"A Time for Choosing", also known as "The Speech", was a speech presented during the
1964 U.S. presidential election campaign by future
president
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Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Ronald Reagan on behalf of
Republican
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Political ideology
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candidate
Barry Goldwater. 'A Time For Choosing' launched Reagan into national prominence in politics.
Background
Many versions of this speech exist since it was altered over many weeks. Contrary to popular belief, however, the speech was not given at the
1964 Republican National Convention
The 1964 Republican National Convention took place in the Cow Palace, Daly City, California, from July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had been only one national Republican convention on the West Coast, the 1956 Republican National Convent ...
in San Francisco, California as a nomination speech for presidential candidate Senator
Barry Goldwater;
Everett Dirksen
Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician. A Republican, he represented Illinois in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. As Senate Minority Leader from 1959 u ...
gave that nomination speech, while
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
introduced Goldwater prior to his acceptance speech. Reagan, though he campaigned for Goldwater, did not use "A Time for Choosing" until October 27, 1964, when it was part of a pre-recorded television program, ''Rendezvous with Destiny.'' (The title of the program was used by
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
in his June 27, 1936 speech to the
1936 Democratic National Convention.) In his autobiography, ''
An American Life'', Reagan recalled going to bed that night "hoping I hadn't let Barry down."
Speaking for Goldwater, Reagan stressed his belief in the importance of
smaller government. In the speech, Reagan revealed his ideological motivation: "The
Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing."
He also said, "You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream – the maximum of individual freedom consistent with law and order – or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism."
The speech raised $1 million for Goldwater's campaign,
and is considered the event that launched Reagan's political career.
Aftermath
'A Time For Choosing' has been considered one of the most effective speeches ever made by an eventual presidential candidate. Following 'A Time For Choosing' in 1964, Washington Post Reporter
David S. Broder called the speech "the most successful national political debut since
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President ...
electrified the 1896 Democratic Convention with his
' Cross of Gold' speech."
[Hayward, Steven F. ]
Why Ronald Reagan’s ‘A Time for Choosing’ endures after all this time
The Washington Post, October 23, 2014 Nevertheless, Barry Goldwater lost the election by one of the largest margins in history. Soon afterward, Reagan was asked to run for
Governor of California; he ran for office and won the election in 1966.
When Reagan won the White House in 1980,
George Will
George Frederick Will (born May 4, 1941) is an American libertarian-conservative political commentator and author. He writes regular columns for ''The Washington Post'' and provides commentary for NBC News and MSNBC. Gold, Hadas (May 8, 2017)." ...
of the Washington Post referred back to 'A Time For Choosing' and said, "Goldwater won the election of 1964. . . it just took sixteen years to count the votes."
In 2014, Professor
Steven F. Hayward, Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine University and Reagan biographer, looked back at the speech and said, "at the time, critics thought the speech was too emotional; while others thought it was too controversial. But after the speech, it was clear that Ronald Reagan and his ideas were simply irresistible."
'A Time For Choosing' ushered in a conservative movement in American Politics at a time when the country was looking for strong leadership following
President Kennedy's Assassination, a growing
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...
, and a raging
Cold War.
Reagan's speech in 1964 not only made him the leader of this movement but also earned him the nickname "The Great Communicator" in recognition of his effective oratory skills.
References
Further reading
* Bimes, Terri. "Ronald Reagan and the New Conservative Populism." (Institute of Governmental Studies, 2002)
online*
* Kiewe, Amos, Davis W. Houck, and Davis L. Houck. ''A shining city on a hill: Ronald Reagan's economic rhetoric, 1951–1989'' (Greenwood, 1991)
* Mann, Robert. ''Becoming Ronald Reagan: The Rise of a Conservative Icon.'' Potomac, 2019
*
* Ritter, Kurt W. "Ronald Reagan and 'the speech': The rhetoric of public relations politics." ''Western Journal of Communication'' (1968) 32#1 pp. 50–58
External links
* Ronald Reagan
"A Time for Choosing" (1964) Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Time For Choosing, A
Speeches by Ronald Reagan
1964 speeches
1964 United States presidential election
Articles containing video clips
Barry Goldwater
1964 in California
October 1964 events in the United States