Two Pivot Points in Ronald Reagan's Life That Changed Our Nation's History

Ronald Reagan is many things to many people, and as we marked the 12th-anniversary of his passing, Glenn paid his respects to the man who made a huge impact on his life.

Glenn examined Reagan's early life on his TV program Tuesday, sharing the pivot points that put the 40th U.S. president on the path to becoming an American legend.

RELATED: Reagan Historian: Donald Trump Is No Ronald Reagan

Evolving is a natural and healthy part of the human experience and Glenn pointed out a person has every right to change their opinions and views. An important aspect of real change is having a pivot point and doing your own homework to learn the truth for yourself.

For a long time, Ronald Reagan was a staunch supporter of FDR and the Democratic Party.

"He would do his own homework," Glenn said. "One day, because of that homework, he would reestablish the conservative movement."

Before you can understand this change, you have to know the genesis.

Reagan used to listen to FDR deliver his "fireside chats" on the radio. In a way, Roosevelt was his mentor. It was FDR's "New Dealers," however, that made him realize the policies the Democratic Party had dangerous parallels to socialism and communism. And Reagan HATED communism.

"Reagan’s conversion didn’t happen overnight, it took almost a decade," Glenn said. "Later in his life Reagan would say this: 'By 1960, I realized the real enemy wasn’t big business, it was big government.'”

Two main events contributed to Reagan's change of heart.

The Screen Actors Guild

In 1947 he became the president of the Screen Actors Guild. During his tenure, Reagan was instrumental in the exposure of the communist infiltration of Hollywood. He was never asked for nor gave up any names, but he shed light on the reality of the infiltration.

During those years, Reagan was the Matt Damon or Susan Sarandon of his day --- the political activist type of actor you wished would just shut up and stick to the movies, Glenn explained.

General Electric

"While he was the president of SAG, Reagan was hired by GE to be their spokesperson," Glenn said. "That’s the second big event. This is where it really crystalized. The years Reagan spent working for GE equated, really, into a doctorate of conservatism."

During a nationwide strike, GE was able to keep its 16,000 workers working, thanks to another of Reagan's mentors --- Lemuel Boulware, GE's vice president of labor and community relations. Boulware became Reagan's "Yoda," teaching him about the free market and freedom in general.

Due to the success of the nationwide strikes, the head of the United Autoworkers went after Boulware and GE. Boulware took this as a challenge and went to work to correct a very familiar problem --- an undereducated public.

Glenn explained how GE went about educating America.

"They printed these pamphlets, books, papers and they distributed them to every major city they had a presence in, and Ronald Reagan was tapped to deliver the message," Glenn said. "He gave live speeches in city after city and GE even put him on a regular TV show."

Reagan wasn’t just a corporate mouthpiece, however.

"He was actually learning along with the rest of the country. There’s nothing more dynamic than when somebody is learning something and is eager to share it," Glenn said. "GE and Reagan effectively taught Americans the free market economics along with the pitfalls of socialism and big government."

Reagan didn’t stop there, he grew the movement, he evolved it, and he took a cue from his old mentor FDR -- the man at the radio. Glenn continued:

Reagan spoke in a manner similar to Roosevelt’s fireside speeches and he took those complex issues and he broke them down in a way that would be easy to understand. He directed his criticisms not only to labor leaders but also to the political party leaders themselves. And that tends to make people angry. And it wasn’t long before the government and the media came gunning for him.

And come after him they did. Federal antitrust charges were filed against SAG where he was still president and the government pressured GE into caving. GE asked to review Reagan's scripts, which he wrote himself, but Reagan refused and his contract was terminated.

This, Glenn suggested, turned out to be the final phase in his transformation.

"Reagan’s education was now complete," Glenn said. "He set out to find the truth over a decade earlier, and now the truth had brought him to the government and the government down on him."

Two years later, Reagan gave a speech that set him on a collision course with his destiny, entitled "A Time for Choosing."

These were his pivot points. This is how a young political activist could transition into the man who would set the standard for modern conservatism.

"Ronald Reagan’s legacy to the world is obvious should you care to put politics aside," Glenn said. "His legacy to the conservative movement is even more obvious. But I wonder if he would be allowed to be a conservative today."

Glenn wrapped up his remarks with a challenge.

"The message I want to bring you today is, now is a time for choosing," Glenn said. "It is our time for choosing. The question is, will we do our own homework and who will answer the call?"

Featured Image: 24th February 1982: American Republican politician and 40th President of the United States (1980 - 1988), Ronald Wilson Reagan, at a press conference. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

POLL: Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests?

