Free Republic

Today marks President Ronald Reagan’s 101st birthday. Born in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan made his journey west to Iowa as a radio broadcaster, then on to California to take Hollywood by storm. He crossed America as a spokesman for General Electric, and then — after discovering the import of conservative values — entered the political arena, where he would ultimately lead his fellow citizens out of a wilderness of self-doubt, helping the country come to see that it could be morning in America once again. We at The Heritage Foundation invite you to join us in celebrating Reagan’s life and...

The number of Obama supporters seems inversely related to his time in office. Many wonder what happened to "The One We Are Waiting For." Obama assumed office in difficult economic times. After a couple of years of excuses -- which included "the problems were worse than we knew" and the generic, all-purpose "it's Bush's fault" -- Obama now owns the original problems and new ones of his own doing. An incomplete report card on his "accomplishments" would include the following: the economy worsened discretionary military efforts ("kinetic" if you prefer) increased an unpopular, flawed health care plan was forced on...

 Sums-it-right-up in 3 mins:everybody who votes needs to see this... well done: [YouTube] or video/more at Reaganite Republican If we can just get this guy to do one on Romney now we'll be all set lolh/t Speedunque

Building Institutions by Ari Bussel I was at dinner with several major philanthropists. There was enormous power in that room, with two couples sitting next to each other each worth in excess of half a billion dollars, and another at the next table worth both other couples combined. I want to highlight three of those who attended. It was a fundraising event for a local charity, and at the correct time one of those in attendance stood and said: “What I value most is building institutions. This is what remains.” He then added to whatever he already gave “two times...

OBAMA'S LEGACY: STAGFLATION By DICK MORRIS Published on TheHill.com on March 1, 2011 Obama's failure to support America's allies in the Middle East and his dithering endorsement of chaos in the region will send oil and gasoline prices skyrocketing, triggering a massive bout of stagflation. This vicious cycle of rising prices, decreased consumption, and ever higher prices (as vendors seek to recover higher fixed costs) will cripple the American economy for years to come. This is Obama's true legacy. Consider what he has done to push up oil and gas prices: • Endorsed spreading chaos in the Middle East. •...

On December 8, 1980, The World was stunned to hear that John Lennon was murdered on a street in New York, not far from where he and his wife Oko lived. The impact of his death was felt immediately, as millions mourned the forty-year old rock star in candlelight vigils around the world. What was this man’s legacy? Who is this man who will again be deeply mourned by many in this generation on the thirtieth anniversary of His death? Lennon was no doubt a profoundly gifted musician and lyricist, but I believe his legacy goes deeper than his involvement...

He has been, in many ways, a governor of firsts:• The first to take office as a result of a recall election.• The first to commute, on an almost daily basis and via private jet, between the Capitol and his Southern California mansion. • The first to have served in the Austrian army, the first to have won the Mr. Olympia body-building title seven times, and - as far as we know - the first California chief executive to have nude photos of himself widely available on the World Wide Web.But "first" does not necessarily mean "great," or even "good."And...

The End Of An Era: Goodbye, KennedysBy Tovia Smith Tue., November 9, 2010 5:34pm (EST) Democrats may still be licking their political wounds this week, but 50 years ago Tuesday, the party was ecstatic over the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy as president of the United States. **SNIP** In the heart of Kennedy country in Massachusetts, the milestone evoked some sentimentality. But even to voters like Carol and Steve Doppelt of Framingham, the end of the Kennedy dynasty is also a welcome relief. "The end of the Kennedy era -- it's hard to believe. Very sad ... very sad," Carol...

When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, there were 30 clean-tech companies in the Sacramento region. Today, there are more than 100 such companies in the area employing thousands of workers. With weeks remaining in Schwarzenegger's administration, the fledgling green economy in Sacramento and the rest of California owes a debt to Schwarzenegger's stewardship of the state's climate-change law and his administration's policies, clean-tech advocates say. "(Gov. Schwarzenegger) helped to spark a clean-energy revolution in our state and ignite a national dialogue about the importance of climate change legislation," said state Sen. Fran Pavley,...

