He was the last true conservative to hold the office.
This is a pretty good primer in why he was the Great Communicator.
He believed that removing the tax burden on everyone would result in an improved economy. The rest of the decade (maybe the rest of the century) proved him right. He believed that political decisions carried moral weight, and decried the oppresion of the Soviet Bloc. He expanded trade and believed in the tireless innovation of the American Spirit. He believed that there was no problem that we could not overcome, and by the weight of his convictions he made us believe it as well. He dragged us out of the Carter recession, and we brought the rest of the world with us.
He was truly a great man, and a great president. I was thirteen when he left office. I wish I could have voted for him. I wish our party still had men like him.
Rest in peace.
-sm