Free Republic

Out on the campaign trail, Fed head Ben Bernanke is an unpopular guy. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have both said they would replace Bernanke, not reappoint him. Rep. Ron Paul would swap the whole Federal Reserve monetary system for a gold-linked dollar, making the yellow metal legal tender. And it was Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, before he dropped out of the race, who said more quantitative easing by the Fed would be "almost treasonous." Republicans in Washington are equally unimpressed by Bernanke. Rep. Paul Ryan recently criticized the Fed for bankrolling our huge budget deficits and thereby accommodating...

I am amazed at how, every four years, many otherwise sane human beings want to become president of the United States. Harry Truman, our 33rd president, is reputed as having said: "If you want a friend in Washington, buy a dog." Usually, a president is inaugurated with great pomp and jubilant celebrations followed by a brief "honeymoon" period. After the honeymoon ends, however, he pleases practically no one and disappoints nearly everyone. Why anyone would wish that upon himself or herself is beyond me. Minus a few exceptions, Ronald Reagan being one who comes to mind, the men who have...

Paul Kengor, professor of political science and executive director of the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College, has written The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism and God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life. President Reagan would have been 101 this week, and to mark the occasion, Kengor talks about the Health and Human Services mandate forcing Catholics to offer and purchase health-insurance plans that violate their consciences and what the 40th president might have advised. KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ: Did Ronald Reagan ever face a backlash from some of his base like we’re seeing on...

Wednesday February, 8 2012 at 09:45 AM Starring Ronald Reagan, Errol Flynn, and Raymond Massey. Downed RAF bomber fliers pose as Nazis and steal Goering's car, then fly home. 1942 Military/War tcm.com

Conservatives are incessantly browbeaten into "softening their message", "moderating their stances", or "moving to the middle" (i.e., to the left) in order to win over the so-called moderates and independents of the electorate. President Ronald Reagan, the greatest conservative of our generation, didn't believe in soft-pedaling conservative principles and values.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Each year the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project asks governors from all 50 states to issue a proclamation declaring February 6th “Ronald Reagan Day”. Today, The Ronald Reagan Legacy Project proudly commends the governors -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- who have recognized Reagan’s 101st birthday in their states. “It is wonderful news that thirty-three governors have declared today “Ronald Reagan Day” in their states. It is sad that sixteen Democratic governors place partisan politics above respect for a great President,” said Grover Norquist, chairman of the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project. Governors who have issued proclamations honoring Reagan...

Some thoughts on the occasion of President Ronald Wilson Reagan’s 101st birthday Ronald Reagan began his political life as a Democrat. Later, as we all know, he became a Republican, famously saying that he didn’t leave the Democrat Party, the Democrat Party left him. And, of course, he was elected to two terms as California Governor, and served two terms as President, as a Republican. Because of that, his name will always be associated with that party. But I think his legacy transcends, and will outlive, that once-grand old party as well, as that party moves inexorably away from morally-conservative...

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...

Today is February 6th, 2012. Mr Ronald Wilson Reagan would've been 101 years old today. Happy Birthday, Mr. Reagan. As a small token of commemoration, I would like to put focus on what I think is the most important thing he ever said, and he said a whole lot worth remembering. Our Founding Fathers, here in this country, brought about the only true revolution that has ever taken place in man's history. Every other revolution simply exchanged one set of rulers for another set of rulers. But only here did that little band of men so advanced beyond their time...

< snip > ..... If Republicans have an opening this year, it is with the white working class, a crowd the Democratic Party has been hemorrhaging for decades. Barack Obama did better than John Kerry or Al Gore with these voters, though even he earned just 43% of their vote. ..... < snip > ..... The white working class will make up as much as 55% of the vote in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. ..... < snip > ..... And so at the heart of the Santorum agenda are policies designed to give special handouts to the working class,...

Ronald Reagan’s 1961 Coffeecup speech – full text Now back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program. There are many ways in which our government has invaded the precincts of private citizens, the method of earning a living. Our government is in business to the extent over owning more than 19,000 businesses covering different lines of activity. This amounts to a fifth...