Less than two years after thousands of Inauguration-goers bid a not-so-fond farewell to President Bush’s departing helicopter a new CNN poll says the country is split on whether President Obama is a better president than President George W. Bush. By 47 to 45 percent, Americans say Obama is a better president than George W. Bush. But that two point margin is down from a 23 point advantage one year ago. “Democrats may want to think twice about bringing up former President George W. Bush’s name while campaigning this year,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

The mixed legacy of 1492By James Carroll October 11, 2010 IT IS commonly observed that 1492, in addition to being the year of Christopher Columbus, was also the year of the Jews — their expulsion from Spain by the same Ferdinand and Isabella who sponsored the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. But the overlap of events (actually, Columbus set sail in the very week of the banishment) has historic significance, for it was in Iberia that ancient Christian anti-Judaism had recently morphed into genetic anti-Semitism — the idea that Jews are contemptible not because of their religion, but because of...

It's fairly evident that Arnold Schwarzenegger is now in legacy mode, trying to close out his roller-coaster governorship on an upswing. It's equally evident that circumstances – especially a serious recession and an equally serious budget crisis – will make leaving a positive legacy difficult. One casualty is Schwarzenegger's hopes of winning voter approval in November of an $11.1 billion water bond issue. Fearing voter rejection, Schwarzenegger and the Legislature have delayed a vote for two years. Another of Schwarzenegger's legacy accomplishments, moving legislative redistricting to an independent commission, is also in jeopardy. Proposition 27, sponsored by Democratic politicians and...

The Official Obama Administration Scandals List has just hit 1,500! The list contains the lies, broken promises, flip-flops, gaffes and scandals of Team Obama. From the President's early days in politics through today, the list has already filled up one book; Legacy of Lies - The 2009 Obama Administration! The latest three added to the list are... Biden's SmartA** GaffeSupreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan comparing the NRA to the KKK!Obama's Caribou Coffee Cover-Up! Please help me to spread the word about this incredible list! Tell your friends! Email your favorite liberals too! Tweet this post (or the list)! Facebook us!...

Friends, It doesn’t look like Ginny Brown-Waite made a wise decision by stepping down on the last day of the filing deadline thus denying other potential GOP contenders the courtesy of running. It also looks like Richard Nugent is tainted for going along with the scheme and was given a prior heads-up to his “selection”. In the first day or two the Tea Party blogosphere exposed the Ginny/Nugent scam. Now the local main-stream media is exposing the same thing (see below). This isn’t good for Richard Nugent. It is my hope that everyone distances themselves from the tainted candidacy of...

Space Paranoids Online will be launching soon. There is a neat countdown at: http://www.encominternational.com/spaceparanoidsonline/ where you can blast away at some Recognizers. Looks like the launch will be Thursday at 4pm EST If you have an account at flynnlives.com, then after blasting 99 Recognizers you are asked to log in, if you then go on to blast 999 Recognizers, you get sent some cool swag mailed to you.

The Obama Legacy is taking shape. It is Stimulus Healthcare Reform Illegal Alien Amnesty Taxes

As the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield said in the movie “Back to School”, “if you want to look thin, you hang out with fat people”. The political adaptation of this famous line might go something like this, “if you want to look successful, make sure you are compared to an utter failure”. Well it turns out Rush Limbaugh may not be the only one rooting for a failed Obama presidency. There may be others who secretly rejoice in Obama’s failures if for no other reason than it makes them look better by comparison. Bill Clinton would top the list of...

Some key dates in Patrick Kennedy's life July 14, 1967 – Born in Brighton. 1986 -- As a senior at Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, checks into the Spofford Hall drug and alcohol treatment facility in New Hampshire. 1988 – Elected to the Rhode Island House while still a college student. 1991 – Awarded B.A., Providence College. 1991 – Testifies in the Palm Beach, Fla., rape trial of his cousin, William Kennedy Smith. Smith was later acquitted. 1994 – Elected as US Representative for Rhode Island's First District. November 1998 -- Named chairman of the Democratic Congresssional Campaign Committee. March 2000...

After a College Republican group withdrew its support for a Meghan McCain speech because she believes in marriage equality, she took the GOP’s “purity test.” And passed. This week I made a little news by not being “pure enough,” if you will, by College Republican standards. I was invited to speak at George Washington University on February 9 by numerous campus groups, including the George Washington College Republicans and Allied in Pride, an LGBT organization. I take great pride in being one of the few people who brings together the gay community and Republican groups. But somewhere between my accepting...

