Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency at a time when Japan and Europe, fully recovered from wartime devastation, threatened America’s position as the number one economy in the world. Manufacturing was in decline; traditional industries were being beaten by foreign competitors; many American industries had grown complacent. President Reagan named Mac Baldrige, a successful industrialist (and card-carrying member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association), Secretary of Commerce to address these economic challenges. This book recounts the Washington career of an American original during the era supporters celebrate as “morning in America.”

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