Living the American Dream

Written by Charlie Durgin

Lost in the clutter of TV pundits screaming about debt ceilings and who should marry who is the seemingly quaint idea of the American Dream. Does it still live from sea to shining sea?

One place it certainly lives is just under two hours from Bakersfield in Simi Valley at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

You won't find books at this library, but you will find the American Dream, spoken loud and clear by Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of these United States, and fondly remembered as the Great Communicator.

Upon entering the library, you'll have the opportunity to rent an iPod which gives an audio tour of the library, synched up to each exhibit. I would recommend against the rental because it might obscure the different speech excerpts that play when you walk through the library's vast exhibits.

The highlight is Air Force One Pavilion, complete with the famed presidential jet and Marine One, the President's official helicopter. There's also a limousine he used and the original O'Farrell's pub from Ballyporeen in the Republic of Ireland that President and Mrs. Reagan visited in June 1984, now called the Ronald Reagan Pub. You can whet your whistle if you choose to. Guinness is on tap, and you can also order sandwiches and other snacks.

The plane itself is surprisingly claustrophobic. It's restored to the Reagan-era condition and the docents helpfully point out that Reagan was one of the most well-travelled American presidents. But despite all of his logged airtime, he rarely slept on the plane, choosing instead to make use of the humble letter desk in his quarters, complete with a lone oak cup holder.

For many, the office of the President is larger than life. Visiting the library brings the presidency and all of its trappings down to eye-level.

The recreation of the Oval Office also helps drive this point home. As the docents explain, each president is responsible for choosing the decorations of the Oval Office during his presidency. The attention to detail was very impressive. Reagan's Oval Office contains many Western-themed decorations, and everything from the rugs to the doorknobs is as it was when Reagan used the office. The requisite jar of jellybeans was there, but so was the several inch addition to the bottom of the desk to accommodate Reagan's rangy frame. He was among the tallest U.S. presidents. While you aren't allowed to actually sit behind the desk, you are allowed to get close enough to realize it isn't even that big of an office! Chances are, the conference room at your place of employment is bigger than the Oval Office.

The tour of Air Force One is amazing, and it is justifiably billed as the main draw. But the entire library experience is the real reason to visit. It reminds you that Reagan believed in the idea of the “City on the Hill,” a place where all men and women have worthwhile dreams that are attainable in this country. Regardless of your political affiliation, it's hard to leave the museum without loving our country a little more.

Reagan himself embodied the American Dream. As the museum shows, he came from humble beginnings in Illinois, and took an unlikely career path that ended with him becoming the leader of the free world. He started out as a radio announcer, made his way to a young Hollywood where he made films co-starring a chimpanzee, and then became a public relations man of sorts for General Electric. Each phase of Reagan's life is thoroughly detailed. GE hired him to visit different factories and lift employee spirits by serving as a sort of pre-runner to celebrity gossip websites. He was supposed to visit the factories and share real Hollywood stories with them. Ultimately, Reagan's pitch changed, and GE was wary of him becoming too political. The change was an organic one, as he wanted to remind the employees that they mattered, and that their dreams and aspirations were just as important as the dreams Hollywood sold.

Sure enough, through the tour, you start to believe anything is possible.

It isn't all a romanticization, though. Newsreel clips of Reagan as Governor of California deviate from the image of him as a kindly old grandfather who just happened to be our president. During the college riots, Reagan angrily confronts the media in one clip and says that if people want to make change in society, they have to behave like adults. If they want to behave like hooligans, they'll be treated as such.

The tour also shows the blood-stained suit Reagan wore during the assassination attempt at the hands of John Hinckley, Jr. There is a sign outside the exhibit warning that there is violent footage, and it is one of the most somber aspects of the library. The only moment of levity is provided by Reagan himself, who was quoted by the surgeons attending to him as saying “I hope you are all Republicans.” One surgeon replied, “Today, Mr. President, we are all Republicans.”

The amazing library will give you the same sentiment.

The year 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth, and that makes it a great time to visit. One of the exhibits is a scale reproduction of the White House. The husband-wife team who created it make aesthetic changes according to who is in office. They recently changed it to include flatscreen TVs and painstakingly hooked tiny rugs to replicate the ones chosen by the Obama family. It's another exhibit that brings the presidency to scale. You learn through the model that the White House Press Room, with its signature navy blue background, is right next to his residence, as is the room where he meets with his cabinet. The presidents' professional and personal lives are very closely connected on the same piece of real estate.

At the end of the tour, and after you’ve seen Reagan’s amazing belt buckle collection, a huge replicated section of the Berlin Wall that he implored Mr. Gorbachev to tear down, garments worn by Nancy Reagan, and gifts from foreign leaders, you are suddenly at Reagan’s final resting place.

It comes upon you as a bit of a surprise, overlooking a beautiful valley, and giving you a chill as you recollect Reagan's vision of “The City on the Hill.”

Whatever “side of the aisle” you claim, there is quite a bit of American history just over the hill in Simi Valley. The drive is beautiful and, on most days, you'll completely miss the traffic that plagues most of the L.A. area. Show up early for the best parking, and be prepared to be infused with a lot of patriotism in a current climate that challenges it at every turn.

candles©istockphoto.com/pixelfit/gigishots

Article appeared in our 28-4 Issue - October 2011