President Obama begins his second year in the White House with such anemic approval ratings, you'd think he was another Ronald Reagan: Among recent presidents, only the Gipper had fallen so low in the esteem of voters at this stage of his presidency. In the end, things worked out rather well for Reagan -- a landslide reelection, success in changing the course of the nation and the world, canonization by the Republican Party. The major reason for the enthusiasm gap is that Republicans have been winning far too many battles in the "message" war -- for example, turning "affordable health...

Former president Jimmy Carter is doing one terrific job. So reports the Associated Press today in its "Carter finds happiness in foreign missions." According to the article: Since leaving the White House, he's logged millions of miles and visited dozens of countries on missions to wipe out diseases, mediate conflicts, advocate for human rights and monitor elections. He's built a legacy that few, if any, American ex-presidents can match.

Former President George W. Bush on Thursday outlined plans to establish a $300 million library, museum and research institute, taking a step back onto the national stage. The George W. Bush Policy Institute—which would be the first think tank to be affiliated with a presidential library—will address issues that were priorities during Mr. Bush's presidency, such as education, global health, political freedom and economic growth, and seek to promote advances by offering practical solutions, the former president said. In a speech at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where the center is slated to be built, Mr. Bush said the institute...

MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) - A year after his historic election, President Barack Obama sought to remind Americans on Wednesday the biggest problems he is grappling with -- from the economy to the war in Afghanistan -- are the legacy of his predecessor, George W. Bush. With his approval ratings down from once-lofty levels and Tuesday's Democratic election losses raising questions about his political clout, Obama held no special ceremony to mark the anniversary of his election as America's first black president.

President Barack Obama has been in office just nine months and already he is defending his legacy, pushing back more aggressively against criticism of his record on health care, climate change, closing Guantanamo, reforming immigration laws and financial regulations and managing the war in Afghanistan. For the past two weeks, as he’s jetted across the country to fill Democrats’ 2010 coffers, Obama has been test driving a new speech that sounds a lot like one he’d be giving if he were on the ballot next year: A line-item defense of his record so far, and a sober reminder to supporters...

Michelle Obama decided to go all in. Ever since her husband took office in January, the first lady has been cautious about the causes she embraced. But with her hometown of Chicago vying to host the 2016 Olympics, Michelle boarded a plane to Copenhagen last month to make a personal appeal. She brought along Oprah Winfrey, worked her sleeveless charm on the assembled dignitaries, and even lunched with the Queen of Denmark. Her efforts culminated in a passionate televised speech to the International Olympic -Committee—-perhaps her most high-profile advocacy ever. Then it all fell flat. Rio won the Olympic bid;...

Barack Obama entered office proposing and then passing a Stimulus Plan that was breathtakingly ambitious. This legislation constituted "the greatest increase in government spending in world history". The explicit goal was to halt the serious and precipitous decline of the American economy. One of the central promises of this plan was to slow and then reverse the unemployment rate that had been creeping up at an increasingly alarming rate. Prior to the Stimulus' passage Obama assured a concerned nation that unemployment would go up to 8% and shortly begin a decline.And then the American people, comforted by this assurance, stepped...

U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy went to his deathbed looking forward to a reunion with his assassinated brothers - certain he could proudly tell them he had continued their legacy through the president who will deliver his eulogy today, U.S. Rep. William Delahunt told the Herald yesterday. In a dramatic conversation with Delahunt, the ailing Kennedy “talked about a reunion with his brothers, and I’m confident he could say, ‘I did it. I carried the torch,’ ” said Delahunt. “From Jack to Bobby to the Obama moment, Teddy really was the bridge. He carried the torch and never wavered.” The...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The death of Senator Ted Kennedy dominated front pages across the United States on Thursday with newspapers proclaiming it the end of an era and a huge loss for the Democratic Party. "Final Curtain Falls on 'Camelot' Era," read the headline on the lead article in The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky. "End of an American Epoch," declared The Washington Post, which devoted another four pages inside its front section to the life and legacy of the Senate legend who died of brain cancer on Tuesday at the age of 77. "Throughout his career he stood by some...

Susan Donaldson James of ABC News nails the true Ted Kennedy legacy: The Real Ted Kennedy Legacy 84rules August 26, 2009

The worlds news organizations will not do it, the Democrats won't admit to it, even the Republicans will join in on the sycophantic praising of the man's life. Well, I propose the we start a list of all the bad and evil things Ted Kennedy has brought upon this planet while he lived. Starting with Chappaquiddick, and on through to the last piece of legislation that was bad for America, and the world. If we don't do it, it will not be done. So let's get our collective minds together and start listing all the evil this man was apart...

