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Going Big! with Kevin Gentry
Going Big! With Wendy Borcherdt: Lessons from Ronald Reagan’s Vision for America
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A
Hey there with a quick message. First, I want to talk to you about Zefie. Zephy is a way that delivers 100% of your donor's contribution directly to your organization. No more credit card fees, other platform fees. Our team uses Zephy. It's easy to set up, easy to use. Urge you to check it out zephy.com register find out how it delivers 100% of a donor's gift to your cause.
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B
Well, I think the example that he can give to us is the way he lived his life. He believed in certain things. He followed a path, but he took opportunities as they came. I know he never planned on being a governor or going into politics in his life, but God led him in that path and he accepted the challenge. He really cared about this country. He believed that we were the last hope on this earth, our country, for the men of the world. And he truly believed that we should be that shining light on the hill and that this country had the capability. God had given it all the gifts of good Christian founders, natural resources, et cetera, and that we had the ability to serve not only our own country, but the world as an example.
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A
Welcome to the Going Big Podcast. I'm your host, Kevin Gentry, and this is the place where we celebrate bold moves and big ideas. Each week I sit down with inspiring leaders, entrepreneurs and change makers who are making a significant impact in their careers and in their communities. Whether you're looking to level up your leadership, pursue your passion, or just get inspired to take your next big leap, this is where those stories come to life. Now, if you're listening on iTunes, YouTube, or anywhere else you tune into podcasts, be sure to hit that subscribe button so you'll never miss an episode. Now let's dive in to what it means to truly go big. Well, welcome to today's episode of the Going Big Podcast. My guest today is Wendy Borchart. Wendy was one of the most influential and earliest of Ronald Reagan's supporters. From before he even ran for governor through his entire term as President of the United States. Wendy is a remarkable person, as you're about to see. At a time when very few women were serving in public office, she was in a very prominent role in the Reagan White House. As a graduate of Stanford University and a longtime member of the Hoover Institution's Board of Overseers, she has been at the intersection of ideas and policy and leadership. It's just such a privilege to be here today with you. Wendy Borchard, thank you for joining us on the Going Big Podcast.
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B
It's My pleasure, Kevin, and thank you so much for asking me.
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A
Well, this is. I've been. Ever since we had a conversation a few years ago, I've been wanting to do this, and so I want to kick it off with respect to Ronald Reagan. If you would tell us about the first time you met him or at least saw him, in terms of the potential to go big in terms of leadership.
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B
Well, I sort of considered Ronald Reagan a friend, although I had never met him. We were neighbors. We lived close to each other. We belonged to the same country club. His wife was a member of a women's club that I was also a member. So I started listening to his GE broadcasts, and I liked what he said, and I. I just felt friendly towards him.
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A
And if I could ask. So. So. And those are the General Electric broadcast. Very famous. But we're talking about Los angeles in the 1960s.
- [04:06]
B
Yes. And he. I became president of that women's organization, the Junior League of Los Angeles. And I went to Mrs. Reagan, impressed by what he was saying on his broadcast, and asked if he would address us. And she says, oh, Ronnie doesn't do that, Wendy. No, no, he's just doing the broadcast, and he travels for g. No, no. So I asked her again several months later, and again was refused. So one Sunday evening at the Los Angeles Country Club, they always had a large buffet dinner. It was very popular with the club members. And I ended up in line behind Mr. And Mrs. Reagan, and I said hello to Mrs. Reagan, and then I acknowledged him, and I thanked him for his broadcast and what he was saying. And then I piped up and said to him, I would love to have you address the Junior League of Los Angeles, and Nancy is a member, and I'm the president now, and would you do this? And you know how he used to cock his head, kind of. And he looked at me and said, yeah, I think I could do that. My schedule. Well, of course, his wife glared at me. And it turned out that he came and he spoke to this group of women we met monthly. And there were about 300 to 350 women there in the morning. And these were a group of women, Kevin, who were well educated, I would say informed, and were always polite to the speakers. But when Ronald Reagan finished for the first time in the entire time I had belonged to the. There was a standing ovation. And I thought, wow, you reach people. So when we went to lunch afterwards, I took the vice president of the league and Mr. And Mrs. Reagan to lunch, and the vice president of the league was a rampant Democrat. And we were all sitting there and chatting, and I turned him and I said, you. Have you ever thought of running for public office? And he looked at me and he said, well, he said, occasionally I hear some suggestion to that. And with that, the vice president of the Junior League, a liberal Democrat, turned into him and said, you must run. You're wonderful. And I thought, he is reaching everybody. I was so impressed. Well, little did I know. As I was suggesting this to him, there were a group of men in Los Angeles who had already approached him about running for governor, and he was considering it. He hadn't made a decision then, but he made it shortly after that. And I became, as a volunteer, involved in the campaign and then served on three different boards and commissions that he appointed me to while he was governor.
