Words to Live By Podcast
281 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 29 ratingsAn audio podcast featuring Ronald Reagan speeches and radio addresses from the 1960s through the 1990s. A new Words to Live By Podcast will be posted every Tuesday.
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Episodes
Star Wars and SDI
April 23, 2024 07:00 - 12 minutes - 28.8 MB40 years ago, the Russians were still on the march, just like today. Then, of course, it was known as the Soviet Union, and the threat they posed to the United States and Europe was unrelenting and terrifying. European leaders were begging President Reagan to do something, complaining that the presence of SS-20s armed with nuclear warheads felt like the Russians had a gun to their heads. But European leaders were afraid to speak out against the Soviets, publicly, because they were afraid the ...
The Dominican Republic
April 16, 2024 07:00 - 11 minutes - 27.4 MBToday, the turmoil and civil war in the country of Haiti dominate the headlines. As of this writing, for three weeks, Haiti’s capital has been trapped in a gory cycle that far exceeds the kidnapping and gang violence for which it was already known. An insurgent league of heavily armed gangs is waging war on the city itself, seeking new territory and targeting police and state institutions. The Dominican Republic has stationed 10,000 soldiers on its border with Haiti. Officials there are worri...
Basketball at the White House
April 09, 2024 07:00 - 10 minutes - 25.1 MBAt Eureka College, our 40th President participated in almost every sport. No, he wasn’t a candidate for the Olympic team. Ronald Reagan’s football coach Ralph McKinzie said, “Dutch was not an outstanding player but he was a good plugger with a lot of spirit and desire.” Besides football, he went out for the swimming team and became captain. He tried out for track and won his letter in that sport as well. As for basketball, well that was only a high school pursuit, but as President, he was thr...
Trip to China
April 02, 2024 07:00 - 13 minutes - 29.8 MB40 years ago, in the spring of 1984, President Reagan spent six days in the People’s Republic of China, visiting Beijing and Shanghai. To ease into the schedule, he was a week getting there and he spent another day and a half in Alaska afterward, meeting once more with Pope John Paul II. It was Ronald Reagan’s first trip to a Communist country and was somewhat strained because of his campaign as Taiwan’s leading political champion in the US. When he was elected, he still believed that the gov...
Denouncing Anti-Semitism
March 26, 2024 07:00 - 15 minutes - 35.9 MBWe know that Israel had no better partner/defender/protector than Ronald Reagan. And our 40th president never missed an opportunity to denounce anti-semitism, bigotry, or prejudice. In this era of strident anti-semitism, bigotry, and prejudice occurring in our nation today, we thought we should focus briefly on President Reagan’s campaign against hatred. In 1984, he clarified his beliefs when he was invited to deliver an address at the Young Leadership Conference of the United Jewish Appeal i...
St. Paddy's Day and Economic Recovery
March 19, 2024 07:00 - 9 minutes - 20.7 MBWell, this podcast might be airing a few days after St. Patrick’s Day but bear with me. We’ve got an interesting radio address for you combining the President’s two favorite topics - briefly about St. Patrick’s Day and how America’s economic recovery was well underway. The President was at Camp David - it was a cold wintry March day, where he was tucked away safely in his compound with his trusty yellow pad in his hand, drafting a new radio address. He even talks about diversity! Yes, back in...
Star Wars and the Strategic Defense Initiative
March 12, 2024 07:00 - 14 minutes - 33.4 MBFor thirty-five years -- through seven presidencies -- the United States and its allies labored unceasingly to contain Communism around the world. They used a broad range of diplomatic, military, and economic initiatives costing tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars. They used economic programs like the Marshall Plan, military alliances like NATO and SEATO, direct conflicts like the Korean War and the Vietnam War, indirect engagements like the Bay of Pigs, weapons treaties like S...
