President Ronald Reagan's enduring legacy was on full display last week in his childhood hometown of Dixon, Illinois, as townspeople gathered for a parade before the “Midwest” premiere. Reaganstars Dennis Quaid, Jon Voight, Penelope Ann Miller, Kevin Dillon and Nick Searcy. Breitbart News was on site. Young America's FoundationAttending a premiere sponsored by The Associated Press, Quaid met with Reagan, who plays the 40th President of the United States in the biopic that dramatizes President Reagan's role in leading the United States back from the economic depression and collapse of the Soviet Union and ending the Cold War.
“His legacy resonates today and will continue to resonate 100 years from now,” Quaid said on the red carpet.
A-list stars known for their film roles The Right Stuff, The Parent Trap, I Can Only Imagine, American Underdog and Long Riders, He also said there are “a lot of similarities” politically between now and when Reagan was in the White House in 1979 and 1980.
“Nobody talks about hostages now, even though there are hostages in the Middle East, just like there were then,” the actor explained. “A lot of similar things were going on then, with interest rates at 20 percent and inflation, and the country was in a kind of depression. In Jimmy Carter's own words, Reagan 'woke up' in a different sense. He woke us all up and reminded us what a great country this is and what a privilege it is to be a citizen of it.”
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The premiere of this film Young America's FoundationOwns and operates Ronald Reagan's childhood home Near downtown Dixon.
The town of Dixon, nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of the Rock River in the Sauk Valley region, was one of the longest-standing towns of Reagan's father, Jack, and mother, Nell, who were traveling salesmen and lived in many towns throughout northern Illinois in the 1920s and 1930s.
Quaid signed dozens of autographs and posed for selfies with local fans before meeting with reporters on the red carpet outside the Dixon Theatre.
Ronald Reagan's childhood home near downtown Dixon, Illinois. (Warner Todd Houston/Breitbart News)
A parade was held in Dixon, Illinois, where Reagan grew up, prior to the film's premiere. (Warner Todd Houston/Breitbart News)
Actor Dennis Quaid signs autographs prior to the premiere of the film “Reagan” in Dixon, Illinois. (Warner Todd Houston/Breitbart News)
Asked Reagan Quaid said the film was a passion project for him, that he has a “great passion” for it and that Reagan is his favorite president.
“He really influenced a lot of people, that's for sure,” Quaid continued. “His words still resonate today, and they will still resonate 100 years from now.”
Breitbart News also interviewed Scott Walker, a former Republican governor of Wisconsin and president of the Young America's Foundation, who attended the premiere.
Walker said he grew up during Reagan's presidency and that the president's optimism influenced him and modeled his own political style on it, and that like Trump, Reagan appealed to moderate Democrats.
“What we've seen over the last few years, especially with President Trump, it started with President Reagan. We called them Reagan Democrats, but that's just a term that first came out in my area south of Milwaukee. There were a lot of people there that we called 'Reagan Democrats.' They were southern, working class, typically union members, but with strong conservative beliefs, family-oriented, typically pro-life, pro-gun, and wanted people who were capable to work.
These people have become more conservative than Republican over the years. They voted for me when I ran for Governor of Wisconsin three times, and they voted for me when Donald Trump won the state in 2016. It was the same type of Reagan Democrat. But not all Republicans are like that. They don't have a populist sensibility that's based on strong conservative principles. And I think that's still growing.
Another featured guest will be Tim McCarthy, a former Secret Service agent who was part of the team that protected President Ronald Reagan during the assassination attempt.
McCarthy noted that while attempts to prevent a president from being shot in 1981 failed, such as last month's assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, the Secret Service has been successful in thwarting subsequent assassination attempts for nearly 50 years.
“It was one of those things I thought would never happen to me,” McCarthy said of the March 30, 1981, assassination attempt.
“You train, you practice in drills, you're equipped and briefed, but you don't think it's going to happen to you,” he continued, “and of course, when you have a serious accident, you don't know if you're going to react the way you were trained… I don't want to be tested again, to tell you the truth.”
“But honestly, it was a failure because he got shot,” McCarthy added.
“Frankly, it's been almost 50 years since we've had a historic assassination, a lone actor, attempt on a president,” McCarthy said. “Ronald Reagan was the last one, Donald Trump a few weeks ago, a month ago now. So it's been almost five years since we've had an assassination attempt and, sadly, this one has happened.”
The evening celebration was Reagan.
A sold-out audience at the Dixon Theatre attends a screening of “Reagan” (Warner Todd Houston/Breitbart News)
Residents were thrilled to see their town featured prominently in the film and rose to their feet to give it a standing ovation at the end of the film.
Quaid told a packed audience of townsfolk that many Americans alive today never got to witness Ronald Reagan's greatness firsthand, but he said the film should help shed light on just how great a man the 40th president was.
Reagan open Available nationwide from August 30th.
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