United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics The United States was the host nation of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. It was the nineteenth time that "Team USA" participated, having boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics. 522 competitors, 339 men and 183 women, took part in 217 events in 25 sports. These Olympic Games were unique for the United States in that the host state was California, the home state of the country's president, Ronald Reagan, who himself opened the Games, becoming the first American president to open a Summer Olympics, and also any Olympic games in the
The Eleventh Commandment (Ronald Reagan) The Eleventh Commandment (Ronald Reagan) The Eleventh Commandment was a phrase used by President Ronald Reagan during his 1966 campaign for Governor of California. The Commandment reads: While popularized by Reagan, "The Eleventh Commandment" was created by California Republican Party Chairman Gaylord Parkinson. In his 1990 autobiography "An American Life", Reagan attributed the rule to Parkinson, explained its origin, and claimed to have followed it: The goal was to prevent a repetition of the liberal Republican assault on Barry Goldwater, attacks which contributed to Goldwater's defeat in the 1964 presidential election. East Coast Republicans like Nelson Rockefeller labeled Goldwater an