CPAC and Conservative Ideas
March 05, 2024 07:00 - 18 minutes - 42.5 MBCPAC. Just those four letters bring to mind the crazy, dynamic conference it has become in recent years. Ronald Reagan first spoke as Governor Reagan in 1974 and ten years later in 1984, he relied on the same theme: unity coupled with America’s Divine charge. So in today’s podcast, we’ll listen to our 40th president at CPAC, speaking with four years of experience as our nation’s leader, retelling his audience what exactly is the ideological foundation for America.
Olympic Athletes
February 28, 2024 07:00 - 15 minutes - 36.6 MBWell, we are in another Olympic year, with the summer Olympics taking place this July and August in Paris, France. 40 years ago, the President was excited to welcome athletes from the Winter Olympics, held in Sarajevo, then Yugoslavia, to the White House. It was the first Winter Olympic Games held in a Slavic language-speaking country, as well as the only Winter Olympics held in a communist country before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. It was the second consecutive Olympic Games ...
Tension in the Middle East
February 20, 2024 07:00 - 20 minutes - 45.9 MBThe complexity of dealing with problems in the Middle East was pervasive during the Reagan years but the 40th President continued to pursue a path to peace. In February 1984, he invited President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan to Washington to discuss the war in Lebanon and other issues. Things were hot in the Middle East. By early 1984, US forces were directly fighting in the Persian Gulf. In late February, a US Navy destroyer launched anti-aircraft missiles against Irania...
Ron and Nancy's Love Story
February 13, 2024 07:00 - 16 minutes - 38.6 MBNow that we’re into the month of February when lovers celebrate their devotion to one another, we’ll dedicate this podcast to the Reagans – first, we’ll hear a brief word from the President and then we’ll let Mrs. Reagan explain how she met this fella, in her own words, recorded years ago from her autobiography My Turn. But first, let’s start with the President who spoke about their relationship at a luncheon honoring Nancy at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans in 1988.
A Birthday Celebration
February 06, 2024 07:00 - 18 minutes - 41.5 MB40 years ago, Ronald Reagan traveled to his hometown in Dixon, Illinois for his 73rd birthday celebration on February 6th, 1984. True to form, the jokes were flying, as were the warm memories. He was there with his older brother, Neil, his sister-in-law, and of course, Nancy. They toured one of the homes the Reagan family had lived in during childhood which had just been renovated by the Ronald Reagan Home Restoration Foundation. Then, they viewed a homecoming parade from the Nachusa House Ho...
Superbowl and Football
January 23, 2024 07:00 - 17 minutes - 40.3 MBWell, now that we’re into football playoff season, we have the perfect opportunity to focus on Ronald Reagan’s love for football. His experience in high school on the gridiron helped him audition for radio. Let's let him tell the story.
The Soviets 40 Years Ago
January 16, 2024 07:00 - 18 minutes - 43.4 MBForty years ago in January 1984, our 40th President delivered an address to the nation and other countries on the status of US-Soviet relations. Things weren’t too rosy then – recall that Andropov was still in power, unapologetic about the massacre of KAL 007, or anything else. Until Gorbachev came into office in March 1985, that’s early in his second term as president, working with the Soviets was no day at the beach.
China and Premier Zhao Ziyang
January 09, 2024 07:00 - 17 minutes - 39.4 MBToday’s subject? The President’s diplomatic efforts with China in 1984. Yes, in those years, there were positive diplomatic efforts. In fact, the administration developed a relationship with Ziyang who was a reformer, in office from 1980 to 1987. Shortly after George Shultz became Secretary of State, he completed an initiative with Ziyang in August 1982, that arranged for acceptance of a joint US-China communique that limited US arms sales to Taiwan in exchange for a vague pledge by the Chine...
A Voice of Freedom
January 02, 2024 07:00 - 18 minutes - 43.3 MBThroughout Ronald Reagan's presidency, the subject of Cuba was frequently raised. In frustration, on one occasion, the president asked, “When’s the last time you heard someone swimming TO Cuba?” But long before he sat in the Oval Office, President Reagan commented on a documentary that had been crafted on Cuba, in order to bring attention to the idea of false reporting and an effort to cover the truth.
