The making of the great communicator : Ronald Reagan's transformation from actor to governor /

Record Details

Kenneth Holden.

imprint

Guilford, Conn. : Lyons Press, An imprint of Globe Pequot Press, 2013, c2013

description

xv, 269 p.

ISBN

0762778490, 9780762778492

format(s)

Book

Holdings

In

Robarts

Stacks

F866.2 .R39 H65 2013X
Browse Shelf

Subjects

subject

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Presidents & Heads of State.

Governors--California--Biography.

Governors--California--Election.

HISTORY / United States / General.

POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Elections.

Political oratory--California--History--20th century.

geographic term

California--Politics and government--1951-

personal subject

Reagan, Ronald Oratory.

Reagan, Ronald.

More Details

author

Holden, Kenneth.

title

The making of the great communicator : Ronald Reagan's transformation from actor to governor / Kenneth Holden.

imprint

Guilford, Conn. : Lyons Press, An imprint of Globe Pequot Press, 2013, c2013

isbn

0762778490

9780762778492

abstract

"Here is the untold story of how, over three days, two behavioral scientists helped Ronald Reagan win the California governorship, turning the Gipper into the Great Communicator. A bumbling neophyte, he emerged from their training articulate, confident, and incisive. They remained by his side for the rest of the campaign, feeding him information about California's problems, teaching him how to handle the press, and writing his position papers--all while battling factions of the campaign team who seemed determine to sabotage their own man. Reagan won by a landslide. They two men shaped an actor into a governor, but they were also turning a governor into a president. Here is how they did it"--

"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. "--

catalogue key

9094473

Includes bibliographical references (p. 259) and index.

A Look Inside

Excerpts

Flap Copy

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 conservative backers panicked. Their bold experiment was about to fail. Then a friend suggested that the campaign enlist the expertise of two behavioral psychologists. 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 political neophyte into an articulate, confident politician whose devastating command of the issues shredded the opposition. Holden and Plog remained by Reagan's side throughout the Republican primary campaign and the general election. They fed him information about California's problems, taught him how to handle the press, and helped refine his positions, all whilebattling factions within the campaign team that seemed determined 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 the governorship by a landslide. Holden and Plog had shaped an actor into a governor and got to know firsthand the man who would become the nation's fortieth president. Featuring never before seen photos, here is the untold story of how they did it.

First Chapter

She took us into the den, a cozy room, with its bookcases and cowboy motif. “He’s been a little down in the weather. Nothing serious, a slight infection.”

Spanned the walls big bookcases held up serious tomes about Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Paine; volumes about Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt; whole stretches of philosophy: Plato, Aristotle, Locke. It was a thinking man’s library.

“Does he read all these books?”

“Oh, yes, he’s up late at night, reading, reading, reading.”

Nancy stepped out of the room for a second. Roberts was muttering something that sounded like a complaint; Nofziger was chuckling to himself, probably enjoying one of his bad puns or even worse jokes; and we were sitting there like West Point cadets: backs straight, stiff smiles, hands folded correctly in our laps, wondering why we put ourselves through such hoops.

Then everything stopped. We turned, and there he was, standing in the doorway in a casual sports jacket, perfectly pressed slacks, and that dazzlingly shy smile: Ronald Reagan. He lit up the room, and we knew exactly why we were there.