Former President Gerald R. Ford says Ronald Reagan can never be elected president, but Reagan says if Ford thinks he can do better, he should "pack his long johns" and join the fray. Meanwhile, fellow Republican George Bush, who already is trying to head off a Reagan nomination, says he can foresee a Ford challenge if...

The Conservative Movement is in crunch time. We are keeping score and taking names. Rick Santorum is definitely hurting the Conservative Movement by announcing far-reaching plans to stay in the race. This severely holds back the Conservative consolidation under Gingrich. Does Rick Santorum even know what the Conservative Movement is? He is damaging himself severely with Conservatives. We will be watching him daily to see if he keeps ignoring the predicament of the conservative movement. He will continue to get Black Stars for his arrogance and stupidity. Todd Palin, Mike Reagan and Herman Cain get Gold Stars for the selfless...

Is it no wonder Erick said Romney would tear the party apart, this article came in a Newsmax.com email. Fight after fight, Romeny smears while running from his record while newt takes the heat and keeps going and going and going. Like the Energizer Bunny!!! Limbaugh, Mike Reagan Blast Romney for Smears on Gingrich Ronald Reagan’s eldest son Mike Reagan has issued a statement lambasting Mitt Romney and his supporters for claims that Romney’s Republican presidential rival Newt Gingrich was a strong critic of President Reagan. Mike Reagan says such claims are false. Even Rush Limbaugh, shocked by the Romney...

--snip to middle--Gingrich was, in the speech in question, I believe, giving Ronald Reagan a heads up that he should come down hard on the “moderate” Republicans and career civil servants who were frustrating his policies internally. I was the director of the White House Office of Public Liaison from 1983 to 1985, the only woman member of the Reagan senior White House staff. In that position, I also directed the White House working group on Central America. Read more on Newsmax.com: Newt Gingrich a True Reagan Conservative Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

ORIGINAL POST, SEE UPDATE BELOW: Earlier we made the argument that the Obama recovery has been much more impressive than the Reagan recovery since A) The conditions Obama inherited were wildly worse and B) Federal government spending under Obama didn't grow as fast as it did under Reagan. But we were just looking at Federal Government spending. Here's a look at annual government spending growth at all levels: federal, state, and local. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/one-more-must-see-chart-on-government-spending-under-obama-and-reagan-2012-1#ixzz1ksovU8j1

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama ratcheted up his class warfare rhetoric, calling for an America "where everyone gets a fair shot" and "everyone does their fair share" – his latest attempt to blame upper-income Americans for our economic problems and hike their taxes. In his State of the State address, Gov. Jerry Brown called for closing state budget deficits by increasing income taxes on the "wealthy" and hiking the sales tax. It's only "fair," he said. "Fairness" – code for income redistribution – will be the theme of the 2012 elections. All year we will...

Any good explanations for this - I am stumped? This was posted on a Latino group on Facebook that is trying to slander conservatives. If there are any "Latino" or "Hispanic" conservatives and or Republicans here on FR please come to "Being Latino" on Facebook because we need Freepers in the culture war against socialist Latinos. Latino conservatives are getting beat up there because there are not too many of us in that group. Thanks!

As I reported yesterday, at least a few former Reagan administration officials say that, in his campaign comments, Newt Gingrich has rewritten the history of his relationship with Ronald Reagan. Today, a number of counterbalancing voices say those officials — and not Gingrich – are the ones who are shading the facts. On Fox News, for example, Ed Rollins, Ronald Reagan’s national campaign manager, described Gingrich as one of “the most important players and most loyal to Ronald Reagan”:

Tonight five years of the TV show "Chuck" comes to end. The character Col. John Casey, a spy, has been a pro-gun advocate and has often saluted a photo of Ronald Reagan in his apartment and calls him "Sir". Adam Baldwin has portrayed John Casey for the past 5 years. Can anyone refer to other honorable characters on TV today?