- [07:31]
A
Well, Wendy, okay, this is a fantastic glimpse of history that we just caught today. It may not be well known and you know the story of Henry Salvatore and some of the other California businessmen who were impressed with the Goldwater speech and things like that, but this is amazing. So he was an actor. What was it about that address to these ladies of the Junior League that got such an impression? Was there something about him? We're talking going big. He went. This is the first glimpse of him going big.
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B
He talked about current issues in our country at the time. Taxes, the Communist Party. He was very concerned. He had served as head of the Screen Actors Guild, and at that time he was a Democrat. And during that time, he became aware of the Communist infiltration into the movie industry, and he spoke out very strongly against it. And from that beginning, part of his broadcasts, even for ge, were about the Communist threat and the threat of the ussr. And he spoke about that to the League. He spoke about taxes and what they did to a normal family and the freedom you would have if you could control more of your money. Basic issues. I'd say he spoke very little about himself and his own career.
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A
Well, let me ask you a little bit more about that. So he. He was always been described as the great communicator.
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B
Yes.
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A
And you're saying it. Was it an ability just to connect on things that were important to people? Did he have a way of connection?
- [09:21]
B
Yes, very much. He used humor. He used. I don't want to say simple, ordinary language. But he didn't pontificate. He explained things so that. Well, how do I want to say it? The ordinary man could understand the conflict that hadn't taken five courses in economics and things. He. He had a demeanor that was friendly, relaxed. You knew he Enjoyed people. And that came across. He. He was a very welcoming individual to all others. He enjoyed people. And I think for these, particularly these sophisticated women, his explanation of the issues were important. But I think more as much his demeanor, his relaxed manner, his sense of humor, which he used frequently, and just a genuine instinct of the person morally. He was a man of very deep faith. And that would come through in just even offhand remarks.
- [10:44]
A
Well, okay, so these are all these attributes of his character which are not only better known now and greatly appreciated and unfortunately are fairly uncommon among people. Yes, all people, but certainly those who run for office as well. But what was it. What was the first time that he did something that caught your attention that says, okay, he has the ability to be consequential? Because what we also know now in terms of going big and how he saw the Soviet Union and the greatness of America, he did big things for our country that we're still benefiting from more than 40 years after he was first elected president. When did you see something like that?
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B
Well, I think that particularly that issue of listening to him on his broadcast and his speeches. And then as he was nominated by the Republicans to run for governor, he kept, of course, talking, not so much about the Soviet Union because he was running for governor, but he talked about issues in the state. There were riots on the campuses even in those days. He condemned those and said that he would take strong action if it occurred when he was governor. He talked about, even in those days, a little bit about immigration, which was impacting in a different way the economy of California. And he caught my attention. Well, simply because I liked what he said from the beginning. I liked him personally. He was not afraid to speak out. And even though he was called by the media, who was even unkind in those days, a broken down old actor, he spoke out strongly. He took on a very popular Democrat, Governor Pat Brown, who was a moderate, was well liked, I mean, jovial, was a pleasant man himself. He was told he had no chance to win as governor. What was he even thinking about by the press? And he won overwhelmingly and then served two terms. He took each day as it came. Ronald Reagan. Well, how do I say it? Had a core right down the middle of it. He believed greatly in the Lord. He had a very strong moral set of moral values. And he really knew what he believed was right and wrong or good or bad. And against that, any policy or situation that was presented to him, he easily could judge it by this court. It never wavered. And he was consistent in all his Efforts. He. He never could be. Once he'd listen, he'd listen to both sides, he'd listen to input from many. But once he made a decision about something that he believed was correct, he went for it, even under incredible pressure and criticism at times.
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A
Wow. Thank you. These insights are really amazing, and I know the audience is really enjoying and appreciating and benefiting from this. I want to go into that a little bit more, but I also want to continue the journey of your time with him. Although I do want to say, you know, I recently interviewed. Lech was the leader of the Solidarity movement during the 1980s that helped bring about the downfall of the Soviet Union. And what you said about Ronald Reagan really struck me because Lech Boenza was a. Was a shipyard worker, an electrician who'd been fired. And he was such a prominent person in the world stage in the 1980s. The Polish pope, John Paul II, you know, risen up as a priest, a parish priest. You had Margaret Thatcher, the daughter of a shopkeeper, in her role.
