Join Jesse Brenneman, a savvy producer and host of Tech Talk, as he discusses the film 'Reagan' and its outlandish representation of the 40th president. The conversation delves into Hollywood's relationship with anti-communism, intertwining laughter and critiques of Reagan's legacy. Jesse shares insights on how the film's simplistic narrative and aesthetic choices shape public perception of a complex historical figure. Expect engaging anecdotes about Reagan's journey from Hollywood to the heart of conservative politics, alongside reflections on the film's deeper meanings.
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insights INSIGHT
KGB Framing Highlights Reagan's Myth
The film uses a KGB agent's narration to show Reagan as the man who ended communism.
This framing serves to depict Reagan's influence as almost mythical and transcending politics.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Sittman Explains Personal Connection
Matthew Sittman shares his close relationship with Paul Kengor, author of the book the film is based on.
Kengor significantly influenced Sittman's political and academic path.
insights INSIGHT
Movie Is Reagan Greatest Hits
The movie is essentially Ronald Reagan's greatest hits strung together like fan service.
It includes insider references that only dedicated fans would recognize.
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This book is a monumental work that offers an insightful and elegant portrait of Ronald Reagan, covering his life from his youth as 'Dutch' to his roles as a middle-aged Cold Warrior and septuagenarian Chief Executive. Written after thirteen years of exhaustive research and thousands of hours of interviews, Morris combines scholarship with literary imagination. The biography is notable for its use of a biographical doppelganger to follow Reagan through each phase of his life, integrating his story with the times and explaining the powerful link between Reagan and the American people.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
John B. Judis
This biography by John B. Judis follows the life and times of William F. Buckley, Jr., a key figure in the modern conservative movement. Buckley was the founder of the National Review and the host of the public affairs program Firing Line for over 30 years. The book explores his significant influence on American politics, including his impact on politicians such as Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater.
The crusader
Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism
Paul Kengor
Drawing upon newly declassified presidential papers, untapped Soviet media archives, and new interviews with key players, Kengor traces Reagan's efforts to target the Soviet Union from his days as governor of California to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The book reveals Reagan's deep understanding of what it would take to bring down communism and his policy shifts that significantly weakened the USSR. It also includes explosive revelations, such as a memo implicating a major American liberal politician in a scheme to enlist Soviet premier Yuri Andropov to help defeat Reagan's 1984 reelection bid.
God and Ronald Reagan
God and Ronald Reagan
A Spiritual Life
Paul Kengor
A Pope and a President
John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century
Paul Kengor
As the world falls apart — and we prep for our Buckley mega-episode with Sam Tanenhaus — we're unlocking this fun episode from late last year. Subscribe at Patreon.com/knowyourenemy to never miss an episode like this one. And please listen to Jesse's insane, hilarious, freakishly prescient (and fake) podcast Tech Talk.
A palette cleanser for subscribers: we watched Reagan (2024), with our intrepid producer, Jesse Brenneman. Even better, the movie is based on the 2006 book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism, by Paul Kengor — who just happens to have been Matt's close mentor as an undergraduate student. Reagan clocks in at over two hours and twenty minutes, and it's a wild, even fantastical ride that offers a revealing glimpse into the conservative psyche and a faithful rendition of the most hagiographic version of the Reagan mythology, especially his personal responsibility for ending the Cold War and finally putting the Soviet Union on the ash heap of history.
Know Your Enemy 
