As governor of California, Ronald Reagan had to deal with rioting at UC-Berkeley. He sure didn’t tell police to stand down, like officials have for recent protests of conservative speakers.

“Negotiate? What is to negotiate? All of it began the first time some of you who know better and are old enough to know better let young people think they have the right to choose the laws they would obey, as long as they were doing it in the name of social protest!”
– Governor Ronald Reagan



What a Real Leader Does When Facing Petty Thugs

Where is Ronald Reagan when we need him? He would have put a stop to it all right quick. Reagan had made campus unrest at Berkeley one of his major campaign issues when he announced his candidacy for California governor in 1964:

Do we no longer think it necessary to teach self-respect, self-discipline, and respect for law and order? Will we allow a great university to be brought to its knees by a noisy dissident minority? Will we meet their neurotic vulgarities with vacillation and weakness? Or will we tell those entrusted with administering the university we expect them to enforce a code based on decency, common sense , and dedication to the high and noble purpose of that university?