Lynn Jenkins: “steadfast leadership, eternal optimism, profound faith, inspirational articulation, fierce patriotism: when America…”

“steadfast leadership, eternal optimism, profound faith, inspirational articulation, fierce patriotism: when America needed these qualities in a leader, President Ronald Reagan stepped in to fill the void. We come here to the Congress today to celebrate and honor the life of a man whose will forever be etched in history as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century. The stories have been told so often by those of us who supported President Reagan over the years that they seem mundane, almost like a fictional novel or a movie script. High taxes, a struggling economy, a need for international stature and respect, and low morale affected the nation. At that time, a man who had come from the most humble beginnings stepped up to offer his vision for America. Washington politics tend to bring a variety of characters to the capital city, and Ronald Reagan was the unlikeliest of candidates: a child of a transient family with little income. He dreamed of being a writer or an artist, became a sports broadcaster, then a Hollywood actor, later a union leader, even later a governor, and finally a President. His political affiliation would change over the course of a lifetime, but his core belief system remained essentially unchanged. Throughout his life, Ronald Reagan believed America is capable of great things and its people could and would lead the way if left unburdened by taxation and regulation.”