A New Year's Eve Message
December 26, 2023 07:00 - 11 minutes - 25.4 MBSo just imagine. You’re the president, it’s late in December 1983. You’ve delivered your evil empire speech in March putting the Soviets on notice… you’ve learned by detailed intelligence reports that the communists and Fidel Castro are expanding their efforts in the Caribbean along with infiltrating the island of Grenada….you’ve announced your Strategic Defense Initiative in March which was renamed Star Wars by the press, you’ve sent forces into Lebanon as part of a multinational peacekeepin...
SpaceLab Collaboration
December 19, 2023 07:00 - 20 minutes - 46.5 MBDo you remember Spacelab? Or perhaps the question should be, what do you recall about Spacelab? In case you’re a little foggy on this one, here’s a little history: during the development of the Space Shuttle in the 1970’s, NASA recognized the need for a facility to allow scientists to conduct experiments on the Shuttle while in orbit. So under a cooperative agreement with NASA, the European Space Agency built a modular research laboratory that would fit inside the Shuttle’s cargo bay. And wha...
Hanukkah and Respect for Religious Freedom
December 12, 2023 07:00 - 11 minutes - 26 MBToday, we are witnessing the emergence of hatred targeted at numerous religious groups. It defies logic, since the basis of all religion is love, isn’t it? Ronald Reagan, a man of private yet devout faith, respected all religions and this time of the year, honored the celebration of Hanukkah. He deeply revered the lighting of the Menorah. And he empathized with Soviet Refusniks who were prohibited and punished for practicing their Jewish traditions. So in December 1983, 40 years ago, Ronald R...
Family
December 05, 2023 07:00 - 12 minutes - 29.2 MBFamily – well, it’s the center of all our activities this time of year, the reason for the season, so to speak. And to Ronald Reagan, incredibly important. So following in the tradition established in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, he proclaimed National Family Week which occurs near Thanksgiving. In 1981, Ronald Reagan wrote as he proclaimed National Family Week: The family is the basic unit of our society, the heart of our free democracy. It provides love, acceptance, guidance, support, a...
Israel from Other Vantage Points
November 28, 2023 07:00 - 13 minutes - 30.2 MBBecause of the war in the Middle East, we thought it would be a good idea to devote today’s podcast to Israel, focusing on the radio addresses written by Ronald Reagan before entering the Oval Office. So remember, he wrote these, on a yellow pad, without the oversight of a foreign policy advisor, without a secretary of defense or secretary of state or national security advisor hanging over his shoulder. These, from the late 70’s, came from his own pen. One entitled Palestine and the other Bre...
Israel and Thanksgiving
November 21, 2023 07:00 - 19 minutes - 44 MBNow this might seem an odd pairing…Israel and Thanksgiving. But, as of this writing, the war in the Middle East rages. While in America, we are focused on Thanksgiving celebrations, we cannot overlook the terrible pain, suffering, and yes, terror the residents of the Middle East are enduring. Therefore, in this podcast, we’ll cover the President’s position on Israel briefly, and then we’ll close in the second half with his heartfelt Thanksgiving remarks.
The Troops in South Korea
November 14, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes - 38.4 MBForty years ago, President and Mrs. Reagan made an historic trip to Japan and South Korea. The President’s last stop was to Camp Liberty Bell, which was less than a mile from North Korean guns. Yes, they were quite near the DMZ. They attended an open air church service and the president wrote in his diary, that they were entertained by a choir of little Korean orphan girls. You might be surprised to know that our GI’s support and maintain that orphanage. Following the service, they went up on...
Honoring Our Veterans
November 07, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes - 37.1 MBIn today’s podcast we honor our veterans and in the president’s messages to veterans, we’ll cover peace through strength. Going through our archives, both Citizen, Governor and President Reagan delivered many addresses saluting those who serve our country. Today we’ve chosen two – the first he delivered in August 1980 to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The theme was Peace because, in candidate Ronald Reagan’s view, Peace was the first purpose of American foreign policy. So in saluting the sacri...
