From Actor to Politician: 1966, Ronald Reagan's Pivotal Year

GOP Women's Club, San Diego
On the stump in 1966, the candidate relied on a set of talking points he had honed while working as a spokesman for General Electric. The theme of the speech was, in LIFE's summary, "a well-organized attack on the Democratic party, the federal government and infringements on individual liberties. It flails away like a giant harvester at such institutions as the Supreme Court, the graduated income tax and social security."

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