Reagan and the age issue

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Here was that hilarious moment when Ronald Reagan, with one line, ended the 1984 presidential election contest.

Ronald Reagan had done poorly in the previous debate. In his final summation he stumbled badly and did not finish in time and had to cut it short, incomplete. Reagan had been a professional speaker for many years and understood timing and had practiced for hours. It was inconceivable that he would mess up his answer.

The only explanation for the lapse was his age and growing heart condition which would account for less blood flow to the brain. It was a startling thought for the nation.

Reagan consulted with his wife, Nancy Reagan, and campaign team, including Michael Deaver, and he brought back Jim Baker to help. But alone, without help from his aides, he thought through the problem and rightly concluded that humor was the one antidote that would remedy the problem.

Reagan rehearsed his answer thoroughly and when the issue came up, as he knew it would, he calmly delivered his lines. It was a great moment, perhaps the greatest in presidential debate history.

Humor trumps content. Laughter is the best medicine. This was the classic moment of Reagan and the age issue.

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