Reviews

Review Quotes

A Sacramento Bee Hot Summer Read "A delightful read ... keen observations of California politics ... The story of Reagan's ascension is simply fascinating." -- Chico Enterprise-Record "A fascinating account." -- Sacramento Bee "A little known story with historical importance about the early days of the Reagan legacy and a great story about two young men's influence on the early political life of the 'Great Communicator.' A fun and interesting read!" --John Miller, former national finance co-chair, Mitt Romney for President, 2008 and 2012 "In 1984 , George Orwell warned that it doesn't take a military boot against your neck to oppress you. The government can do it by using what Orwell called 'newspeak' to hide truth, distort language, and keep the public in the dark. That may be the biggest threat to freedom. Refreshingly, The Making of the Great Communicator tells a different story--how two quick-witted communication coaches liberated Ronald Reagan to convey his love of freedom, his vision for America, and his common-sense wisdom. This is a fast read, a gripping story, and an inspirational slice of history." --Betsy McCaughey, former lieutenant governor of New York State "Ronald Reagan's story is so quintessentially all-American it could have been created by a skillful novelist or playwright. Clearly his success had everything to do with his impressive communication skills. Yet as Ken Holden's very personal memoir of the shaping of the future president makes clear, Reagan's real genius was his willingness to listen and take counsel from savvy coaches like Holden who sensed early on that, while Reagan was a middling movie star, he had the humility, kindness, and empathy to inspire and lift the common man, to reenergize a discouraged nation, and change the course of the world." --R. B. Scott, author of Mitt Romney "Before there was President Reagan, there was Governor Reagan, and before Governor Reagan there was Kenneth Holden helping to transform an already exceptional communicator into a great one. This is the story of how that came to pass. It's great history and a great read." --David Pietrusza, author of 1960--LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies "Kenneth Holden's account of Ronald Reagan's transformation from fumbling novice politician into the Great Communicator is a fascinating Pygmalion-esque yarn, rich in anecdotes and insights." --Joseph Wheelan, author of Mr. Adams's Last Crusade: John Quincy Adams's Extraordinary Post-Presidential Life in Congress "An engaging but little-known tale of risk, reward, and transformation. Who knew? It's a win by a landslide." --Chip Bishop, author of The Lion and the Journalist: The Unlikely Friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph Bucklin Bishop

"A little known story with historical importance about the early days of the Reagan legacy and a great story about two young men's influence on the early political life of the 'Great Communicator.' A fun and interesting read!" -John Miller, former national finance co-chair, Mitt Romney for President, 2008 and 2012 "In 1984 , George Orwell warned that it doesn't take a military boot against your neck to oppress you. The government can do it by using what Orwell called 'newspeak' to hide truth, distort language, and keep the public in the dark. That may be the biggest threat to freedom. Refreshingly, The Making of the Great Communicator tells a different story-how two quick-witted communication coaches liberated Ronald Reagan to convey his love of freedom, his vision for America, and his common-sense wisdom. This is a fast read, a gripping story, and an inspirational slice of history." -Betsy McCaughey, former lieutenant governor of New York State "Ronald Reagan's story is so quintessentially all-American it could have been created by a skillful novelist or playwright. Clearly his success had everything to do with his impressive communication skills. Yet as Ken Holden's very personal memoir of the shaping of the future president makes clear, Reagan's real genius was his willingness to listen and take counsel from savvy coaches like Holden who sensed early on that, while Reagan was a middling movie star, he had the humility, kindness, and empathy to inspire and lift the common man, to reenergize a discouraged nation, and change the course of the world." -R. B. Scott, author of Mitt Romney "Before there was President Reagan, there was Governor Reagan, and before Governor Reagan there was Kenneth Holden helping to transform an already exceptional communicator into a great one. This is the story of how that came to pass. It's great history and a great read." -David Pietrusza, author of 1960-LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies "Kenneth Holden's account of Ronald Reagan's transformation from fumbling novice politician into the Great Communicator is a fascinating Pygmalion-esque yarn, rich in anecdotes and insights." -Joseph Wheelan, author of Mr. Adams's Last Crusade: John Quincy Adams's Extraordinary Post-Presidential Life in Congress "An engaging but little-known tale of risk, reward, and transformation. Who knew? It's a win by a landslide." -Chip Bishop, author of The Lion and the Journalist: The Unlikely Friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph Bucklin Bishop

