A Reagan Forum Podcast

James Patterson

In this week’s A Reagan Forum we bring you one of the world’s best selling authors and trusted storytellers – James Patterson - who joined us on February 17, 2021 for conversation on his latest book, Walk in My Combat Boots.  Joining us in the conversation was the book’s co-author, First Sergeant Matt Eversmann who’s story of survival during a combat in Mogadishu in 1993 is told in the epic film, Black Hawk Down. James Patterson’s writing career is characterized by a single mission: to prove that there is no such thing as a person who “doesn’t like to read,” only people who haven’t found the right book. He has given over three million books to schoolkids and the military, donated more than seventy million dollars to support education, and endowed over five thousand college scholarships for teachers. With over 150 millions copies of his book in print, and over 180 titles printed, James Patterson recently called Walk in My Combat Boots the most important book of his career.  The book is a powerful collection, crafted from hundreds of original interviews which are the brutally honest stories usually only shared amongst comrades in arms. Here, in the voices of the men and women who’ve fought overseas from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, is a rare eye-opening look into what wearing the uniform, fighting in combat, losing friends and coming home is really like. Readers who next thank a military member for their service will finally have a true understanding of what that thanks is for. During today’s conversation with Reagan Foundation and Institute Executive Director John Heubusch, James Patterson and Matt Eversmann discuss their book, which they say will change the way you view our military.  It’s the stories that your fathers and mothers, your sons and daughters, who have come back from battle have never been able to tell you.

President Reagan’s Birthday

President Reagan loved his birthday.  He always joked it was an anniversary of his 39th birthday.  This February 6th would have marked the 71st anniversary of his 39th birthday. In honor of this week commemorating the 110th anniversary of his birth passing, this week’s “Reagan Forum” podcast is a compilation of past birthday events as a tribute to our nation’s 40th president. Let’s start with Secretary James Baker and his remarks honoring what would have been President Reagan’s 107th birthday, on February 6, 2018:

Connie Mack

In this week’s A Reagan Forum we bring you Senator Connie Mack, who joined us in conversation on January 19, 2021 for his recent, Citizen Mack: Politics, an Honorable Calling. Cornelius McGillicuddy III, popularly known as Connie Mack, is a Republican politician who served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (between 1983 and 1988) and two terms in the U.S. Senate (between 1989 and 2001) before announcing his retirement in 2000. Throughout his service in both the House and Senate, Connie Mack supported the passage of legislation related to health care, financial modernization, modification of the tax code, and public housing reform. A cancer survivor, Senator Mack was a strong advocate for cancer research, early detection, and treatment, co-founding the Senate Cancer Coalition.Fun fact?  His paternal grandfather was Connie Mack, former owner and manager of baseball's Philadelphia Athletics and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. During today’s conversation with Reagan Foundation and Institute Executive Director John Heubusch, Senator Mack discusses his new book, which former Vice President Dick Cheney calls “an account of his spiritual journey which is honest, humble, and explains much about the man and his life of service. Let’s listen.

Mark Salter

In this week’s A Reagan Forum we bring you American speechwriter Mark Salter, who joined us in conversation on December 7, 2020, for his brand-new book, The Luckiest Man: Life with John McCain. Governor and Mrs. Reagan first came to know John McCain as a returning prisoner of war whose POW bracelet they had worn. That bracelet has been on display in the Reagan Library since its opening in 1991. In the years after, he became a deeply respected and cherished personal friend. Senator McCain was an inspiring risk-taker. Time and again, he demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice for his country and his beliefs. From his extraordinary courage in a Hanoi dungeon to his practice of putting principle over political expediency, he consistently modeled character and conviction. Mark Salter’s Luckiest Man is a deeply personal and candid remembrance of the late Senator John McCain from one of his closest and most trusted confidants, friends, and political advisors who worked with the Senator on several nonfiction books as well as on political speeches, and who also served as his chief of staff. During today’s conversation with Reagan Foundation and Institute Executive Director John Heubusch, Mark Salter discusses his new book, which covers all the major events of McCain’s life while also introducing aspects of the man that the public rarely saw and hardly knew. Woven throughout this narrative is also the story of Salter and McCain’s close relationship, including how they met, and why their friendship stood the test of time in a political world known for its fickle personalities and frail bonds.  The capstone to Salter’s intimate and decades-spanning time with the Senator, The Luckiest Man is the authoritative last word on the stories McCain was too modest to tell himself and an influential life not soon to be forgotten. Let’s listen.

Dave Barry

In this week’s A Reagan Forum, we bring you bestselling author and humorist Dave Barry, who joined us in conversation on December 1, 2020. According to his website, Dave Barry has been a professional humorist ever since he discovered that professional humor was a lot easier than working. For many years he wrote a newspaper column that appeared in more than 500 newspapers across the country, winning the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1988.  He has also written more than 30 books. During today’s conversation with Reagan Foundation and Institute Executive Director John Heubusch, Dave Barry discusses his writing career and his love of dogs, not to mention the softcover release of his latest book, Lessons from Lucy, the Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog, in which Dave decides that his dog is aging better than he is, and it’s time to figure out why. Let’s listen.

