Georges county executive was named the chair of youth for reagan. Hes looking quite youthful today, i might add. He supported then governor reagan during the president ial primary. Now, young larry hogan would 1980 as a delegate in the republican convention. We have a lot of reagan devote ease join us at the institute. I think Governor Hogan may rank above them all. You see, he did not just support in 1980,agan in 1976, 1984, he managed to support him in 2020 as well. I know you consider president reagan your political hero, governor, but that, sir, thats real dedication. By the way, you didnt have to do that just to be invited here today. Ladies and gentlemen, i want to thank you for joining us. We are honored to welcome you virtually to the reagan our center for civics, education and opportunity. We work at the nexus of these three pillars, answering ansident reagans call for informed patriotism to ensure a prosperous future for america. The governor knows quite a bit about this call. We are truly honored to have Governor Hogan with us, a man whose leadership has carried the flame of our 40 resident 40th president. You know that Governor Hogan does not mince words. He is just as quick to criticize members of his own party as members of the other party. As it turns out, that kind of equal opportunity Straight Talk maryland. Pular in Governor Hogan has ranked as one of the most popular governors in america, usually in the top two. Recently, number one. Yeararyland poll this gave him a 75 Approval Rating in a state that just voted for joe biden almost twotoone. These are numbers most politicians dream of. Its not like Governor Hogan has had an easy go of it. Hes led through tough times, from the death of freddie gray to polarizing issues in the state legislature to the covid19 pandemic. The people of maryland have come to rely on his steady stewardship. At the same time, hes faced extraordinary personal challenges, fighting and defeating cancer during his first term. Its been five years since hes been given a clean bill of health. Standingy, he is still , which of course is a very fitting title of his recent memoir. There are a lot of Great Stories in this book, from political life to legislative the personal anecdotes can be the best. Like story of his first lunch with the future first lady, where they shoot a waterside meal of salad and crabcakes and the accomplished painter in wire singers suggested ordering tequila shots. By the way, that might give Still Standing new meaning. You have to read the book to get the full context. When larry hogan won the Gubernatorial Race in 2014, the Baltimore Sun called it a stunning upset. But after four years of smart governance guiding by reaganesque optimism and leadership with a focus on economics and education, it wasnt so stunning when he cruised to reelection in 2018. But now the governor is term limited and will be out of office after 2022. So the question on many minds is this. Can he shocked the political world again . I dont know if we get an answer to this today, but we might get a clue to what is next. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Governor Hogan. [applause] gov. Hogan thank you very much, roger, for that much too kind introduction. It really is an honor to be here at the reagan institute. The first time that i realized i was a reagan republican, it got me into a little bit of trouble. When i was a Young College kid, i had the honor of being selected, as roger said, an alternate delegate to the convention in kansas city in 1976. My father had served in congress with gerald ford and played a pivotal role in ford becoming president. He was the Campaign Chairman of the ford campaign. I admired president ford. He was a good leader and a decent and honorable man. But when it was governor reagans turn to address the convention, i was mesmerized. Reagan seemed to connect with everyday people and channeled that connection toward a bold and optimistic vision for america, and america everyone could be proud of, and america everyone was a part of. There i was, enthusiastically marching on the floor with my reagan hat and carrying my reagan sign. When my dad spotted me, lets just say he wasnt completely thrilled, but it was at that moment that i probably became a proudly became a footsoldier in the reagan revolution. Of course, jimmy carter defeated president ford and won the white house. Hadaftermath of watergate severely tarnished the republican brand, and many wondered the gop could ever win as National Elections again. The New York Times declared the Republican Party close to extinction, but then reagan built a Big Tent Coalition of republicans, independents and reagan democrats who wanted america to be that shining city on a hill. He worked hard to heal the party s divisions rather than exacerbate them, and to move us past the scandals and division. He focused on the everyday concerns of working folks and struggling families, not the obsessions of the chattering class in washington. A 1980s, just four years after the predicted demise of the gop, reagan led our party to one of the largest landslides in american history, and then went on to truly make America Great again. After this divisive election, we find ourselves again at a crossroads for our party and at a critical time for our nation. As we search for a way forward, we should look back at how Ronald Reagan transformed our party and restored the greatness of america. I believe that what most americans truly want, regardless of their party affiliation, is honest, effective leadership and results. They want Commonsense Solutions to