41: The Road to Goldwater: Ronald Reagan's Conservative Conversion via General Electric and His Confrontational Governorship. Max Boot discusses how Ronald Reagan found great success in television, hosting the General Electric Theater and earning substant

The John Batchelor Show

The Road to Goldwater: Ronald Reagan's Conservative Conversion via General Electric and His Confrontational Governorship. Max Boot discusses how Ronald Reagan found great success in television, hosting the General Electric Theater and earning substantial income while mixing with corporate leadership in the 1950s and early 1960s. Reagan transitioned politically from being an avid New Dealer and FDR supporter to supporting the early Republican conservative movement, particularly Barry Goldwater. Boot argues that Reagan changed, not the Democratic Party, as his transformation began in World War II when he resented paying income taxes at a 90% rate. His political shift was completed in the 1950s during his time as a spokesman for General Electric, where he used long train rides to read conservative literature. In 1964, Reagan's debut on the national political stage came when the Goldwater campaign bought half an hour of air time for Reagan to deliver "A Time for Choosing," which became known simply as "the speech." In 1966, Reagan decided to run for governor against incumbent Pat Brown. During his tenure, particularly the People's Park demonstrations in 1969, Reagan adopted a confrontational stance, using hardline rhetoric and giving student radicals the confrontation they desired, though this approach was politically successful. Reagan was a devoted supporter of Richard Nixon, even backing him during Watergate, though Nixon held little respect for Reagan. Reagan ran hard for the presidency in 1976 and 1980.