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B
And here was Ronald Reagan gone to Grove City. I mean, he wasn't out of the Ivy League or at Stanford, as many of our politicians are. He was from humble, very humble beginnings. His father was out of work, often due to alcoholism. His mother was a devoted Christian who read the Bible daily to him as a child. And he, as he said his mother gave him his deep faith and belief and his moral character that he exhibited the rest of his life.
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A
So when you heard him speak at the Junior, you didn't actually see all of these attributes until later.
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B
This is what I'm speaking as came out through the months and years.
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A
Tell us a little bit about that. So he decides to run for governor in 1966.
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B
Yeah, I have to figure out run.
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A
For president in 64 after the Goldwater disastrous election. But Ronald Reagan gave that incredibly consequential speech, caught people's attention, was elected governor in 66, and I guess again in 1970. Just tell us a little bit about what it was like to campaign for him. Did you go to Sacramento and work on his staff as well?
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B
No, I did not work on his staff. I was a volunteer in Los Angeles County. I headed the county for him politically. I was the county chairman then.
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A
How did you end up being so involved in his presidential campaign?
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B
Well, that's an interesting story in itself.
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A
Because to be clear, just for the benefit everybody, in 1980, you were the Western finance director, and that was the.
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B
Way back to 1976.
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A
Okay, let's start with 1976, 1976.
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B
You may remember that Reagan contested Gerald Ford at the convention, and I was a delegate for Reagan at that from California to support him for the nomination. And as we know, Ford as the incumbent president was nominated, but narrowly, it.
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A
Was a very serious challenge.
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B
But you mentioned the Goldwater speech that Reagan gave. I think another pivotal speech that he gave was when President Ford called him down on the floor very graciously after Ford had received the nomination. And Reagan was up in the gallery with Mrs. Reagan and some of us. And he didn't expect to be called down. It was not. And Gerald Ford, being the gentleman he was, called the two of them down and asked him to make a few remarks. And Ronald Reagan, extemporaneously, I think, gave one of the finest speeches of his entire career. It was from his heart. And as people left that convention center, they were walking out saying, we nominated the wrong man.
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A
I've heard that. I mean, I think history recalls that. Yeah.
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B
But it was just as spontaneous.
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A
Wow.
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B
Well, the Lord wishes Ronald Reagan told all of us before we left Kansas City, you go home and work your heart out for Gerald Ford. He's the nominee. Well, Jimmy Carter was elected, as we know. Nancy was through with politics as far as she was concerned in the beginning, but because Reagan received an overwhelming number of. Of letters after that speech from the spontaneous. And the same men that had encouraged him to run for governor approached him and said he had to give it a second try. And I was at a Republican gathering. We were raising money for some candidate running. And I went up to him and said, governor, please, please run. I will be your first volunteer. Well, he remembered that. And I got a call from Lynn Novziger, who was to become his political director, who had served with him. And he said, wendy, we are opening an office at the Los Angeles airport to start the campaign for Reagan. This was like in, oh, I want to say, February or March. He said, we will not announce the candidacy until about November, but we've got.
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A
So this was 1979.
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B
Yes, we've got to raise money for the campaign. So he said, I want you to come out and talk to me. So I went out. And Lynn, just very gruffly in his manner, adored that man. He said to me, all right, get started raising money in California. There's a room here. They had four rooms in the Marriott Hotel in the beginning at the airport, 1. And Lynn and Joni Sweetland, his secretary, were the only people there. And he said, there's an empty room and there's a phone and get Going. And I said, I can't. I said, I just raised money for the Hoover Institution, which I had. I said, my friends won't take my calls. I can't do that, Lyn. I'm sorry. All right, here's Idaho. Start calling them. And I started calling people I did not know, telling them, well, let me qualify that. These people had supported Reagan in 76.
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A
So.
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B
They were sympathetic to him running again. These weren't cold. But I started calling, raising money at that time. And we didn't have the Internet, we didn't have computers, we didn't have anything. I call you and you were gentleman that owns the hardware store in Des Moines, Iowa. And I'd say, oh. And you'd say, well, I want to do something for him. Tell me what to do. And I would say to you, no, you know, in your community what to do. Whether you will have an open house coffee and ask $25 from your friends, or an elegant dinner at the country club and ask a thousand, which was a lot then. I mean, it's your decision. But we do need money. Well, then can you send Ronald Reagan to come see? Well, no, I can't for, you know, 100 people in Des Moines, Iowa. I can send you brochures and I can send you handouts. We had nothing to give these people. No videos, any. I raised $7 million. Oh, my gosh.