the Serious Problems that face us. President reagan certainly understood this, but it seems that many in washington have lost sight of that basic truth. Reagan was known as the great communicator, because he understood the limits of rhetoric. He wasnt focused on storing scoring partisan points. He was focused on solving real problems affecting the lives of all americans, and he knew that to be successful, it would take reaching across the aisle to find Common Ground. President reagan didnt believe compromise was a dirty word. He knew all are nothing was a false choice. For his entire presidency, democrats controlled at least one chamber of congress. Yet president reagan, one of the most conservative president s, was also one of our most successful. He worked across party lines to pass the most conservative agenda in decades, two rounds of tax cuts for the american people, shrieking the bloated federal bureaucracy, and historic buildup of the Nations Defense to defeat the soviet union. Reagan said, there is no limit to what you can accomplish if you dont care who gets the credit. The results spoke for themselves. Decades of unparalleled number growth, the soviet union confined to history, and a renewed pride in our nation and our shared values. Today, america faces a new set of 21st century challenges. Sadly, washington insiders seem seem more concerned with winning arguments than advancing Bipartisan Solutions. Neither side seems to want to make progress. They just want to make demands win arguments. Thats not leadership. Thats just political theater. And most of us are sick and tired of all the drama. The covid19 pandemic, and economic collapse that it has caused, have shown this problem in stark relief. For months, struggling families and Small Businesses have been in desperate need of relief. But instead of working until they reached a compromise, Congress Played politics and went on vacation. Contest that with americas governors pigment covid19 struck our shores, i was proud to be chairman of the National Governors association. We pulled together governors from all across the nation and a truly historic bipartisan way. Governors on both sides of the aisle stepped up on the front lines together. We understood that in times of crisis, partisan politics must be put aside. The failure of washington to effectively combat covid and the failure to pass the stimulus package are just the latest examples of the dysfunction in washington. Our nations infrastructure has been crumbling for decades. The failure of washington has been made manifest in a bridges, falling failing Public Health and failing schools and an entire generation of americans who are falling behind. But in washington, people on both sides refuse to give up even a little to get a lot. Roads and bridges crumbled while democrats and republicans insult each other on social media. The cost of education and Quality Health care are out of control and out of reach for everyday americans. One party wants to impose radical solutions that would create more problems than they would solve and the other party all too often offers no solutions at all. The result is a crumbling vision of the american dream. The average citizen is completely fed up with politics as usual. They think that washington has been fiddling while america burns. On the world stage, China Threatens not just americas economy, farmers, manufacturers, and innovators, and our standing in the world, but even the values we stand for, prosperity, liberty, and freedom. Meanwhile, one party in washington refuses to acknowledge the threat, while the other abandons the very allies we need to confront it. And we never seem to be able to find any Common Ground on these urgent issues. The solution, according to the professional politicians in washington, is to give them more power. More power in washington wont fix the divisiveness and dysfunction. It will only impose more dysfunction on our lives. Businessvic, and leaders that are serving their communities. State and local governments working everyday to solve real problems, we dont need washington to dictate. We need washington to get his its act together. We need washington to make it easier, not harder to solve problems. We need washington to be a partner, not an impediment. A large majority of americans are thoroughly convinced that our political system is fundamentally broken, that we as a people are tragically divided and that washington is completely dysfunctional. Most of us are sick and tired of the angry, divisive politics. Americans believe in civility and pragmatism. They think Straight Talk is more valuable than empty rhetoric. These are the things that my party is going to have to focus on if we want to win National Elections again. Americans are not as divided as our politics and social media would suggest. The problem is not the american people. The problem is that politicians think that the only way to get elected is to feed the extremes, to fire up the base and that the only way to govern is through winner take all combat. The extreme voices that dominate social media, cable news, and talk radio have been a tiny sliver of americans on the far left or the farright. Over 70 of the rest of us are the lost majority. We feel forgotten by both Political Parties and ignored by washington. Most americans want the same thing. They want humble, tolerant, respectful, and effective leaders who will Work Together to find bipartisan Commonsense Solutions. They want us to appreciate that no one of us has all the answers are all the power. Or all the power. They want a discourse that tolerates