The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life Hardcover - 2004 - 1st Edition

First line

On February 23, 1984, I walked into the Oval Office and found the president standing beside his desk holding what appeared to be a photograph.

From the jacket flap

"This is not a book about what I did for Ronald Reagan, but about what he did for the world. . . . Those of us who were at Reagan's side from the beginning will tell you that he gave us more than we ever imagined. We will tell you that our lives are forever better for having worked in his shadow. And we will mean it."
-Dick Wirthlin

Ronald Reagan was a man of tremendous vision, strong moral character, and unwavering patriotism. The public outpouring of love and admiration at his passing shows just how beloved America's fortieth president was. The legacy he leaves behind was built over many long years of personal and professional ups and downs. And while speechwriters, chiefs of staff, and media advisors came and went during his political career, Dick Wirthlin-the strategic genius behind Reagan's greatest victories-was there with Reagan through it all.

Reagan once told a reporter, "When Dick Wirthlin speaks, I listen!" Now, Wirthlin speaks for Reagan one more time in The Greatest Communicator, a heartfelt personal reminiscence of the man Wirthlin respected and admired without reservation. He shares candid stories of Reagan no one else can tell, drawing on treasured memories of their many private moments and shared experiences, as well as an immense trove of files and notes.

From his first meeting with Governor Reagan in the fall of 1968, Wirthlin could see that this man was different. Some politicians love policy; Ronald Reagan loved people. Wirthlin was impressed by Reagan's warmth, his lack of pretense, his humble spirit, and, above all, his desire to build a strong and secure base for America's future. Here, Wirthlin reveals how Reagan forged a special relationship with the American people through his greatest gift: the extraordinary ability to communicate both publicly and privately, changing lives-and indeed, the world-with words.

Wirthlin shares the many lessons Reagan taught him, taking us on a behind-the-scenes journey through milestones in Reagan's political career: the 1976 loss to President Gerald Ford in the primary, one of the GOP's closest fights in modern history and the only time Reagan ever tasted electoral defeat; the tense meetings, awkward moments, high-stakes debates, and tough decisions on the road to winning the White House; the landslide victories of 1980 and 1984; and the reflective moments with Reagan to which only Wirthlin was witness. He also reveals how he unlocked one of the master communicator's greatest secrets: Reagan's rhetorical method that won over the hearts and minds of Democrats.

Brimming with affection, humor, and remarkable honesty, The Greatest Communicator is a shining tribute to the man Wirthlin was honored to serve for over two decades-and the dear lifelong friend he will never forget.