What made Ronald Reagan the giant he was, was his commitment to doing things because they were the right things to do for the country. He had deeply held core values and he never wavered from them.

 

He had the ability to disagree politically without being mean spirited or nasty and at the end of the day, could have a cocktail with his political opponents and keep civility in the relationships, regardless of the differences over issues. He transcended party lines and won over a lot of people that way. He was governor of California for 8 years, in a state which has been known as a liberal bastion for decades. He succeeded because he didn't speak as a conservative or a repubican, but as an American, appealing to something in all of us. You could see and feel his passion and belief for issues and regardless of how one felt themselves, it was hard to fault him because you knew he was acting as an American first. He made speeches for years, espewing his same positions on things over and over. He never changed his tune. Eventually, after the failed liberal policies became clearer to many, his views and values were embraced by the voters of California and eventually by the whole country. And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

His ego never got in the way either. He had great reverence and respect for the office he held and never became bigger than the office. It was said he never entered the Oval Office without first putting on his suit jacket. That's how much he held the office in esteem.
 

He was a decent and honorable man.