Terms of Engagement
October 31, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutes - 32.5 MBAfter the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, the President said in his autobiography that the “price we had to pay was so great, the tragedy at the barracks so enormous, and the virulent problems of Lebanon were so intractable, that it wasn’t possible to continue with the policy that had put our marines in without taking a second look at it. As President, he had very few choices and none of them easy. He didn’t want to turn tail and leave. He believed if we did that, it would say to th...
Beirut and Grenada
October 24, 2023 07:00 - 28 minutes - 65.9 MBIn 1982, the Israeli army leveled a siege on the capital of an Arab land – Beirut. They were poised on the southern edge of Beirut. And Palestinian fighters ran raids against their front lines and lobbed mortars in their rear areas; the Israel Defense Forces pounded back at the city with artillery, tank forays, and air strikes. The United States was caught in the middle. The Arab world blamed us, as Israel’s great ally and financial supporter, for all of Israel’s deeds and looked to us to end...
Quality of Life
October 17, 2023 07:00 - 12 minutes - 29.4 MBEverything from eggs and car rentals to a night out at a restaurant is significantly more expensive than before the pandemic. The average family is spending about $700 more per month on the same goods and services relative to two years ago, according to Moody’s Analytics. So what does that have to do with Ronald Reagan you ask? Well, he was devoted to the idea that with government out of the way, the quality of life for Americans can improve. So 40 years ago, he delivered a radio address on t...
Lebanon vs. Ukraine
October 10, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutes - 32.6 MBToday, we’re well aware of the ongoing debate regarding how much aid we should send Ukraine, and exactly what our level of involvement should be. It’s a question many administrations have faced, and President Reagan’s was no exception. In his case, the hotbed was in the middle east, particularly 39 years ago, when Israel invaded Lebanon, marching all the way into Beirut. By October 1983, the conflict in the middle east, despite our effort to be part of a multinational peacekeeping force, well...
The Heritage Foundation and Ronald Reagan
October 03, 2023 07:00 - 21 minutes - 49.1 MBSo, Ronald Reagan and the Heritage Foundation: it was a truly epic partnership. In fact, it's hard to tell the story of one without much of the other's. Heritage was President Reagan's favorite think tank, and Ronald Reagan was the embodiment of the ideas and principles Heritage holds dear. Some say that together, they blazed a new path for America. So I think in today’s podcast, we should focus on this significant partnership.
Debate Season
September 19, 2023 07:00 - 21 minutes - 48.7 MBYou might have heard that the Reagan Presidential Foundation is hosting a Republican debate in their Air Force One Pavilion on Wednesday, September 27th. We’re proud to be able to participate in this important component of our democratic process and we hope you’ll tune into FOX news on debate evening. Since we are in debate season, we thought it would be fun to go back, 43 years ago, when Candidate Ronald Reagan was easing into the final stretch of his campaign.
Broadcasting Freedom
September 12, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes - 36.9 MBThe title of this podcast is broadcasting freedom. So, just how does a country go about doing just that? When Ronald Reagan was running for the presidency in March 1980, before he ever sat in the Oval Office, he said, “we must use our neglected ability at communications – Radio Free Europe, the Voice of Liberty, The Voice of America to call attention to the power of freedom” and the true spirit of democracy. While America had been criticized for their efforts to broadcast the truth about comm...
Massacre on Korean Airline Flight 007
September 05, 2023 07:00 - 19 minutes - 45.7 MBOn August 31st, 1983, mid-afternoon Washington time, a Korean Airlines 747, Flight 007, en route from New York to Seoul, disappeared from air traffic control radar screens in the Far East. It took air traffic controllers and American intelligence agencies several hours to piece together what had happened. By 10:30 pm Eastern time, the unthinkable had occurred; the Soviets had shot the civilian airplane out of the sky. 60 Americans, including an American Congressman, were among the 269 passeng...