July 15, 2009 Note: The recent untimely and controversial deaths of actor David Carradine, mega-star Michael Jackson and football great Steve McNair beg a re-reading of a column posted in October 2003 about Denver businessman Justin Rosen. Stellar professional careers, as well as ordinary lives, can be sullied, overshadowed and devalued by circumstances surrounding our deaths. It’s essential that we end well. In death, Justyn Rosen was caught with his pants down. An alleged adulterous affair erupted and killed him. Few would have suspected his dalliance with Teresa Perez, 40, had she not reacted so murderously when the 79 year-old...

Thinkers in the ancient world sought to plumb the depths of ultimate reality. With that quest for ultimate reality came the birth of the discipline of philosophy. Some philosophers focused on one particular aspect of philosophy called metaphysics (ultimate being). Others focused their attention on epistemology (the science of knowing). Still others stressed in their investigation the basic principles and elements of ethics (the study of the good and the right). And others focused on the ultimate foundations for aesthetics (the study of the beautiful). One philosopher stood out as being deeply involved in the study of all of these...

BET Awards to highlight Jackson's legacyBy Sandy Cohen ASSOCIATED PRESS updated 12:33 p.m., June 28, 2009 LOS ANGELES -- After three days to process the shock and grief, attendees at the BET Awards -- a show thrown into "total overhaul" by the death of Michael Jackson -- were preparing for what was sure to be a spectacular celebration of the "King of Pop," put on by an dazzling collection of the artists he influenced most. Already an affair of major star wattage, Sunday night's show was thrown under a white-hot spotlight in the wake of Mr. Jackson's death, adding attendees...

OC Family Grateful Editor: Saturday, April 25, 2009 was a beautiful day, and it was made even more wonderful by the outpouring of affection expressed toward Captain Robert S. Craig at his Beach Memorial Service. The Craig children and family appreciate all that was done to honor our “Pop,” a man so many in Ocean City have known and loved for so many years. The Beach Memorial was truly memorable and more special than we could have possibly imagined. We have many people to thank for their efforts in making it happen. We learned very quickly that organizing such an...

(At right) Flanked by friends and family members, a wreath is carried down the beach to be released into the ocean in memory of Craig, "founding father" of the Beach Patrol. Carrying the wreath is the current head of the organization, Capt. Butch Arbin, who is flanked by Craig's son, Robert Craig, and grandson, Christopher Craig. (Above) Sean Williams pushes a surf board, carrying the wreath and the ashes of Capt. Craig, toward a Coast Guard boat, which released the wreath farther from the shore.

The rich get richer. Nothing wrong with that. Except in the case of an ex-president who doesn’t need the money, and could rehabilitate his image by donating his government pension to a good cause – say, for the families of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers killed in the war that Bush instigated; or for the continued rebuilding of New Orleans, whose flooding became a symbol of Bush’s presidential ineptness; or for workers laid off in a downturn that started under Bush’s watch. Such benevolence would renew the “compassionate conservative” label that helped galvanize Bush’s base in 2000. Bush would be...

Ted Kennedy’s wife, Vicki, and his nephew, former congressman Joe Kennedy, are getting set for a bruising battle over who will succeed the ailing senator, according to a new book excerpted in the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine. “Vicki is seen by all as an interloper and she is deeply resented by Ted’s children and many of the newphews,” Edward Klein writes in his new book, “Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died,” due in stores next month. “Joe, who sees himself as the only serious heir apparent, particularly loathes her control over his uncle and hence the family....

News Release: April 8, 2009 Memorial Service planned to honor Captain Robert S. Craig Ocean City, MD – A memorial service for Captain Robert (Bob) S. Craig will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25 on the beach at North Division Street. Captain Craig passed away on Saturday, March 28 at the age of 90. Captain Craig joined the Ocean City Beach Patrol in 1935 and served as its captain from 1946 until retiring in 1987. Captain Craig is credited with building the Ocean City Beach Patrol into the professional organization it is known as today. When Captain Craig turned...

