Senator Boxer Pays Tribute To Former President Ronald Reagan

Senate Floor Statement from June 8, 2004
June 8, 2004

Mr. President, I rise today to pay my respects to one of California's own: President Ronald Reagan.
I first met President Reagan right after I was elected to Congress in 1982 as part of the largest Democratic freshman class since Watergate. When I was invited to the White House, I wondered how President Reagan would greet us. After all, he had campaigned for a Republican Congress and, having lost elections myself, I knew the feeling of disappointment.

When we arrived at the White House, President Reagan could not have been more gracious. The same for Mrs. Reagan. I still have the photo of that evening hanging in my home office.

Twenty-two years ago, Ronald Reagan taught me that you can disagree without being disagreeable. He said that "a lot of trouble in the world would disappear if we were talking to each other instead of about each other." He believed that if we are all pleasant and respectful to one another, we can find areas of common ground, reach across the aisle, and get things done. Believe me that was a good lesson for the Senate because the ONLY way to get things done is by working together.

He had done this in California, as a Republican governor working with a Democratic state legislature. In keeping with the values and wishes of most Californians, he helped to establish the Redwood National Park, regulated auto emissions to reduce air pollution, signed a bill that liberalized a woman's right to choose, and opposed a state proposition that discriminated against teachers based on sexual orientation.
Ronald Reagan continued to reach across the aisle when he became President. Although there were serious disagreements, he worked closely with the Democratic House to ratify and sign important arms control agreements, increase funding for math and science education, establish the National Endowment for Democracy, and reauthorize the Superfund hazardous waste clean-up program. He said "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."

President Reagan was a conservative, not a rigid ideologue. He fulfilled a campaign promise by naming Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, even though she was considered too moderate for many conservatives. He tried to abolish the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts, but after losing those fights he moved on without trying to force the issue through the back door.

Of course, we Democrats disagreed with President Reagan on a number of major issues, from offshore oil drilling to the role of the national government to fighting AIDS. But he never took our disagreements personally. He and House Speaker Tip O'Neill were genuinely fond of one another, often sharing a drink and a laugh together after locking horns all day. Their good nature was infectious, and it raised the level of comity throughout the nation's capital.

In California, there are tributes to Ronald Reagan running around the clock. When President Reagan once was asked what he wanted to be remembered for he answers - the millions of jobs created and America regaining respect in the world. Isn't that interesting how relevant that is today! I believe that fifty years from now, President Reagan will be remembered for his focus on freedom for the people behind the iron curtain. He saw in Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, a man he could successfully challenge.
When President Reagan said, "Tear down this wall," he touched a chord not only in America but all around the world.

In a moving eulogy in yesterday's New York Times, Mr. Gorbachev wrote that "Reagan was a man of the right. But, while adhering to his convictions, with which one could agree or disagree, he was not dogmatic; he was looking for negotiations and cooperation."

We name buildings and rooms and public places after leaders. But I truly believe that the greatest thing we can do in Ronald Reagan's memory is to find a cure for the disease that took his life - and took him away from his loved ones and from the world stage long before his life ended.
Alzheimer's disease is a plague that ravages millions of Americans and those who love them. Caused by abnormal plaques and tangled nerve fibers in the brain, the disease attacks the cells that control thought, memory, and language. It kills nerve cells that are vital to memory and lowers the level of chemicals that carry messages between nerve cells in the brain.

The progress of Alzheimer's disease is usually slow but inexorable. Beginning with mild symptoms such as forgetfulness, Alzheimer's gradually robs its victims of their ability to think clearly, speak, understand others, or care for themselves in any way.

Ten years ago, Ronald Reagan knew that he was battling Alzheimer's disease, and he knew that he was losing the battle. In a handwritten open letter, he told the American people that he was suffering from the illness. "I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life," President Reagan wrote movingly. "I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead." Even in his darkest hour, President Reagan's eternal optimism shone through, along with his love for his country.
Nancy Reagan stood by her husband throughout his long ordeal, protecting him in his most vulnerable time. In recent years, she has become a leading advocate of increased funding for medical research to fight Alzheimer's and other diseases.

To honor Ronald Reagan and relieve the suffering of millions of American families, we must pursue every avenue of research and treatment for Alzheimer's and other diseases. In memory of Ronald Reagan, let us seek a brighter dawn for Alzheimer's victims and their families.

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