“Choice” is a controversial film that promoted Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign. The film was conceived and produced by Goldwater strategists Clif White and Rus Walton, under the guise of a fictitious organization called Mothers for a Moral America. The film juxtaposes rebellious youth, civil rights demonstrators and topless dancers out to destroy the traditional values of the United States. Goldwater publically denounced the film after it was leaked to the national media, insisting that he found it to be both “sickening” and “racist.” But the damage was done: the film alienated both Goldwater’s supporters (who were disappointed in his criticism of it) and his detractors (who felt that it neatly illustrated the conservative “extremism” of his campaign).

“A Time for Choosing” marked the moment of Reagan’s crossover from Hollywood actor and corporate pitchman into party politics. Here, he tailored “the speech,” which he had made countless times on behalf of General Electric, to champion the candidacy of Barry Goldwater. Despite Goldwater’s eventual overwhelming loss to Lyndon Johnson, Reagan had successfully presented himself as an articulate and charismatic spokesperson for the burgeoning conservative movement. Reagan would be elected Governor of California two years later.

William F. Buckley Jr. (1925–2008), longtime editor of National Review and host of the television program Firing Line, was a leading figure in the development of American conservatism, particularly its libertarian and anticommunist strains. Although Buckley and Reagan were personal friends and political allies, they occasionally disagreed. Here, in January of 1978, Buckley debates the ratification of the Panama Canal treaties with Ronald Reagan, who was preparing another run for president. Buckley supported turning over the canal to the Panamanian government, while Reagan took a hard line on the issue. Throughout the 1980 campaign, Reagan would argue that “we built it, we paid for it, it’s ours!”

Jimmy Carter’s presidency was marked by a series of political and economic crises. In this somber televised address of July 15, 1979, Carter suggested that Americans should refrain from taking “unnecessary trips,” use carpools, and “set your thermostats to save fuel.” Carter’s message in the “Malaise Speech,” as it is sometimes known, appeared to suggest that the problems facing the United States were attributable to the behaviors of Americans themselves. The speech was not well received and is widely considered to have contributed to Carter’s loss to Ronald Reagan in November of 1980.

The only live debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter took place in Cleveland, Ohio, just one week before the 1980 election. On display were two different visions of government and of the presidency. While Carter was characteristically dry and technocratic, Reagan was relaxed and confident, and he delivered one of the iconic lines of his political career: “well, there you go again,” in response to Carter’s apparent pessimism.

Throughout his political career, Reagan was often known for his sense of humor. In this compilation, he tells a number of different jokes about life in the Soviet Union.