Veterans Day

Although we’re two months past the event, we wanted to share with you today our November 11, 2020 Veterans Day Ceremony which was very special to us at the Reagan Foundation.  Veterans Day is always special to us – as it’s a day to thank our nation’s heroes for our freedom – but this year was even more special because it was the first in-person event we have held since the COVID19 shutdown of our campus.  We were only permitted to host 100 people on our campus, and those 100 people were made up of veterans, active military and their families, and then the event was livestreamed to anyone else who wanted to watch. Our program had two keynote speakers – Congressman and former fighter pilot – Mike Garcia, and Congressman and former Navy Seal, Dan Crenshaw. Congressman Garcia represents California’s 25th congressional district – which is home to the Reagan Library.  He’s also a highly decorated United States Naval officer and leader who served his country with distinction and is lauded as one of the most talented fighter pilots in the Navy. Congressman Crenshaw represents Texas’s 2nd congressional district.  As a Navy Seal he served five overseas deployments, and during the third was struck by an IED blast in Afghanistan, destroying his right eye and leaving him almost blind in his left.  Yet he recovered and did two more deployments overseas, finally retiring in 2016 as a Lt Commander. Let’s listen.

Maria Bartiromo and James Freeman

In this week’s “A Reagan Forum” we bring you Fox News Host Maria Bartiromo and the Wall Street Journal’s James Freeman, who joined us in a virtual conversation on November 18, 2020. Maria Bartiromo joined FOX Business Network as the Global Markets Editor in January 2014.  She is the anchor of Mornings with Maria and Sunday Morning Futures on that channel.  James Freeman is assistant editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page and author of the weekday Best of the Web column. During today’s conversation with Reagan Foundation and Institute Executive Director John Heubusch, Maria Bartiromo and James Freeman discuss their brand-new book, “The Cost: Trump, China, and American Revival,” which explains why, in the wake of the coronavirus—which clearly has had an effect on the economy—now, more than ever, strong leadership is critical for American revival and recovery. Let’s listen.

Candace Owens

Candace Owens is the founder of the BLEXIT Foundation, which is dedicated to the advancement of urban and minority communities by encouraging youth to seek and take advantage of opportunities in 21st Century America..  She is also the host of “The Candace Owens Show” on PragerU which airs every other Sunday. In describing herself, she has said: Choosing to think has been one of the most transformative secrets of my life. It’s brought me closer to others and has opened the world up to me in a way that I never knew was possible. I believe if we can turn the dial on the way people view themselves, we can change the world instantly – for the better. I am a fighter. And right now, I’m fighting for the heart and soul of a country I love. During today’s conversation with Reagan Foundation and Institute Executive Director John Heubusch, Candace Owens discusses her brand-new book, “Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape From the Democrat Plantation, “ which she says lays bare the myth that all black people should vote Democrat—and shows why turning to the right will leave them happier, more successful, and more self-sufficient. Let's Listen. 

Judge Douglas Ginsburg

During today’s conversation with Reagan Foundation and Institute Executive Director John Heubusch, Judge Ginsburg discusses his new book, Voices of our Republic, is a companion piece to his 3-part 2020 PBS Series, A more or less perfect union, which he also talks about with us today.  Voices of Our Republic features thoughts about the Constitution from personalities, dignitaries, and everyday heroes, who help answer the question of why the Constitution is so important and how it can be applied to political discourse today. Each person emphasizes a different part of the Constitution―from the Bill of Rights to the 19th Amendment and beyond―and why those particular passages are important, serving as a key resource for those looking to better appreciate the foundation of American government and to increase our understanding of its application during its initial creation and still today. Let’s listen.

Natan Sharansky

In this week’s “A Reagan Forum” we bring you Jewish dissident Natan Sharansky and American Historian Dr. Gil Troy, who joined us in a virtual conversation on November 2, 2020. Natan Sharansky was convicted in 1978 on trumped-up charges of treason and spying for the United States, sentenced to 13 years in prison. After spending 16 months in Moscow’s LEF-OR-TOVO prison, frequently in solitary confinement and in a special torture cell, Natan Sharansky was transferred to a notorious prison camp in the Siberian gulag.  During the years of his imprisonment, Sharansky became a symbol for human rights in general and Soviet Jewry in particular. Natan Sharansky joins us in conversation today to discuss his new book, Never Alone: Prison, Politics and My People, which is co-written by Gil Troy, an award-winning American presidential historian and a leading Zionist activist, who was recently named as one of the top 100 people “positively influencing Jewish life. They are joined in conversation by Roger Zakheim, director of the Reagan Institute. Let’s listen.