I have been pounding the keyboard all week about the lies and distortions of the Romney campaign and supporters about Newt’s record of support for Ronald Reagan. These allegations were played out by the Romney campaign and on Drudge, and did serious damage to Newt, both substantively and by forcing Newt to get off message. I was highly suspicious of several accounts, including that by Elliot Abrams, regarding a speech by Newt in 1986. That article in National Review gave rise to this notorious Drudge headline:

After enduring tons of lies and half-truths from Romney's spin maching, Newt Gingrich finally cleared the air this week to establish himself as the heir of Ronald Reagan's Conservative Principles and Actions. The coup de grace was Nancy Reagan's direct quote saying that Ronald Reagan passed the Torch of Conservatism to Newt Gingrich. Also, Rush Limbaugh clearly stated that Newt was a Central Figure in the Reagan Revolution. Sarah Palin said the Newt was being crucified unfairly by the press and others. She means that the American people are being saturated with lies and half truths about Newt by the...

Ronald Reagan’s eldest son Mike Reagan has issued a statement lambasting Mitt Romney and his supporters for claims that Romney’s Republican presidential rival Newt Gingrich was a strong critic of President Reagan. Reagan says such claims are false. Even Rush Limbaugh, shocked by the Romney claims, chimed on his Thursday radio broadcast to say "This is obviously a coordinated attack to take Newt out here in Florida." Read more on Newsmax.com: Mike Reagan, Rush Limbaugh Blast Romney Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

[Romney] adviser Charles Manning last night dismissed [L. Brent Bozell]'s group as a right-wing organization that has not been involved in Romney's campaign. He said he now regrets asking his group members to contribute to Romney because the debate "demonstrated very clearly that (Romney) has more in common with liberal Democrats than he does with conservatives." [Edward M. Kennedy] attempted to link Romney several times during the debate to conservatives such as Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and accused him of trying to return the country to the policies of the Reagan-Bush administrations..."I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush." Romney has...

January 26, 2012 Growing controversy over Gingrich's Reagan connection Michael Reagan weighs in

"I went to a Goldwater organizing session in 1964. I met with Ronald Reagan for the first time in 1974. I worked with Jack Kemp, and Art Laffer and others to develop supply side economics in the late '70s. I helped Governor Reagan become President Reagan. I helped pass the Reagan economic program and worked with the National Security Council on issues including the collapse of the Soviet Empire," Newt Gingrich said at tonight's debate.

MOUNT DORA, Fla. - With the Florida primary five days away, the Republican presidential candidates continue to canvass Central Florida. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke in Lake County on Thursday morning at the Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora. Gingrich hosted a rally with tea party supporters, where he railed against the Republican and Democrat establishments and lashed out against President Barack Obama and rival candidate Mitt Romney.

After November’s elections, Senator John McCain, former Congressman Dick Armey and others called for a return to the principles and policies of Ronald Reagan. At the time these policies were first advanced, many observers believed they constituted a revolution. But how did Reagan himself come to these views and where did he learn to translate them from one man’s vision into governmental policies and acts? In my book, The Education of Ronald Reagan: The General Electric Years and the Untold Story of his Conversion to Conservatism, I trace Reagan’s evolution from liberal to conservative, from actor to politician. The changes...

After looking at Drudge's page, I thought I'd see what Reagan himself, either in his diaries, his autobiography, or his Edmund Morris bio, had to say about Newt. Very little. The ONLY reference in those three works is on p. 123 of Reagan's diaries in which Reagan was discussing the budget battles: "Met with a group of young Repub. Congressmen. Newt Gingrich has a proposal for freezing the budget at the 1983 level. It's a tempting idea except that it would cripple our defense program. And if we make an exception on that every special interest group will be asking...

For several days Drudge has been running almost around-the-clock negative banners against Newt, hyping negatives and burying news which contradicts the Romney campaign narrative that Newt was anti-Reagan. Against the anti-Newt crusade stands a wealth of counter-viewpoints of people who were in a position to know and who share very different recollections of Newt and Reagan, via Josh Painter in the comments: Reagan Nat’l Security Advisor Bud McFarlane: http://bit.ly/zd9eAF Reagan Economist Art Laffer: http://bit.ly/xEDETiReagan WH political director Jeffrey Lord: http://bit.ly/zw2ZMbReagan Policy Analyst Peter Ferrara http://bit.ly/zq1QxIReagan media consultant Richard Quinn: http://on.msnbc.com/y2sPM2Reagan’s Speechwriting Dir. Bently Elliott: http://thedc.com/xOkDvAReagan’s older son Michael Reagan: http://bit.ly/yYVy7L Reagan’s beloved...

