(Photo by Ferrechio)
House and Senate leaders of both parties were joined by former First Lady Nancy Reagan in the Capitol Rotunda for the unveiling of the statue of President Ronald Reagan. Democrats and Republicans put aside bipartisanship, or at least tried to disguise it, with House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, praising Reagan’s tax cuts and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., lauding the passage of the stem cell research bill backed by Nancy Reagan.
“Reagan’s economic policies inspired the largest peacetime expansion in U.S. history,” Boehner said “This growth was predicated on free trade, low taxes, deregulation, and curbing runaway inflation.”
Pelosi took to the podium and told Nancy Reagan her decision to back stem cell research in the wake of Ronald Reagan’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s Disease, “has made a significant difference in the lives of many American people. It has saved lives, it has found cures, it has given hope to people.”
The larger-than-life statue of Reagan is made of bronze, weighs 500 pounds and also includes pieces of the Berlin Wall that Reagan worked to bring down during his administration.
Hundreds of people packed the Rotunda for the ceremony and the list of dignitaries included Reagan’s former Chief of Staff and Treasury Secretary James Baker, former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. and former California Gov. Pete Wilson.
Nancy Reagan told the crowd the last time she had been in the Rotunda was when her husband had been laid out in state after his death in 2004.
“The statue is a wonderful likeness of Ronnie, and he would be so proud,” she said.
After the ceremony, Nancy Reagan headed to the White House for a lunch date with Michelle Obama.