A Sacramento Bee Hot Summer Read "A fascinating account." - Sacramento Bee "A little known story with historical importance about the early days of the Reagan legacy and a great story about two young men's influence on the early political life of the 'Great Communicator.' A fun and interesting read!" -John Miller, former national finance co-chair, Mitt Romney for President, 2008 and 2012 "In 1984 , George Orwell warned that it doesn't take a military boot against your neck to oppress you. The government can do it by using what Orwell called 'newspeak' to hide truth, distort language, and keep the public in the dark. That may be the biggest threat to freedom. Refreshingly, The Making of the Great Communicator tells a different story-how two quick-witted communication coaches liberated Ronald Reagan to convey his love of freedom, his vision for America, and his common-sense wisdom. This is a fast read, a gripping story, and an inspirational slice of history." -Betsy McCaughey, former lieutenant governor of New York State "Ronald Reagan's story is so quintessentially all-American it could have been created by a skillful novelist or playwright. Clearly his success had everything to do with his impressive communication skills. Yet as Ken Holden's very personal memoir of the shaping of the future president makes clear, Reagan's real genius was his willingness to listen and take counsel from savvy coaches like Holden who sensed early on that, while Reagan was a middling movie star, he had the humility, kindness, and empathy to inspire and lift the common man, to reenergize a discouraged nation, and change the course of the world." -R. B. Scott, author of Mitt Romney "Before there was President Reagan, there was Governor Reagan, and before Governor Reagan there was Kenneth Holden helping to transform an already exceptional communicator into a great one. This is the story of how that came to pass. It's great history and a great read." -David Pietrusza, author of 1960-LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies "Kenneth Holden's account of Ronald Reagan's transformation from fumbling novice politician into the Great Communicator is a fascinating Pygmalion-esque yarn, rich in anecdotes and insights." -Joseph Wheelan, author of Mr. Adams's Last Crusade: John Quincy Adams's Extraordinary Post-Presidential Life in Congress "An engaging but little-known tale of risk, reward, and transformation. Who knew? It's a win by a landslide." -Chip Bishop, author of The Lion and the Journalist: The Unlikely Friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph Bucklin Bishop

A Sacramento Bee Hot Summer Read "A fascinating account." -- Sacramento Bee "A little known story with historical importance about the early days of the Reagan legacy and a great story about two young men's influence on the early political life of the 'Great Communicator.' A fun and interesting read!" --John Miller, former national finance co-chair, Mitt Romney for President, 2008 and 2012 "In 1984 , George Orwell warned that it doesn't take a military boot against your neck to oppress you. The government can do it by using what Orwell called 'newspeak' to hide truth, distort language, and keep the public in the dark. That may be the biggest threat to freedom. Refreshingly, The Making of the Great Communicator tells a different story--how two quick-witted communication coaches liberated Ronald Reagan to convey his love of freedom, his vision for America, and his common-sense wisdom. This is a fast read, a gripping story, and an inspirational slice of history." --Betsy McCaughey, former lieutenant governor of New York State "Ronald Reagan's story is so quintessentially all-American it could have been created by a skillful novelist or playwright. Clearly his success had everything to do with his impressive communication skills. Yet as Ken Holden's very personal memoir of the shaping of the future president makes clear, Reagan's real genius was his willingness to listen and take counsel from savvy coaches like Holden who sensed early on that, while Reagan was a middling movie star, he had the humility, kindness, and empathy to inspire and lift the common man, to reenergize a discouraged nation, and change the course of the world." --R. B. Scott, author of Mitt Romney "Before there was President Reagan, there was Governor Reagan, and before Governor Reagan there was Kenneth Holden helping to transform an already exceptional communicator into a great one. This is the story of how that came to pass. It's great history and a great read." --David Pietrusza, author of 1960--LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies "Kenneth Holden's account of Ronald Reagan's transformation from fumbling novice politician into the Great Communicator is a fascinating Pygmalion-esque yarn, rich in anecdotes and insights." --Joseph Wheelan, author of Mr. Adams's Last Crusade: John Quincy Adams's Extraordinary Post-Presidential Life in Congress "An engaging but little-known tale of risk, reward, and transformation. Who knew? It's a win by a landslide." --Chip Bishop, author of The Lion and the Journalist: The Unlikely Friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph Bucklin Bishop

This item was reviewed in:

ForeWord Magazine, May 2013

PW Annex Reviews, August 2013

Summaries

Main Description

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.

Long Description

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.

Table of Contents

Author's Note	p. xi
Prologue	p. xiii

A Star Is Born	p. 3
The Gipper	p. 13
The Speech	p. 31
Behavior Modification	p. 39
The Split	p. 71
Stealth Campaign	p. 97
The Candidate	p. 101
The Blunder	p. 109
The Call	p. 119
The Meeting	p. 131

Day One	p. 139
Day Two	p. 149
Day Three	p. 157

The Fourth Day	p. 167
The Circuit	p. 173
On the Road	p. 187
A New Face	p. 197
Answered Prayer	p. 201
A Distraction	p. 207
"I Am Not a Politician!"	p. 217
New Agreement	p. 223
And … Cut!	p. 231
Epilogue	p. 239
Acknowledgments	p. 243
Appendix: "A Time for Choosing"	p. 245
Bibliography	p. 259
Index	p. 261
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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