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A
And, well, $7 million in 1979 is a lot of campaign money. And you were limited. A thousand dollars was the most, right?
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B
Yes. I mean, that's extraordinary. It was the people who wanted Ronald Reagan, they got their friends. I gave them carte blanche on how to raise their money. I mean, I gave them the rules, but I wasn't going to tell you the event. You knew your community. Women gave coffee hours. There were some elegant, large black tie dinners. There were all sorts. But each.
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A
But you empowered them. You empowered the. You. You laid out the vision and the goals and you empowered.
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B
But I just said, go for it. And I didn't raise the money. The American people supported Reagan did. And so I inherited kind of the title because by the time they got structured and things, I had made these calls. And then Helene Van Dam and Rick Venter and others took other section of the United States and they gave me the follow through for the western part in Texas. And anyway, that's how I got involved.
- [23:53]
A
Well, okay, so looking today and you hear about the Reagan landslide of 1980 and 1984, it makes it almost sound like it was easy, you know, it wasn't Easy. And history shows also, there were some bleak moments. I mean, he did not meet expectations in New Hampshire. He gave that famous speech on television to tell us what was going on.
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B
I will tell you. I resigned as Western Regional Finance Chairman for a period of nine days. It turned out during the campaign. During the campaign I was raising money and it was in 1979 or 1980 and John Sears was the campaign chairman.
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A
Oh, gosh.
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B
And at that time you had limits on what you could spend in certain ways, in certain states, et cetera. Very complicated. They're not applied today. Anyway, we were going through the money as fast as coming in and all of a sudden we had a limit of what we could raise totally. And I sat there and realized if we kept spending the money that John Sears was spending, we wouldn't have money for the last few primaries.
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A
Wow.
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B
So I went to Dan Tara, who was the National Finance chairman, Chicago, and I said, I'm very upset with John Sears and I don't want to raise another dollar for him because we're going to run out of money. Well, Dan listened to me and I got a phone call. This is funny. And he said, Wendy, in two days you're flying to New Hampshire. Now you call into the office and tell them you have the flu. Don't let them know why you're going to. Wow. And he, Rick Ventura and I flew to New Hampshire to tell the President of the United States that we would no longer raise another future president. So this was governor then.
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A
Was this around the time of the New Hampshire primary in 1880?
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B
Yes. And they were campaigning there. Wow. And we were ushered in. I don't know how they got us in. It was a funny little motel. I mean, like, you know, it was no glamorous hotel or anything, but you.
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A
Could talk to the Reagan's because you knew them going back to 1966 and before.
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B
Dan Tara did not join us. He didn't come from Chicago. I had assumed he was going to be there. When we arrived, they said, oh no, it's just you and Rick. So we went in. Well, Rick didn't have the relationship. I mean, he did have a relationship. So I did most of the talking. And Mrs. Reagan is sitting there and she's getting stiffer and stiffer and kind of. Because I'm telling her that he's not going to be elected president because he's going to run out of money and so I'm not going to raise anymore and that John Sears has to be fired because he's. Oh, John Sears was Also, Ronald Reagan had his little five by seven note cards speeches. Always Sirus would pull out, no, you can't talk about abortion, you can't talk about this, can't talk. And Reagan would go on and he would be tensed up. He wasn't his natural self. So I also told Mrs. And I and Mr. Governor Reagan at that time, and I said, you're not the, the man that I signed on for. John Sears is changing you. Well, you can imagine Nancy's reaction to that. And I was just very blunt because I believed, I wanted him to be president. I believe his, his campaign was being ruined. And there were a number of other people on the staff, although I didn't mention their names, to involve them so they could keep their jobs, who felt the same way that Rick and I did. So we left and I went home and I guaranteed that the, the obligations that I had made I would fulfill on fundraising, like following through for your event and calls and, and which was to be several days. But then I was leaving and during that time as the, I had to go to, of all the places, Butte, Montana. And I won't go into the reason for going to Butte, but there was, there was a problem there and I, anyway, I had to go to Butte, Montana and I met with them and I was in the motel in Butte, Montana, ready to fly out the next day back to California. When I was watching the New Hampshire primary and there are all the candidates there. And when Ronald Reagan grabbed that mic and said, this mic is mine, I paid for it because they were cutting him off. I thought, we've got our candidate back. And they had fired Sears that day. I didn't know it. I learned it the next day. All right, to follow me.
