what was reagan before president?
Governor of California
contradiction
 The period of American history most dominated by Ronald Reagan and his policies concerning taxes , welfare , defense , the federal judiciary and the Cold War is known today as the Reagan Era , and emphasizes that the conservative " Reagan Revolution , " led by Reagan , had a permanent impact on the United States in domestic and foreign policy . The Clinton presidency ( 1993 – 2001 ) is often treated as an extension of the Reagan Era , as is the Bush presidency ( 2001 – 09 ) . Historian Eric Foner noted that the Obama candidacy in 2008 " aroused a great deal of wishful thinking among those yearning for a change after nearly thirty years of Reaganism . " 

contradiction
 The inauguration of Ronald Reagan as president in 1981 , ushered in an eight @-@ year period of conservative leadership in the U.S. government . Under his leadership , the government pushed a conservative social agenda , including outlawing abortion , inserting prayer in schools , banning pornography , and resisting gay rights . 

contradiction
 Domestically , the scandal precipitated a drop in President Reagan 's popularity as his approval ratings saw " the largest single drop for any U.S. president in history " , from 67 % to 46 % in November 1986 , according to a New York Times / CBS News poll . The " Teflon President " , as Reagan was nicknamed by critics , survived the scandal , however , and by January 1989 a Gallup poll was " recording a 64 % approval rating " , the highest ever recorded for a departing President at that time . 

contradiction
 Reagan began as a Hollywood Democrat ; Franklin D. Roosevelt was his great hero . He moved to the right in the 1950s , became a Republican in 1962 , and emerged as a leading conservative spokesman in the Goldwater campaign of 1964 . 

contradiction
 This " A Time for Choosing " speech was not enough to turn around the faltering Goldwater campaign , but it was the key event that established Reagan 's national political visibility . 