Although one Florida poll out yesterday had Romney suddenly in front again, most others have shown Newt surging and leading/tied with the monotonous Massachusetts mannequin.  Another fresh one revealed that Gingrich gained 12 points on Romney in the last three weeks, and now in a statistical dead-heat, 36 - 34%. This sort of momentum is what genuine voter enthusiasm can do for you... it's surely what delivered South Carolina to the Former House Speaker. And while an essential ingredient in any winning political campaign, you can't buy it... as the wholly-uninspiring Romney has come to realize. Now in Florida, the two...

There is something truly obscene about the full blown assault on Newt Gingrich’s strong Reagan conservative history from and on behalf of Mitt Romney, who unabashedly ran away from the Reagan legacy and conservative principles in his 1994 Senate campaign and 2002 gubernatorial campaign. Truly obscene.

There is something truly obscene about the full blown assault on Newt Gingrich’s strong Reagan conservative history from and on behalf of Mitt Romney, who unabashedly ran away from the Reagan legacy and conservative principles in his 1994 Senate campaign and 2002 gubernatorial campaign. Truly obscene.The latest iteration comes from Elliott Abrams writing in National Review, quoting pieces of a single speech Newt apparently gave on the floor of the House on March 21, 1986, in which Newt criticized certain foreign policy decisions of the Reagan administration. Abrams does not link to the full speech or to other speeches of...

In the increasingly rough Republican campaign, no candidate has wrapped himself in the mantle of Ronald Reagan more often than Newt Gingrich. “I worked with President Reagan to change things in Washington,” “we helped defeat the Soviet empire,” and “I helped lead the effort to defeat Communism in the Congress” are typical claims by the former speaker of the House. The claims are misleading at best. In the Reagan years I was an assistant secretary of state — Mr. Gingrich voted with the president regularly, but equally often spewed insulting rhetoric at Reagan, his top aides, and his policies to...

Gingrich a star on Reagan team: Romney "work product" as conservative at issue. Mitt Romney has raised the issue of Newt Gingrich's "work product." Wow. Intended to prod the former Speaker on the issue of his work for Freddie Mac (Gingrich last night released his contract with Freddie), the question, as seems to be a Romney characteristic, has clumsily backfired. It raises an all-too obvious question that is becoming increasingly revealing. What is Mitt Romney's "work product" for the conservative cause? The closest Mitt Romney ever got to the Reagan Revolution is apparently because he reads about it 30 years...

Brokered Convention Chatter on Rise January 20, 2012 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Let me tell you, I mentioned this yesterday, I mentioned this some time ago. There are rumblings in the Republican establishment of a brokered convention now. There is unsettledness and disquietedness in the conservative establishment, quote, unquote, in the Republican establishment, quote, unquote. Both camps have prominent people who are unhappy with the way all of this is shaking out. And they talked about it on Scarborough's show today on PMSNBC. For the conservative establishment it's Newt."Oh, no, we don't want Newt. We gotta do something about Newt."For...

JOHN LOVES MARY Friday at 7:30 am on January 20, 2012 1949 Comedy/Romance Starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, and Jack Carson A GI's fiancee resents his marriage of convenience to a buddy's English girlfriend. THE HASTY HEART Friday at 1:15 pm on January 20, 2012 1949 Drama Starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, and Richard Todd A patient and a nurse comfort a dying Scottish soldier in World War II Burma. THE ANGELS WASH THEIR FACES Saturday at 6:00 am on January 21, 2012 1939 Drama Starring Ronald Reagan, Ann Sheridan, and the Dead End Kids A street gang helps the...

BigGovernment.com has uncovered a private memorandum written over three decades ago that offers a unique glimpse into Mr. Gingrich’s longstanding attitudes about race.

News Sentinel Political Cartoon:

What would President Reagan do if he had had a good conservative challenging Sen. Arlen Specter in a primary in Pennsylvania? Former Sen. Rick Santorum is taking a lot of heat in his presidential campaign for backing the RINO Specter over true-blue conservative Pat Toomey in 2004. We need more conservatives like Ronald Reagan. I agree. But let's remember what Reagan actually did. In 1982, Sen. Lowell Weicker (R-Conn.) faced a possible challenge from Prescott Bush, Jr., elder brother of Reagan's vice president. "God himself could not keep me from challenging Lowell Weicker," the Bush brother said. But when the...

