Ingraham Looks For the Heart of Leadership At VARBusiness 500 Awards

Ingraham, a former Reagan speechwriter, attorney and Supreme Court clerk before becoming a radio host and author, used the public response to Reagan's death to demonstrate the disconnect between the American people and leaders in news media.

"The media was stunned at the outpouring of affection" for the former president, she stated, citing the examples of CBS anchorman Dan Rather's observation that coverage went overboard and 60 Minutes executive producer Don Hewitt's comment that the reaction was merely an expression of nostalgia.

"Is it any wonder why people are turning away from network news?" Ingraham asked.

The media elite, thinking themselves "not only the smartest people around, but the smartest people who've ever lived!" settled on Reagan's "optimism" to explain his popularity. But citing only Reagan's optimism misses the point of his success and that his legacy will have a "profound impact" on this year's election, according to Ingraham.

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Reagan's optimism sprang from his core principles, and those principles were what resonated with Americans, she said. Specifically, he believed that good and evil exist; that the "godless" Soviet Union would eventually implode, but that America had to act to bring that about quickly and peacefully; that productivity should be rewarded; that creativity flourishes in a capitalistic system; and that people's rights come from God, not from any government. Reagan was optimistic because he believed "an America committed to these truths couldn't be vanquished," she said.

Ingraham told the story of how she once found herself dizzy while actually speaking to Reagan. "Don't worry, I'll catch you," he reassured her. "Isn't that a great metaphor for what Reagan did with the country?" she asked the audience.

But along with his principles, Reagan also possessed a "populism" that brought people together under his leadership, bringing the Republican party "out of the country club" and moving it to where the majority of Americans lived.

It was on this point that Ingraham shared her sharpest criticism of current President Bush. Bush has the optimism, she said, but he "has forgotten his populist message."

"It has to go beyond the image," Ingraham said, noting that, particularly in regard to the war in Iraq, the American public has legitimate questions about the war's costs and whether the effort is actually making us safer at home. For Bush to reconnect with those Americans, he has to "have the conversation continuously" with voters regarding his goals and plans. In November, voters will ultimately ask, "How does this affect me?"

On the other hand, the current situation compels Democratic presumptive presidential candidate John Kerry to strike an "interesting balance." Ingraham believes Kerry understands that "doom and gloom...can get a little old," but that he has to be "a little negative" about the country's prospects under Bush, while still projecting a positive tone about his own leadership.

People ask, "What's this guy from Massachusetts going to do for us?" But to that question, Ingraham suggested Kerry hasn't come up with many answers.

"Can anybody tell me John Kerry's policy is on Iraq?" she asked the audience. "It's great to say you want to bring the world community along with us," she acknowleged, but in practical terms, that's not very helpful. "France has great cheese," she noted, "but they don't have an army."

Ultimately, the American people are like a board of directors. They don't pay attention to the operations of their business every day, but they come together from time to time to judge what path the CEO is taking it on. The candidate who successfully speaks to the country's heart, Ingraham concluded, will be the one to win in November.