contrary views among a diverse citizenry without turning political adversaries into enemies or doubting the ir patriotism. They want a government that protects the vulnerable without dictating lives. They want a Strong America that stands with its allies and for freedom in the World Without taking for granted the sacrifices required for it. Want to stand together with their neighbors and feel proud of their country once again. These are the same americans who Ronald Reagan spoke to. His vision of america isnt just a relic of some bygone era, but an ideal that we can and we should once again aspire to. Six years ago, i won the Biggest Surprise upset in america by committing to usher in a new era of bipartisan cooperation and prosperity, one filled with hope and optimism. When i took office, marylands Economic Performance was 49 out of 50 states. 70 of both houses of my legislature are progressive democrats, but we cut taxes and regulations and created the biggest economic turnaround in america. Just imagine what we could have done with a republican legislature. While both parties in washington argue about obamacare, we worked across the aisle to pass Innovative Health care reform, reducing insurance rates for everyone by more than 30 while also covering hundreds of thousands more marylanders. While our nations infrastructure crumbles, we move forward on all the top Party Transportation projects in our state, including the largest transit project in north america and moving forward on the largest p3 traffic relief project in the world. While weve seen nothing but gridlock from inside the capital beltway, i was working with the democratic governor of virginia on an accord to actually fix the gridlock on the capital beltway. As it turns out, common sense, Bipartisan Solutions are exactly what nearly everyone seems to want. More than 70 of every single Demographic Group in my blue state approve of the job we have been doing. I dont say this to brag. I say it to dismiss the misguided notion that to get ahead you have to tear down the opposition. I have spent six years repudiating the debilitating politics practiced here in washington, insults substitute for debate. Recrimination for negotiation and gridlock for compromise, where the heat, finger point, and rancor suffocates the light. And the only result is divisiveness and dysfunction. What voters really want is for their leaders to actually focus on solving the problems that we were elected to solve. And if we were able to do that and accomplish that just on the road in deep blue maryland, then there is no place in america where these very same principles cannot succeed, just as they did under the leadership of president reagan. Ronald reagan 12 landslide won two landslide elections and created a movement that endured for a generation, because he understood the simple truth that successful politics is about addition and multiplication, not subtraction and division. It is one thing to win a president ial election, but quite another to build a broad and durable governing coalition. To accomplish that, reagan knew that he needed to speak to all americans. Principlesd for bold that were universal. For him, a Big Tent Party was not just an electoral imperative, it was also a moral one. He knew if our party wanted to truly represent america, we could not ignore any part of it. My state hasnt voted for a republican president ial nominee since george h. W. Bush over 30 years ago. In 2014, when i was elected governor, we had to the had the highest democratic registration in america. In 2018, in a blue year with large wave, we lost the house, will host governors, we lost seats in legislative bodies all across the country, but i became the second republican governor to be reelected in the entire 240 year history of our state. I did it by reaching out to everyone, including those who had never even considered voting for a republican before. In some places, they had never even seen a republican before. Too many in both parties have bought into the false narrative that the way you vote is predetermined by where you were born, where you live, the color of your skin, who you love, a or where you worship. In this past election, we were historically divided. Republicans made some modest gains with black and hispanic voters, who were turned off by farleft elitism and Political Correctness run amok. In maryland, we proved that a republican can win support for black, hispanic, and asian americans, suburban women, and Younger Voters, not just to gain a few points, but to win overwhelming majorities. Look, the truth isnt always easy to hear, but as roger said, im a guy who tells it like it is. So heres the truth that our party needs to hear. Divisive rhetoric and toxic politics is alienating large parts of the country, and no one will listen to our message if they dont believe that were we are listening to them. Failing toontinue expand our tent like reagan did. Concerns ofhe real everyday people is harder than political virtue signaling or preaching to the choir. But that is what a large majority of americans want and what they deserve from their elected leaders. Reaching across the aisle and finding Common Ground is harder than simply attacking those with whom you disagree, but it can be done. As reagan said, we are once again at a time for choosing. Are we going to be a party that cant win National Elections again, or are we willing to do the hard work of building a durable coalition that can once again shape our nations destiny. Some republicans want to return to the way things were before 2016. Others want to keep he