Twenty-three years on from the end of the greatest US presidency of the 20th century, the conservative revolution led by Ronald Reagan continues. America may be led by the most Left-wing American president of the modern era, but the nation remains at its core a deeply conservative country, with conservatives holding a huge lead over liberals in the latest Gallup poll. According to Gallup: Political ideology in the U.S. held steady in 2011, with 40% of Americans continuing to describe their views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This marks the third straight year that conservatives have...

Meghan McCain, MSNBC’s newest contributor with a growing laundry list of outlandish comments to her credit, appeared as on Wednesday’s Tonight Show. During the broadcast, the quirky McCain compared herself to conservative icon President Ronald Reagan, asserting that if he were in the presidential race today, “he would be called a dirty moderate like me, unfortunately.” McCain, who identifies herself as a “big proponent” of same-sex marriage, said that her views have isolated her in Republican circles. “People don’t think I’m Republican enough because I’m a big advocate of marriage equality in this country. But I’m very proud to do...

During his 1984 campaign Ronald Reagan ran a thirty second television spot that very subtly highlighted the differences between his understanding of the threat of the Soviet Communists and Walter Mondale’s underestimation of the danger they posed. The spot opened with a narrator saying “There is a bear in the woods.” As it progressed, a brown bear was shown wandering in a forest. The full text was, “There is a bear in the woods. For some people, the bear is easy to see. Others don’t see it at all. Some people say the bear is tame. Others say it’s vicious...

- Courtesy of Liberty Works* The following charts track the unemployment rate and the size of the labor force. * The chart above shows that over the first 25 months of the current recovery the unemployment rate has declined from 10.1% to 8.5% while the size of the labor force is virtually unchanged even though the working age population has grown.Since the beginning of 2008 the working age population has grown by 7.2 million people.  Yet the labor force which is normally about two-thirds of the working age population has shrunk over the same period by 49,000.Thus, 4.8 million men...

Gotta say, every time I read a headline that makes me think I’ll like Rick Santorum less, I just find myself liking him more. When I came across this article in The Huffington Post, I cringed to think Santorum might have taken a cheap shot at conservatives’ most revered modern hero. But he did no such thing. Instead, he made a valid point — that Reagan, for all his many victories, still established a troublesome precedent of quickly “fixing� Social Security instead of meaningfully reforming the program. The relevant excerpt: Santorum outlined his stance on social security at the event,...

Of particular interest is the “Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982,” the largest of Reagan’s tax increases, and generally considered the largest tax increase — as a percentage of the economy — in modern American history. In fact, between 1982 and 1984, Reagan raised taxes four times, and as Bruce Bartlett has explained more than once, Reagan raised taxes 12 times during his eight years in office.

Newt Gingrich was an early foot-soldier for Ronald Reagan. He was inspired by Reagan’s charisma, convictions and leadership. He supported Reagan in 1976 and witnessed the attacks by the Ford campaign to tar Ronald Reagan, the conservative, as unstable and dangerous. Sound familiar? Newt was also among the small band of conservatives, led by Jack Kemp in the late 1970s, who saw the tremendous potential for growth in Art Laffer’s supply-side economics. When President Reagan embraced the Kemp-Roth tax cut, Newt Gingrich was on the frontlines working to pass the legislation. First, Newt led the drive to build the Republican...

This was a joint New Year's Day Message by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. There is a sense of the Cold War ending because both leaders were talking about peace and Nuclear Arms Reduction. This video is in the Public Domain. The Master Copy can be found at the National Archives and Records Administration, Room 4000, 8601 Adelphi Road, Hyattsville, MD 20740-6001. The Archival Retrieval Catalog (ARC) number is: 59591

Officially, the recession ended two and a half years ago. President Obama tells us the economy has been moving in the right direction since June 2009. Few will take solace in that statistic. Americans are suffering. For nearly three years, nearly one in 10 have been out of work. Almost double that number are either underemployed — working part time when they would rather be full time — or have simply given up looking. Historically in America, the deeper the recession, the stronger the recovery. By historical standards, we should be completing the second year of a booming recovery. Recall...