Ronald Reagan Opens Up About His Childhood, His Politics and Being Poor in a 1979 Lost Interview

In an episode of the wonderfully animated lost interview series “Blank on Blank“, the now-late Ronald Reagan opened up to veteran reporter Bill Moyers about his childhood, his career in Hollywood, his switch from Democrat to Republican and how he “got over” being poor. The interview took place on April 30, 1979, just 18 months before Mr. Reaganbecame the 40th President of the United States.

You have to believe that. For the first time in man’s history, we unleashed the individual genius of every man to climb as high and as far as his own strength and ability will take him. We live in the future in America, always have, and the better days are yet to come. That’s the dream of America. The problem isn’t being poor, the problem is — the answer is to get over being poor and people want more and want better …How did I get over being poor? I got a job as a sports announcer and it led to everything else.