[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            MOURNING THE PASSING OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN

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                               speech of

                         HON. PATRICK J. TIBERI

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 2004

  Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, folks from across the country came to 
Washington this week to mourn the passing of President Ronald Reagan. 
Even in death, the former President continued his fascinating 
connection with Americans of all types.
  Although I never met Ronald Reagan, he was one of my inspirations for 
entering politics. I was 18 at the time of his 1980 presidential 
campaign and it was the first big election to which I really paid 
attention. I remember being drawn to what this man, a half a century 
older than me, was saying about having faith in our country, its people 
and their future. He was optimistic, cheerful and came across as a 
thoroughly likable guy.
  It was simply astounding how he could establish a bond with even the 
most unlikely audience. In 1984, I was a senior at The Ohio State 
University and a member of the marching band. We were asked to play at 
a rally that President Reagan would be holding at St. John Arena. At 
first we all thought it would be an official band appearance, but then 
we were informed that since the President's visit was actually a 
campaign event, we could not appear as The Ohio State University 
Marching Band. If we wished, though, we could volunteer on our own, and 
appear without our uniforms. There were roughly 200 members in the band 
at that time and, as I recall, roughly 200 of us jumped at the 
opportunity to play at the President's campaign event. Think of it. A 
couple of hundred college kids were treating the appearance of a 73-
year-old Republican President as enthusiastically as the Michigan 
game--we would not have missed it for the world.
  President Reagan could connect with college kids and he could connect 
with Democrats, particularly those like my dad, an Italian immigrant 
who worked as a machinist. He came to America so he could have a better 
life and his kids' lives would be better still. He knew exactly what 
Ronald Reagan was talking about.
  He was The Great Communicator. President Reagan swept aside the 
filters and ``analysis'' of the news media and spoke from the Oval 
Office directly with the American people. He had the gift of explaining 
issues and his positions on them in simple, effective terms--a gift all 
too few of us in politics today possess. President Reagan spoke in a 
way that made Americans feel like they were almost partners with him.
  Perception is reality, and Ronald Reagan knew that. His message of 
hope and optimism put a new face on the Republican Party, and brought 
an end to the dour Nixonian era of GOP politics. Young people like me 
began looking at the Republican Party in a different way. Because of 
Ronald Reagan, we could take pride in being Republicans.
  I was struck by the attitude I saw in Washington this week. 
Certainly, there was sadness and grief over the loss of one of the 
giants of our time. But in keeping with the make-up of the man himself, 
there was more. As often as not, people also smiled when they spoke of 
Ronald Reagan, often displaying that same sense of hope and good cheer 
that he himself had radiated throughout his life. For all his 
accomplishments, it's that same sense of hope and optimism that I'll 
think of whenever I remember Ronald Reagan.

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