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Just one day after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel, which left over 1,400 people Israelis dead , 34 different student groups from Harvard University wrote a joint statement pinning the blame of Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel. In the following days after publishing this callous statement, these students staged a walkout and rallied in support of the Palestinians. As Glenn has discussed, this is not an isolated event, and campuses across the country have hosted similar rallies where antisemitic jargon like "we don't want no Jew state" and "globalize the intifada" is freely spewed.

Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests?

While the Universities have not officially backed any of these rallies or student groups that organized them, they haven't stopped them either , which raises the question: should they? On one hand, these are American students in American Universities, who are protected by the First Amendment. On the other hand, history tells us how dangerous antisemitism is if left unchecked; and what of the rights of Jewish students to be safe on the campuses they pay to attend? Let us know what you think in the poll below:

Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests?

Would you feel safe if your child attended a University that allowed pro-Hamas protests?

Should Universities allow pro-Israel protests?

Is pro-Hamas rhetoric protected by the First Amendment?

POLL: What do YOU think Israel should do about Gaza?

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Should Israel take over Gaza after defeating Hamas? This contentious historical question has resurfaced amid Israel's retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza following Hamas' terror attacks, which resulted in the greatest death of Jews since the Holocaust. Biden and the global elites have warned Israel against occupation of the Palestinian territory. When asked on 60 Minutes if he would support the Israeli occupation of Gaza, Biden said, “I think it would be a big mistake.” Today Glenn responded to Biden’s answer: “I don't think it's a mistake to occupy."

This has been a long-standing, polarizing issue that is now more relevant than ever, and we want to hear YOUR thoughts. Let us know in the poll below:

Would you support an Israeli occupation of Gaza?

Do you think the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza are justified?

Do you think a two-state solution is still possible?

Funding IRAN?! Here are the TOP 5 reasons Joe Biden should be IMPEACHED

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On September 12th, the House announced an official impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden with allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption. Naturally, the media quickly jumped to the President’s aid claiming that “there is no evidence to support these claims” and that the whole affair is a witch hunt.

If you’ve been listening to Glenn, you know that this is simply not the case. Biden has been committing impeachment-worthy deeds before he even stepped foot into the Oval Office—there’s no shortage of evidence to justify this inquiry. Here are 5 scathing reasons why Biden should be impeached :

He was responsible for the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster.

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The Biden administration began with the US's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Under his watch, Biden left thousands of US citizens and allies stranded in the Taliban's hostile regime. Countless Afghan allies have been murdered by the Taliban due to the Biden administration's negligence.

He was involved with Hunter Biden's illicit foreign business dealings.

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There is clear evidence that Joe Biden was more than aware of his son Hunter's foreign business dealings. From suspicious money laundering through the Biden family's accounts to Joe's involvement with important business meetings within Hunter's company, there is mounting evidence to warrant an impeachment inquiry.

He lied about his involvement with Hunter's business dealings.

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Not only did Biden involve himself with his son's less-than-legal foreign business ventures, but he lied to the American people about it too, claiming he had NO KNOWLEDGE of what was going on.

He failed to protect the Southern border, and actively made it worse.

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Biden singlehandedly turned the Southern border into the worst illegal immigration crisis in US history. He reversed many policies set in place by the Trump administration, resulting in 2.3 million illegal immigrants flooding into the US under his watch, a historic high.

He sent IRAN AND HAMAS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

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Biden reversed the Trump-era policy that halted all funds going into Iran. The Wall Street Journal revealed the smoking-gun evidence proving that Iran trained AND funded Hamas before its gruesome terror attacks against Israel. Moreover, shortly before the attacks, the Biden administration unfroze $6 BILLION dollars of Iran's assets as a part of a prisoner swap. On top of this, Biden resumed $200 million worth of "humanitarian aid" to Gaza that Trump had ended —because the money was being used to buy weapons for Hamas.

Top 5 economic milestones that show HOW BAD Bidenomics has made the economy

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From groceries to house prices, everything seems to get more expensive, and you can thank Biden for that. Glenn recently exposed the truth about 'Bidenomics' and the havoc it has wrought on the American economy. Here are five economic milestones during the Biden administration that expose the glaring track record of "Bidenomics:"

In July 2022, the inflation rate hit 9.1 percent, a 40-year record high.

In June 2022, gas hit an all time record high of $5 a gallon for the national average.

61 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck as of this September.

Interest rates reached a 15-year high at 5.25 percent and are still increasing.

Americans have $1 trillion in collective credit card debt, in part due to food/staple pieces being very high.