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A
This is quite a glimpse of history. Keep going.
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B
Well, now I am going to tell a story because I cannot be arrested. And you may want to cut this.
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A
Just to be clear. So John Sears was light. I mean, this is well known. He was fired. New Hampshire primary, that was a shock to a lot of people. And then Bill Gates became the campaign manager.
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B
He's a New York lawyer. He is one. He was. Well, he was one of the most intellectual men I knew. He was a renaissance man. He spoke foreign languages, he was well read. But I had never met him. And he was appointed. And Lynn Navsero, who was still running some part of the. Oh, first of all, Sears had fired Lyn. But then Reagan immediately brought him back. And so he came in and he came in and he said, well, you've got to stay an Extra day. Wendy, Bill Casey's coming in and he wants to talk to you about the finances. So that morning, Baby Buchanan, who's the treasurer of the campaign, comes in to me and she says, wendy, what money do you still have coming in? I'm not sure we're going to make payroll. That's how bad it was.
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A
Well, so you were right.
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B
That afternoon, Bill Casey came in and sat down with me and said, I want you to stay, please. And I said I would. I said, because I knew that we had our candidate back. I was listening to Reagan's public words. He was once again his natural self. And Bill Casey, I didn't know him, but I had heard about him and I thought, okay. And Dan Terra had called me saying, please stay. And I agreed to. And Bill said to me, well, Wendy, what money can you bring in immediately for payroll? Bay's given me a very bad report. And I said, well, if we could get about three people from the office, I think I can solve your problem in the next hour. And what I had been doing in the next hour.
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A
How could you do it in the next hour?
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B
What I had been doing is if, let's say you sent me $20,000 from your fundraiser, I turned in 15, and I put 5,000 in the trunk of my car. And I had been taking a portion of the money coming in and putting it in my car. And it was going to be my exit gift when I left, but I just was trying to withhold anything I could from Sears.
- [32:17]
A
Oh, you were withholding it so it wouldn't be spent in a bad way.
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B
Exactly.
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A
Obviously you weren't pocketing it, you were helping me.
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B
Oh, no, no. Excuse me, I'll clarify. So I went down and with three people carrying boxes of checks. Now, we were to turn in the checks within 10 days. And some of these were maybe three weeks old. We were not caught for that, fortunately, but I provided that afternoon enough for payroll for the next month.
- [32:53]
A
You saved the campaign.
- [32:54]
B
Well, you won't.
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A
I know you won't say that. Well, Wendy, this was a big deal.
- [32:58]
B
I will tell you. Bill Casey told Ed Meese that in front of me at an event two nights before Reagan was inaugurated. He said, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Wendy. Well, we had to keep it quite anyway, so I had never had the intention.
- [33:18]
A
The course of history is altered by people in key moments at key times. And that's extraordinary.
- [33:23]
B
My dislike. I mean, John Sears, was he. I don't know. I often felt I wasn't sure John Sears even liked Reagan. He was trying to change him. He was spending money. He was sending cases of wine and red roses to somebody who had raised at a luncheon, $400 or something. I mean, saying, you know, and getting the credit and all of it. So what I. I did, what I did with that trunk of money was out of anger, partially at Sears, of what he was doing to Reagan and that I would at least keep him from.
- [34:03]
A
As Paul Harvey used to say. Now we know the rest of the story, Wendy. That's extraordinary. Well, there are a couple other different questions I want to ask, but I also want to keep it on Ronald Reagan because he is an epitome of going big. But I do want to comment on the fact that in the 1980s, it was not common to have women in service in these roles. Certainly there was Jean Kirkpatrick, who was the ambassador, United nations, and Elizabeth Dole, but not a whole lot.
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B
Well, he had. He had Margaret pointed, Sandra Day o'. Connor. I mean, I could say these in.
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A
A way that's a little uncommon. Was it different that you think it is today, or you were on the Hoover board. There weren't a whole lot of other women. Was it different?