Republican National Convention Acceptance Speech
August 29, 2023 07:00 - 40 minutes - 92 MBToday, we’re looking at the historic re-nomination and acceptance speech of President Reagan and Vice President George HW Bush in August 1984, 41 years ago. In light of our current political season, we thought it might be valuable to hear a sitting president recount his promises, citing his accomplishments with honesty and candor. To set the scene, it was the first time a Republican National Convention was held in Texas! Reagan carried the endorsement of 2,233 of the 2,235 delegates to the Da...
Israel and the Middle East
August 22, 2023 07:00 - 11 minutes - 27.3 MBIn August, the President always made an effort to spend time at Rancho del Cielo in Santa Barbara. Just because he was on vacation, did not mean his Presidential responsibilities were put on hold, because the work continued. He drafted and delivered many radio addresses from the Ranch and this one in particular stands out on the subject of the Middle East. Recall that in August 1983, the conflict in the Middle East, specifically in Lebanon had become so intense, a multi-national peacekeeping ...
Farewell at the RNC
August 15, 2023 07:00 - 28 minutes - 64.2 MBYou recognize the voice, of course, but do you recognize the passage? It’s from one of the most touching moments in the President’s political career, when he bid his fellow Republicans adieu at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans in 1988. 35 years ago.After eight years in Washington, it was time to say goodbye…but it wasn’t easy. Nancy Reagan tried to summarize the feeling by saying that…there were times to enter, times to stay and times to depart. And it was time…for the Reagan...
National Medal of Arts
August 08, 2023 07:00 - 19 minutes - 45.6 MBMost people don’t know that President Reagan initiated the program for the highest award for artists and art patrons by the United States government. I guess it’s no surprise since both the President and Mrs. Reagan, as actors, held a deep and abiding love for the Arts. To take the concept one step further, artistic expression flourishes in a free society and with that idea in mind, it’s even more logical that our 40th president would be so strongly supportive. So, the President, along with t...
Oh, OPEC, Really?
August 01, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes - 37.2 MBSo early this spring – you probably heard – that both OPEC and Russia announced a massive oil supply cut, totaling 1.6 million barrels per day. This, of course, raises fears of a resurgence of inflation—and to no one’s surprise, oil prices jumped $7 a barrel on the news—as well as continued deterioration of the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. If you’ve filled your car with gasoline lately, you’re still feeling the pain from these inflated gas prices and our government’s bad p...
The Campaign for the Presidency
July 25, 2023 07:00 - 19 minutes - 45.5 MBIn light of the heated Republican presidential race, we’ll focus today on events taking place after Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for President of the United States on November 13, 1979, in the ballroom of the New York Hilton. That was just the beginning. The path to the White House was not an easy one and well, shall we start in Iowa?
Entering the Presidential Race
July 18, 2023 07:00 - 21 minutes - 49.6 MBWhile the 2024 election is still 15 months away, Republican candidates are entering the fray faster than Clayton Kershaw can throw strikes. Which begs the question: how did Reagan do it? What was his strategy? What was on his mind? In this podcast, we’ll listen to some of his strategic speeches related to his 1980 campaign. As you know, he was also a candidate in 1976 and marginally in 1968. But today, we’re going to focus on 1980 and well…do you remember why he ran?
The Best of the President's Baseball Stories
July 11, 2023 07:00 - 22 minutes - 52.4 MBWell it’s baseball season, and as you know, our national pastime was a favorite of our 40th President’s, though he never really played the game. Why you ask? Because of his eyesight. He always said the ball wasn’t big enough. So, Ronald Reagan spent more time on the track, in the pool, and on the gridiron, but baseball was still a great love of his and an important part of his life.
Education
June 27, 2023 07:00 - 15 minutes - 35.4 MBIn March this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Parents’ Bill of Rights intended to reform American public schools. Perhaps you’ve heard about it. Essentially, this bill follows states like Florida that have also sought to give parents more control. The bill has headed to the Senate for consideration. But it’s highly unlikely, that the Democratic-controlled chamber will take up the measure, with House Democrats dubbing the bill the “Politics over Parents Act.” In this podcast, ...
