In 1964, Ronald Reagan a B grade movie actor and TV commercial actor found himself involved in Hollywood politics as President of the Screen Actors Guild, but had thought it to be insignificant. Reagan soon realized that his acting career was on a decline and began doing work for GE (General Electric) doing a half-hour television series to promote the company’s products, image and boost the employee’s morale. In doing this he was able to tour the United States and meet with many regular working Americans. He began to develop ideas and what became known as “the Reagan Philosophy.” The speeches he gave allowed him to share his thoughts and soon became known as simply “The Speech.” The final culmination of “The Speech” was given in a 1964 nationally
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Reagan was serving as Chairman for the Goldwater campaign in California. At the time many thought of Goldwater as to extreme and a right wing radical. Reagan was given the opportunity to deliver a message of his own composition in order to explain the conservative views of Goldwater. The idea was that the message would become more important than the overwhelming image problems of Goldwater. The speech was delivered at a Los Angeles fundraising event with many of the top Republican leaders in attendance. It was recorded and broadcast to a national audience. This audience was composed of average Americans who enjoyed the conservative ideals but had yet to accept Goldwater. More importantly to the aspiring politician, Reagan viewed this as an opportunity to impress the top Republican leaders and contributors who were in attendance. This speech would mark the point that Reagan would be known as a serious political candidate that would eventually go on to influence the rest of the 20th Century. “A Time for Choosing” is an effective rhetorical argument in persuading the audience that conservative views were the answer to the nation’s struggles rather than the liberal big government so pervasive at that time and that Reagan was a serious champion of those conservative
Reagan was serving as Chairman for the Goldwater campaign in California. At the time many thought of Goldwater as to extreme and a right wing radical. Reagan was given the opportunity to deliver a message of his own composition in order to explain the conservative views of Goldwater. The idea was that the message would become more important than the overwhelming image problems of Goldwater. The speech was delivered at a Los Angeles fundraising event with many of the top Republican leaders in attendance. It was recorded and broadcast to a national audience. This audience was composed of average Americans who enjoyed the conservative ideals but had yet to accept Goldwater. More importantly to the aspiring politician, Reagan viewed this as an opportunity to impress the top Republican leaders and contributors who were in attendance. This speech would mark the point that Reagan would be known as a serious political candidate that would eventually go on to influence the rest of the 20th Century. “A Time for Choosing” is an effective rhetorical argument in persuading the audience that conservative views were the answer to the nation’s struggles rather than the liberal big government so pervasive at that time and that Reagan was a serious champion of those conservative