The 15th annual Ronald Reagan Lecture at Grove City College will feature one of the most influential political thinkers and actors of the last half century.
“What I Saw at the Reagan Revolution: A Conversation with Former Speaker Newt Gingrich on Reagan, Conservatism, and Midterm Elections” is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 3 in Crawford Hall Auditorium on campus. The event is presented by the Institute for Faith & Freedom.
Few individuals can speak to these subjects like Gingrich. For over 40 years, he has been a leading voice in the conservative movement, beginning with his election to Congress in 1979. President Reagan saw him as one of the administration’s most articulate advocates in Congress, starting with his leadership of a 1981 task force seeking the passage of Reagan’s historic tax cut.
When Reagan left office in 1989, Gingrich was looked to as the Republican to continue the Reagan Revolution. “Barry Goldwater handed the torch to Ronnie, and in turn Ronnie turned that torch over to Newt and the Republican members of Congress to keep that dream alive,” said former First Lady Nancy Reagan in 1995. Gingrich was always known as an ideas man and “a Reagan man,” Reagan biographer Craig Shirley stated in 2012.
In the Democrat-controlled House of the 1980s and early 1990s, Gingrich rose from a conservative backbencher to the GOP leadership. He orchestrated the historic 1994 Republican takeover of Congress with his Contract with America. He worked with President Bill Clinton to forge bipartisan accomplishments on welfare reform and balanced budgets before leaving Congress in 1999. He remains a top authority on politics and elections.
Gingrich will field questions from Grove City College President Paul McNulty ’80, IFF Senior Director and Chief Academic Fellow and Professor of Political Science Dr. Paul Kengor, and the audience. As the chief counsel for the House Subcommittee on Crime in the 1990s, McNulty worked with Gingrich on legislation combatting violent crime, terrorism, and drug trafficking.
The lecture is free, but registration is required and tickets are limited. To register, visit faithandfreedom.com.
The Ronald Reagan Lecture illumines Reagan’s contributions to America and the world by featuring people who worked for, knew, or have produced important work on the 40th President. In accordance with the mission of the Institute for Faith & Freedom at Grove City College, the goal of the Reagan Lecture is to promote the principles of faith and freedom to the next generation of American leaders. As students learn about the life and accomplishments of Ronald Reagan they can see the values of faith and freedom played out on one of the biggest political stage in the country.