Ronald Reagan the Environmentalist
June 20, 2023 07:00 - 15 minutes - 35.8 MBIn today’s podcast, we’ll focus on Ronald Reagan the environmentalist. So let's start by going back to California from 1967-1975 when he was Governor. Actually, he had an admirable record of safeguarding the environment, to the surprise of some of his critics. You see, Governor Reagan’s administration added 145,000 acres of park land, more than any other modern California governor. He enforced new, tougher measures on air and water quality. He stopped plans for dams on two rivers, the Feather...
The Soviet Union and Anti-Semitism
June 13, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutes - 32.5 MBToday, despite our belief in religious freedom, people of various religions feel bias and persecution. In particular, a wave of antisemitism has arisen. So in this podcast, we’ll look back at President Reagan’s support of religious freedom. In particular, we’ll listen to a speech he delivered 40 years ago at the National Convention of the Anti-Defamation League of B’Nai B’rith. But first, let’s hear what he said to Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev as he explained in his autobiograph...
Stagnation on Immigration Reform
June 06, 2023 07:00 - 15 minutes - 36.2 MBLike you, we’ve been watching news coverage of the crisis at our borders. Some outlets report record numbers crossing, others report diminished numbers, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is that our system is broken. Democrats, Republicans, Independents – for once they agree that our current immigration policy is a mess. Do you realize that Reagan’s 1986 Immigration Reform Act, 37 years ago, was the last time our legislators finalized a policy? Pretty disturbing isn’t it? So today, let...
Economic Turnaround
May 30, 2023 07:00 - 22 minutes - 50.6 MBThe subject today? We’re going to delve into a little economics – you can call it Reaganomics if you’d like. Ronald Reagan called it common sense. Everyday, we hear economists debate a multitude of economic theories which are as diverse as apple varieties in the produce department. Whether you’re a fuji, or granny smith or Winesap lover, economic theories are usually not as sweet. Even Harry Truman got so frustrated he asked if he could have a one-handed economist. Because economists always s...
Seton Hall Commencement
May 23, 2023 07:00 - 30 minutes - 70.7 MB‘Tis the season of the commencement address, that glowing tradition in which American presidents participate enthusiastically. Starting with Eisenhower, every president has made at least one commencement address in the first year of their presidency. Most gave only one or two addresses, but George H.W. Bush set the record by making six addresses in 1989. LBJ was runner-up with 5 in 1965. The earliest instance of a commencement address is Theodore Roosevelt in his 1902 address at the Naval Aca...
Small Business
May 16, 2023 07:00 - 19 minutes - 44.8 MBJoin us this week on the "Words To Live By" podcast as we explore the timeless perspectives of former President Ronald Reagan on small businesses in America. During his time in office, President Reagan emphasized the crucial role played by small businesses in America's economy, famously stating, "Small business is the heart of America." We'll look at some of his key quotes and speeches that highlight the contributions of small businesses to our nation's prosperity. We'll also explore the soci...
Mom
May 09, 2023 07:00 - 15 minutes - 35.8 MBIt’s the month for celebrating our Moms. As we get older and become parents and grandparents, we realize the great gifts we received from our mothers and President Reagan was no exception. So today’s podcast will focus on the President’s respectful communication on that most wonderful subject: motherhood.
Sports at the White House
May 02, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes - 37.9 MBDid you know that Pele visited the White House? Yes, the soccer star Pele was invited to the White House in 1982. Then a year later, President Reagan invited all of the all-star soccer players of Team America in order to promote America’s participation in the World Cup. The US tried to host soccer’s World Cup several times but did not succeed until 1994 when, you might recall, the final was played at the Rose Bowl. Anyway, turns out the White House was a busy place for sporting events in May....
Walking on a Tightrope
April 25, 2023 07:00 - 15 minutes - 36 MBToday, the subject is the Middle East. And after years of struggling to find peace and end terrorism in that region, Ronald Reagan characterized the challenges by saying, “it was like walking on a tightrope.” From 1982 to 1991, over thirty U.S. and other Western hostages were kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Specifically, the year 1983 brought new and complex challenges to President Reagan’s doorstep. In Beirut, Le...