- [34:54]
B
I'm probably not a good person. And let me tell you why I came. My dad was killed in World War II, and my grandfather became the father figure. And my grandfather told my brothers and me that you live your life to the fullest. You honor your God, you honor, honor your family and protect and serve and support them. And then you contribute to your community. Your community could be enlarged to the country. And if you had good health, you did all three. And so I took that as my motto, I guess you'd say, for my life. But I never thought as a woman that I could not live that in any less degree than a man. Well, I think it began in high school. My junior year in high school, I was aiming for an Ivy League college or Stanford. So grades were important. And I had a history teacher who was a very liberal Democrat, and I was born a conservative. So I would argue issues and she had an intense dislike for me. And of course, I reciprocated. So one third of my grade, my second semester on this course in American history, was going to be a paper which you could select the subject which you would approve. So I took the maritime unions, which were in the news all the time in San Francisco, Harry Bridges, way out, Communist, left leanings, and why they should be abolished, why the leadership was terrible, that the unions were not serving their people. And I received. I actually interviewed Harry Bridges, I guess you'd call him chief of staff who gave me an interview and I was impressed with that. A high school student so. But I went to sources. Well I got a D plus on that paper and I was livid. Well, my family every Wednesday night went to my grand, my mother and my three brothers. My mother being a widow when my youngest brother was a year and a half, I was the oldest. We went every Wednesday night to my grandparents for dinner. And my grandfather had been a judge appointed, didn't like to bench because he said I see all these lousy lawyers coming through and it bothers. Went back into public service, headed political campaigns, delegate for Taft in the early years. Anyway, he part of this. We would go over current events, what had happened. Well, this was on my heart and I was livid. And I said judge, this isn't fair. He still looked at me and said what are you going to do about it? I said what can I do about it? He said, you go talk to her and tell her it's unacceptable and you want to know why she gave you the grade, etc. And I said oh my goodness, I go to her. I said I'll get a worse grade. And he said no, you can't sit and take it. If you think it's unfair, you may speak up. Well, I went to her. She gave a lot of excuses and wouldn't acknowledge anything and wouldn't give me any reason. So the following week I told my grandfather, she said go to the headmaster. I was in a private girls school and I said I go to Dr. Dewey.
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A
Yes.
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B
So I went to Dr. Dewey and he told me that he didn't interfere with the grade system of his teachers and that I had to settle it with Mrs. Defermery. So I will say in this instance my grandfather went to Dr. Dewey and settled the issue and the grade was changed to a C plus not to my liking. But that instance taught me that I had to defend what I believed. And I had another instance at Stanford. I took on a professor there on the UN and the UN had been formed, was about 12 years old, 13. And this was a course on the UN that I was required to take as a political science major. And the professor thought that the UN was the end all and be all that the savior of the world. And my premise was it was a useless organization, already politicized, etc. And I had first sources. I went and interviewed people in San Francisco that anyway. Well I got a C minus on that paper. And although I wasn't heading to graduate school or anything for grades, I felt it was undeserved. So I went to President Sterling, the president of Stanford, and said, look, this is terrible. I mean, I am being graded on what I believe, not on my work. Well, of course, President Sterling again said I'm not interfering, but he did refer it to the head of the poli Sci department who was over Professor Watkins. And he read it and changed my grade to a B plus. I think I deserved an A, but that's as low as. But those two instances that affected me directly taught me to stand up for myself. Yeah. And I never felt as a girl or as a young woman that I couldn't. It didn't matter what arena. So I guess I had a discussion with Ronald Reagan about this once, and there was a great deal of pressure. He wasn't appointing enough women, etc. And he and I, before he was elected, had discussed this and he had said, I am appointing people because of their ability, not the color of their skin, their ethnic background, whether they're female or male. Now, there was pressure to put women in from the press, from the elected Congress, etc. But I. I think we probably resisted that as much, but went ahead and appointed capable women to positions. I think I had learned this. Well, I'll give. I don't want to go off track a little bit. Well, let me bring it back, because I'm not an advocate of affirmative action from my own experience, and I will tell you, it involves the Hoover Institution at Stanford. And this is a silly story, but when I moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles with my husband, my grandfather had a lot of friends in Los Angeles who he alerted that his granddaughter was coming and would they look out for me. Well, one man who became my mentor did look out for me, and he nominated me to the Pacific Legal foundation and Republican Associates. And not as a woman or not as. But somebody who had demonstrated interest and knowledge of the show. All right. I get a call from him one day, and he and I stayed in. We also played tennis a lot, and I thought I was calling for a tennis game. And he says, hello, Wendy, this is Joe. Hi, Joe. How old are you? How old AM I? I'm 34. When are you going to be 35? And I said, this was in January. I said, in April. He said, oh, fine, thanks. Talk to you soon. Click. Well, I thought, what was that about? Well, I forgot about it. And I got a letter from Hoover about