everyone who voted for Reagan supported his positions, but voters preferred his honesty and forthrightness to the waffling of other politicians. Reagan won by a landslide. Holden and Plog had shaped an actor into a governor, but they were also turning a governor into a president. Here is the untold story of how they did it.

More books from Lyons Press

Cover of the book Saving What Remains by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Tomorrow-Land by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Bitch Creek by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Fishing Oregon by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Rhythm of the Wild by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Dave Whitlock's Guide to Aquatic Trout Foods by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Count the Rings! by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book 1001 Smartest Things Teachers Ever Said by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Humans 3.0 by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Taken by Bear in Yellowstone by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Philadelphia Chef's Table by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book An Unlikely Trust by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book It's All About the Guest by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Last Stand by Kenneth Holden
Cover of the book Haunted Baseball by Kenneth Holden
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy