The program was “A Time for Choosing,” but often referred to as simply “The Speech,” because its impact changed the trajectory of Reagan’s life. In today’s parlance, Reagan went viral.

And ultimately he prevailed. Palin’s specific subject was Reagan’s speech “A Time for Choosing,” made on behalf of Barry Goldwater just days before the 1964 presidential election.

With just one week before the November 1964 presidential election, Ronald Reagan took to television to make his case for Republican poresidential candidate Barry Goldwater. In Los Angeles, Reagan ...