three weeks later, and I scanned it and I threw it in the waste fever basket because I thought it was a fundraising letter. And I always gave my donation in June. So I just. Well, about 10 days after the letter had arrived, I get a call from Joe and he says, wendy, did you get a letter from Hoover? And he was on the board, One of the 19 members of the board at that time. And I said, yes. And he said, what did you do that? I said, I threw it in the basket. And he said, you what? And I said, joe, I give my donation in June. And he said, wendy, that was not a solicitation for funds. That was an invitation to serve on the board of directors of Hoover. He said, we decided that it was all male at that time. We decided we needed two women to join the board. And their criteria obviously were female. And one woman had to be over 55 and one woman under 35. Those were the qualifications. I learned this later. Well, Claire Booth Luce was the one over 55 and I was the one under 35. Now to me that's affirmative action age and my female sex. I was absolutely panicked when I went to my first board meeting. I was totally unqualified to serve on the Hoover board. I felt you had Alan Greenspan who joined the Fed. You had Bill Simon who became Secretary of the Treasury. You had David Packard, Bob Mossbacker, David Tennant Bryan who owned all the newspapers in the south. I mean, 19 men stature. And I'm sitting there and I. This is where I felt, quote, affirmative action, extraneous quality. I had no business being there. Well, the second meeting, I was seated at the board table between Bill Simon on my left and David Tennant Bryant on my right. And we were having a power play that's still going on, unfortunately with Stanford. We were under at that time the authority of Stanford totally only an executive committee for Hoover. We were asking that we wanted a finance committee at some other. And the Provost Rosensweg came, who had such a disdain for the Hoover institution and was really obnoxious. And I had a pad of paper in front of me and as he's talking, I'm writing down phrases and just furious, but head down. So Bill Simon punches me and says, speak up. Well, these men. I'm not new. Am I disregarded? They'll. They'll say these things. So the discussion goes on and David Tennant Bryant raises his hand and he is recognized and he says, wendy has something to say. Well, I died. And he said, go to your list. I went down that list. I have no recollection of what I said. I was just in a panic, but I spoke. Rochen Swag said, well, I guess Wendy summed it up. We're not going to make a decision today and walked out of the meeting. From that day on, Bill Simon, every meeting we'd break for lunch and I had to sit at his right or left. He said, this is the little lady who knows how to tell Stanford off. So but my point is it was my insecurity in a situation that I really, I was given an opportunity by these men. I never felt from them that I wasn't qualified, but I felt it. And it was the only situation that I have gone in where I felt that. And that's why I'm not for affirmative action, because I went in under artificial in my viewpoint terms. What matter was it that I was female and under 35 when I'm appointed?
- [48:32]
A
Wendy I was going to ask and.
- [48:34]
B
Now I have served ever since, except my years in the Reagan administration. And then they came to me and reappointed me again and I went on to serve on nominating on the executive committee for six, eight years.
- [48:48]
A
Well, we thank you for your service in multiple ways. I was going to ask you to sort of sum up who is Wendy Borchtrip, but I kind of think you have, through these stories that you've told, it's pretty remarkable how you've gone big in your life and by setting an example and just following your conscience, following the sort of mentorship of your grandfather, just doing the right thing. So I'd like to kind of wrap it up in two questions related to that. So you served, so you knew Ronald Reagan before he ran for governor and served with him through his presidency and even afterwards in his political office. What in your judgment, can we learn from him in terms of his leadership about how to think about in our own lives we can live a life of meaning and purpose, finding our contribution and going big.
- [49:45]
B
Well, I think the example that he can give to us is the way he lived his life. He believed in certain things, he followed a path, but he took opportunities as they came. I know he never planned on being a governor or going into politics in his life, but God led him in that path and he accepted the challenge. I think his consistency of believing in things, listening, he was a great listener and he'd listen to people, but once he made up his mind on even very controversial things, he would go ahead. I mean, when he was governor, there was. Shortly after he became governor, there were the riots at Berkeley, terrible student riots. And he said, you stop it in 24 hours or I'm calling in the troops. And nobody believed him because there had been riots, all proceeding under Brown, and nothing had been done. He called them in, the air controllers strike. What did he do? Okay, you shape up or I fire you. And what did he do? Okay, I think people, when he believed something was right, even if he knew it was going to cause an outcry or have some strong opposition, as long as he felt it was right. Also, I think we've had Trump shot at it now with the tragic Charlie Kirk death. But I think when Ronald Reagan was shot, he had a deep belief in the Lord his whole life, but he told us, many of us, that he believed God had saved him. His injuries were severe. To lead this country, that he was in the presidency with a purpose, to follow the will of God and what the people wanted. And he would always say what Americans want, not what, what the pontifical people on Capitol Hill or the lobbyists or what the American people want. And I think he would encourage people to stand up for what they believe. I also feel today, with a lack of civility that is in our country, between the two parties politically. Let me, if I could digress a second and give you an example of the Reagan years. There was a dinner that Boston College gave to honor Tip o' Neill when.
