Ronald Reagan inaugurated as President 25 years ago today.

Speech remarks by
The Honorable
Ken Mehlman
National Chairman of the Republican Party.

History can teach us a lot about those kinds of choices, and the people who make them.

Today, we celebrate the history of a man who often had to choose between politics and principle -- and who decided on principle every single time.

It was on January 20, 1981 -- exactly twenty-five years ago today -- that Ronald Reagan raised his right hand and took the oath of office as the 40th President of the Unites States.

The next eight years changed the world ... and it changed my life.
I am here today because of Ronald Reagan.

I was a Reagan Republican before I could vote.

1980 was my first campaign.

I was 14, going door to door, dropping literature, ringing doorbells ... running from dogs ...

I was excited to do it. I was proud to do it.

And I wasn't the only one.

Our generation was the Reagan generation.

We were a generation that remembered the malaise of the 70s ... and became politically aware during the resurgence of national pride in the 1980s.

We were a generation that shocked our college professors, who were used to protest marches and blame-America-first rallies, by celebrating free market capitalism ... debating the entrenched campus liberals ... and chanting 'USA' during the 1984 Olympics.


The nation mourned when we lost the Gipper in 2004 ... but we still honor his memory in so many ways.

The history of the last quarter of the 20th century is the history of Ronald Reagan proving his critics wrong.

They complained when he called the Evil Empire by its rightful name, and saw the end of Communism. He was right, and they were wrong.

They scoffed when he proposed lower taxes, less regulation and sound money to cure the economic malaise of the 1970s. He was right, and they were wrong.
In 1970, the National Governor's Association considered a welfare reform proposal from the Governor of California. It was turned down 49 to 1. Reagan was right, and the other 49 governors, Democrat and Republican, were wrong.
What's most amazing is that these same critics, even those who admit now that Reagan was right, don't seem to have learned anything.

They're making the same old mistakes today.

It's as if they're sleepwalking through history.

Which brings us to our work over the next 10 months.

President Reagan described elections as times for choosing.

In 291 days, the American people will choose.
What kind of leaders do we want in a world of challenge and opportunity?
Do we want members of a Party who recognize the need for government to change and adapt to meet new challenges?

Or people who insist on repeating the mistakes of the past?

Are we going to follow those who have been proven wrong time and again?
Or those who have learned the lessons of history?

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY comments:

President Reagan inspired millions of people in America and around the world.
Ronald Reagan was truly a giant in history.

His faith, and optimism for the future of the USA, restored the confidence of Americans who responded by making America and the world a better place.

I am proud of the fact that I personally met Ronald Reagan back in March of 1975.

Twenty five years ago today Ronald Reagan became president and the world became a better place because of him. God bless the memory of Ronald Reagan.