Opinion Pieces

If you walk into my Congressional office, you will see a small, unassuming plaque on my desk that reads: “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit.”

I borrowed this from Ronald Reagan, who kept a plaque on his desk in the Oval Office inscribed with the same words. It embodies both his humble style of leadership and his unwavering belief that in America, anything is possible — we’re limited only by our imagination and spirit. To me, it’s just one of the many reasons he is my personal favorite American president. There is much our nation can continue to learn from his leadership but five enduring lessons stand out to me, presented here in honor of President’s Day.

Optimism is a strength, not a weakness. While some people portray optimism as naive or being out of touch with reality, Ronald Regan understood its power. His unflinching confidence in the ability and destiny of the American people helped to navigate our country through its clash with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, divisions at home, and contentions abroad. Amidst it all, he kept the spirit of a happy warrior and never stopped making the case for individual liberty, limited government, and freedom for the world. Peggy Noonan wrote, “At the core of Reagan's character was courage, a courage that was, simply, natural to him, a courage that was ultimately contagious. When people say President Reagan brought back our spirit and our sense of optimism, I think what they are saying in part is, the whole country caught his courage.”

Don’t forget to laugh. With the intensity and ferocity of today’s news cycle, sometimes I wonder if we as a nation have forgotten how to laugh. This was something Reagan was legendary for — his first words to Nancy before being wheeled into surgery after being injured in an assassination attempt were reportedly, “Honey, I forgot to duck.” He even got his opponent to laugh during a 1984 presidential debate when, instead of becoming defensive over charges that he was too old for the office, he quipped, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.” While President Reagan took very seriously the work he was entrusted with and the challenges our nation faced, he never took himself too seriously. He wasn’t afraid to laugh, even at his own expense. In today’s crisis and outrage saturated culture, that’s something we could all do well to remember.

Socialism doesn’t work (and needs to be called out). "Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don't need it and hell where they already have it.” President Regan was fearless in calling out the evils and dangers of socialist and communist ideologies to the well-being and freedom of people everywhere. Today, a new generation has grown up without firsthand memories of this battle of ideologies and the Soviet Union’s eventual collapse. For them, the old, empty promises of socialism seem to hold a new allure. However, when you pit freedom against socialism in the marketplace of ideas, freedom will always win on the basis of merit. But it cannot win if no one is making the case. We must speak the truth boldly. We must make the case persuasively — not based out of fear, but in facts. As Reagan said: “Freedom is not just the birthright of the few, it is the God-given right of all His children, in every country. It won't come by conquest. It will come, because freedom is right and freedom works.”

If you see freedom slipping, it’s your job to fight for it. Reagan read the tea lives of the times and was concerned about the trends he saw, saying: “Our natural, inalienable rights are now considered to be a dispensation from government, and freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment.” Yet he didn’t see this reality as cause for despair, but a call to fight. The freedom to determine our destiny is our birthright as human beings, but not our guarantee. We have to advocate for it, educate on it, and exercise it. We have to decide that its erosion is neither inevitable nor acceptable. We have to fight for it.

The secret to America’s strength has never been her leaders. It’s always been the American people. We have always been, and will always be, a nation uniquely defined by the voices and votes of her citizens. While it’s easier to engage in armchair activism and critique our leadership from afar, our leaders will never be the answer to our country’s challenges. That’s one of the reasons I originally left my medical practice in Ohio to bring my experience as a doctor, Army Reserve officer, Iraq War veteran, and small business owner to serve here in Congress. I saw the economic and security challenges facing our nation and felt that I had a responsibility to do my part that couldn’t wait. Ultimately, our country’s future is charted by the collective force of our personal responsibility to take individual action and both fight for — and live out — what we believe in. 

As we commemorate President’s Day and reflect on the many lessons learned from Reagan and our nation’s other great leaders, that is the one, overarching truth we must remember.

These leaders have impacted our history and their words have helped define our nation’s identity. This was never a nation built on, “I, the President.” We were founded on the cornerstone and rallying cry of, “We the People of the United States of America.” This is the secret to America’s success and what will define her future. As Ronald Regan would say, “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”