- [52:38]
A
He was speaker, the Democrat speaker of the House who was at odds politically with Reagan all the time. In fact, Tip o' Neill could be pretty vicious in the political attacks.
- [52:46]
B
Exactly. Well, this Ronald Reagan was the speaker, as the sitting Republican president, he gave the complimentary address for Tip o'. Neill. Now, he started off, I have to tell. I can't tell jokes like he does. But he. He turned to Tip and he said, I want to thank you for always having my back. He said, especially through the State of Union addresses where I hear you whispering to George Bush, no, we won't pass that. No, we'll never approve that now. And Tip laughed and he did. He went on to praise him and they embraced, calling each other friends. Now, would that happen today? Yeah, I don't think so.
- [53:38]
A
Good point.
- [53:38]
B
And I think Reagan would want that kind of civility to return to this country. People respecting each other, respecting their views, listening to one another. But then once the decision of what you think is right is made, Reagan was a moral man, too. And I worry about the morality of elected officials and even our public today because I think the political arena basically is backing immoral concepts in some areas. And I know Reagan would want that reversed, that you believe he really cared about this country. He believed that we were the last hope on this earth, our country, for the men of the world. And he truly believed that, that we should be that shining light on the hill and that this country had the capability, God had given it all the gifts of good Christian founders, natural resources, etc. And that we had the ability to serve not only our own country, but the world as an example.
- [55:00]
A
Well, we are so grateful for his leadership because we are still today, decades after it, still enjoying the benefits of the positive consequences of what he set forth, whether it was challenging the Soviet Union and tearing down the wall or rejuvenating the country exactly so many ways. Wow. Well, Wendy, this has been amazing because you've offered these glimpses of history that I don't think are very well known. You and I knew each other. We go to church together. I mentioned to a few people on Sunday I was going to be interviewing you, and you're such a humble person. And they said, well, why are you interviewing Wendy? And I said, well, because she had such a consequential role in the Reagan administration. The Reagan administration. I didn't even know she did any of these things. So you're a humble person, but here's what I want you to end us on. For anyone around the world who's listening to this conversation, what would you share in terms of inspiration or encouragement about how they should think about going big in their lives in the manner that you encourage Ronald Reagan to run for governor of California? You've lived an incredible life. You've done all these amazing things. Based on all this wisdom and experience, what are the final parting words that you might offer to us?
- [56:19]
B
Well, if I could take a point of privilege, could I end with Ronald Reagan's words?
- [56:25]
A
Well, what a nice way to bookend it. We started with Ronald Reagan.
- [56:31]
B
I have written out these words because they mean so much to me. He gave this speech in August 1988 as he knew he was leaving office. And I would like to read it. I hope our children will see that we had a vision to pass forward a nation as nearly perfect as we could, where there is decency, tolerance, generosity, honesty, courage, common sense, fairness and piety. This is what I want for America. Don't we wish we had that today?
- [57:17]
A
Well, we can still have that today. What a wonderful way to end this conversation. Wendy Borchert, what a treasure. I am so honored to have you as a friend and so privileged to have you as a guest today on the Going Big podcast. Thank you.
- [57:30]
B
Thank you, Kevin. I've enjoyed being here and sharing some unplanned stories.
- [57:36]
A
All right, let's all go out there and go big. Thank you. Wendy, thanks for tuning in to the Going Big Podcast. I hope today's conversation left you feeling energized and ready to tackle your biggest goal. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps spread the word and it gets these inspiring stories out to more people. You can also find more content, resources and updates at our website, goingbigpodcast.com Remember, the only limits are the ones you don't challenge, the limits that you impose on yourself. Keep pushing, keep, keep growing. And above all, keep going big. See you next time on the Going Big Podcast. Well, thanks again for joining us for another episode of the Going Big Podcast. I hope you were inspired to think big and to go big as a result of hearing these sorts of motivating conversations. And one more note about our sponsor for today, Zefie. Be sure to check out zefie.com register and find out how you can be one of more than 50,000 nonprofits that are taking advantage of this service that delivers 100% of an online donor's contribution directly to your important cause. No more fees. No more hassles. Check it out and we'll look forward to seeing you again on the next episode of the Going Big Podcast.