system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do all of the older people around me love Ronald Reagan so much? What was so special about him?
gpt
America was dealing with the aftermath of the Viet Nam war (1975), the OPEC oil embargo (1973) quadrupling oil prices and leading the US into a recession, then a follow-on energy crisis caused by the revolution in Iran in 1979 that led to rationing. The Iranians (by proxy) overran the American embassy and took 52 hostages. They were held for 444 days, every day the nightly news would say we are in day xyz of the continuing hostage crisis. Inflation in double digits, unemployment too. The US President, Jimmy Carter, who had been elected in a giant backlash against the revelations of crime and malfeasance in the Nixon administration, proved to be unable to provide moral leadership. He appeared pessimistic. One major speech is called the "malaise" speech, if you care to look it up. In it he said that America faced a "crisis of confidence" that stuck at the very heart and soul of our national will. 

Now along comes Ronald Reagan, the charismatic actor and Governor of California. He's cheerful. He can take a serious tone without appearing bookish or lost in a world of ideas. He has a positive vision for the future, for America and the world. He's realistic that there are challenges, but we can face them. 

And what happens? A lot of those things got better. The hostages were released. The inflation and unemployment numbers improved. The energy crisis went away. The Russians faltered in their invasion of Afghanistan. Income taxes that reached as high as 70% under Carter were slashed and the economy was growing.

Was all that due to Reagan and his policies? Surely not. And there was a price to pay for some of it, such as massive expansion of the national debt. If you look in detail at much of the Reagan presidency, you will find much to criticize.

But what it felt like was like Spring after a long Winter. Something to look forward to instead of things falling apart. That's what people remember. The national mood really did change after a long, bleak time.