(April 3, 2009) The man who not only epitomized the Ocean City Beach Patrol, but also built it into a serious and professional organization, passed away Saturday. When Capt. Robert (Bob) S. Craig turned 90 last July, a competition, dinner and slide show honored him for his 52 years as a town employee and member of the Beach Patrol. Thousands knew Craig from his years guiding the Beach Patrol and taking it from a small, relatively unskilled group of young men to a large group of highly skilled young men and women. Capt. Butch Arbin, the current head of the...

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City lost a treasured icon this week when Captain Robert S. Craig, who shepherded the Beach Patrol through decades of change and inspired his young charges for half a century passed away at the age of 90. Captain Craig, as he was known for decades not only by the thousands of lifeguards who worked with him and for him but also by the countless millions of local residents and visitors to the resort area, passed away last Saturday at the Coastal Hospice in Salisbury at the age of 90. A former schoolteacher and coach, Captain Craig...

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“Never before in our history have Americans been called upon to face three grave threats to our very existence any one of which could destroy us. We face a disintegrating economy, a weakened defense, and an energy policy based on the sharing of scarcity.” - Ronald Reagan Time to Recapture Our Destiny (RNC Address - July 17th, 1980) The story goes that Governor Reagan, while strategizing with his political allies in a Beverly Hills Hotel in early 1980, found the moment opportune (as he so often did) to make a point. Leaning over to Dick Allen, his soon-to-be national security...

The New York Times offers the following on the Obama Administration's toxic asset relief plan: WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department is expected to unveil early next week its long-delayed plan to buy as much as $1 trillion in troubled mortgages and related assets from financial institutions, according to people close to the talks. The plan is likely to offer generous subsidies, in the form of low-interest loans, to coax investors to form partnerships with the government to buy toxic assets from banks. To help protect taxpayers, who would pay for the bulk of the purchases, the plan calls for auctioning...

WASHINGTON - Former President George W. Bush can finally boast "Mission Accomplished" - if the mission is winning a chance to repair his legacy and be paid handsomely for it. Bush, who called himself "the Decider," scored a multimillion-dollar book deal to write a dozen or so chapters on how he decided everything from quitting booze while in his 40s to starting two wars. "My goal is to bring the reader inside the Oval Office for the most consequential moments of my personal and political life," Bush said in a statement Thursday issued by Crown Publishing. "I look forward to...

There have been fewer Presidents in American history who were more unlikely men for the job than George Walker Bush. Diplomatically called “a late bloomer,” Bush was a partying frat boy up to the age of 40, whereupon he quit drinking and focused on his professional goals. These included making money and securing the financial future of his family, but there is no evidence that, even then, he saw himself as a future political leader. The study of history and current events is captivating not because of the predictable, but precisely because the predictable is constantly thwarted by events. Events...

When the American Civil War began, president Abraham Lincoln was far less prepared for the task of commander in chief than his Southern adversary. Jefferson Davis had graduated from West Point (in the lowest third of his class, to be sure), commanded a regiment that fought intrepidly at Buena Vista in the Mexican War and served as secretary of war in the Franklin Pierce administration from 1853 to 1857.

Obama worries US debt may shape legacyTue Jan 27, 5:21 pm ET WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama told Republicans behind closed doors Tuesday that he worried about the soaring US debt because "I will be judged by the legacy I leave behind" on the economy, a source said. Wooing lawmakers openly hostile to his stimulus plan, Obama also warned that the current recession was "different, deeper, and global," and that inaction could cause "irreparable" economic damage, said a Republican participant. But "nobody is more worried about the deficit and the debt than me," he told Republicans who charge the...

Bush -- Man Of The Day Fools rush in every time something positive is written about President George W. Bush. Attacks on the writer, not on what was written, come from the dark pit of anger and ignorance where enlightenment is badly needed. By highlighting Bush’s achievements in a published editorial as he bids farewell to the nation, I “forced” Liberal extremists and their radical satellites on the edge, to stump their feet of disapproval and cry in pain! What I actually did was forced out of their system, their greatest hidden expertise on name-calling. When I wrote about Bush’s...

I had a chance to watch the coverage of President Bush’s return to Texas and I have to say, there is something that has bothered me ever since. He addressed the crowd from behind a podium bearing the Texas state seal and spoke in the same folksy manner we have seen from him since day one. As he finished his speech and went on to wave, shake hands and swagger through the crowd of well-wishers, there was one thought, more of a question really, that I couldn’t get out of my head. Why the hell have we abandoned this guy?...