Ronald Reagan’s Labor Day Speech Will Have Trump Smiling

donaldreagan

In 1980, then-candidate Ronald Reagan kicked off his presidential campaign by visiting the heart of a Democrat stronghold at Liberty State Park in New Jersey, and reached across the aisle to appeal to what later become known as ‘Reagan Democrats.’

He made a pitch for conservative values while simultaneously and successfully explaining why his opponent’s Democratic policies were bad for hard-working, blue collar Americans.

And he did so while uttering the words that every Trump supporter knows so well.

“This country needs a new Administration,” Reagan explained. “With a renewed dedication to the dream of an America, an Administration that will give that dream new life and make America great again!

Via PJ Media:

Reagan told the crowd he was the first Republican to visit the Democrat stronghold of Hudson County since 1968. “I’m here because it is the home of Democrats, because I believe today that in this country there are millions of Democrats who are just as unhappy with the way things are as all the rest of us are.” The newly minted Reagan Democrats cheered wildly.

Referring to the families who had passed through Ellis Island on their way to freedom Reagan said, “They came to make America work. They didn’t ask what this country could do for them but what they could do to make this refuge the greatest home of freedom in history. They brought with them courage, ambition and the values of family, neighborhood, work, peace, and freedom. ” All came from different lands but shared the same values and the same dream, Reagan said.  He added, “Today a president of the United States would have us believe that dream is over or at least in need of change. Jimmy Carter’s administration tells us that the descendants of those who sacrificed to start again in this land of freedom may have to abandon the dream that drew their ancestors to a new life in a new land.”

Reminding the crowd of Carter’s terrible economic record, Reagan vowed he would bring a “renewed dedication to the dream of an America, an administration that will give that dream new life and make America great again!”

Watch both parts of Reagan’s campaign kickoff speech below (the ‘make America great portion is in part 2, around the 2:00 minute mark) …

Is Trump the next Reagan?

Comment: Thirty-six years later, is it time to renew Reagan’s vision and “make America great again”? Can Trump do what Reagan did and appeal to voters across the aisle? Share your thoughts below.

Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

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