“I’ m not trying to destroy what is best in our system of humane, free government; I’ m doing everything I can to save it, to slow down the destructive rate of growth in taxes and spending, to prune nonessential programs so that enough resources will be left to meet the requirements of the truly needy."

On August 23, 1984, President Ronald Reagan accepted the presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Texas.  Discussing this speech in his autobiography, Ronald Reagan wrote, “Now the other thing that I always tried to remember was to campaign as if I was one vote behind. Because if you think you’re going to win, you won’t do what you need to do. In the ’84 convention speech, I think it shows I was running pretty hard and taking nothing for granted. I went after my opponent and his fellow Democrats. You have to draw the line so people will know who you are and what you value.”

Click here to watch the speech.