Reagan's Magic Market
By J.S. Larochelle, December 2007

Page 2 of 3

"The Reagan-Thatcher revolution was so successful that it permanently undermined the traditional social-democratic/left-liberal consensus in a number of democratic countries. It worked domestically to undermine the left-liberal or social-democratic consensus, causing those parties to simply stop fighting and adopt much of the winning conservative agenda. Socialists and liberals began to stand for balanced budgeting, the superiority of markets, welfare reversal, free trade and some privatization."
-- Rediscovering The Right Agenda, Stephen Harper, June 2003

"In fact, that's one of my theories about political speechmaking. You have to keep pounding away with your message, year after year, because that's the only way it will sink into the collective consciousness. I'm a big believer in stump speeches - speeches you can give over and over again with slight variations. Because if you have something you believe in deeply, it's worth repeating time and again until you achieve it. You also get better at delivering it." --Ronald Reagan, Inaugural Address, West Front of the U.S. Capitol, January 20, 1981

"To ensure that Reagan's 'magic-of-the-marketplace' formula was instituted, the U.S. linked its aid to the imposition of structural adjustment programs of the World Bank and IMF."

"More persuasive than Dale Carnegie, Reagan personified the big-hearted Willy Loman, never taking no for an answer --- cheerfully pressing his case brimming with energy and enthusiasm." -- "Reagan's Magic Revisited", John M. Curtis, February 8, 2001

"Reagan's magic was his skill for communication..."
-- Kathryn Jean Lopez

"There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder."
-- Ronald Reagan

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