“There essentially seven reasons the Reagan administration has failed in its foreign policy goals,” said Newt Gingrich in 1986. Thanks to Andrew Kaczynski at BuzzFeed, we have video of the dramatic speech where Gingrich makes his case against a timid Reagan foreign policy. Here is a summery:
1: Not focused on vision and clarity of language defining and describing reality
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2: Has not developed a systematic debate ensuring continuity and public awareness and learning about the Soviet empire.
3: A vision level shift from “McGovernite passivism” to “Reaganite activism,” convincing the media, changing the congress, and educating the grass roots.
4: Implementing changes in the Executive branch (diplomatic, intelligence, and military systems) to promote “pro-freedom strategy. “Again and again, the gap between the Reagan rhetoric and Reagan administration reality is massive and self destructive.”
5: Requiring and managing dramatic change in bureaucracy, getting effective helicopters and a South American public awareness campaigns.
6: Accepting the fact that Reagan’s vision of the Soviet Empire is unacceptable to the McGovernite-left. “We’re engaged in a struggle between two visions of America and two visions of the world, these visions are incompatible and beyond compromise.”
7: Reagan keeps trying to achieve incremental changes by courting McGovernite groups. “He is going to have to fight more often and incrementally.”
