Posted on 02/05/2011 9:57:52 AM PST by Brices Crossroads
As Sarah Palin addressed the Reagan 100 Celebration in California last night, I was almost distracted by her warm embrace of Reagan the man and what his vision and accomplishments meant to the country. There was no direct reference to the two Bush administrations, which spanned over half of the 22 years since the Gipper boarded the chopper bound for Rancho del Cielo...and his place both in history and in the hearts of his countrymen, who miss him so. Her address was both moving and pitch perfect.
And while there was no direct reference to the two Bush Administrations or to the Clinton Administration (which was spawned by the missteps of the first Bush), Palin very adroitly took them both to task and, at the same time, defended the Gipper. Noting that, by the time he left office, President Reagan had defeated the expansionist ideology of the [big government] Great Society, she lamented that:
"If history teaches us anything, it is that bad ideas are never gone for good.
FOR THE LAST TWO DECADES, WE HAVE SEEN BIG GOVERNMENT SLOWLY ENCROACH ON US. IT WAS SUBTLE AT FIRST, COUCHED IN THE LANGUAGE OF PROGRESS AND COMPASSION. But when the financial crisis erupted in 2008, big government rose up and presumptuously declared itself the answer to our problems...."
In 1988, I was in the Superdome for George H.W. Bush's acceptance speech at the GOP convention in New Orleans, and his call for a "kinder and gentler" America, which was both a euphemism for big government and a direct slap at his predecessor and benefactor, President Reagan (Kinder and gentler than what? Reagan, of course). I was reminded of this original dissing of Reagan--while he was still President, no less--when, on May 3, 2009, the latest of the Bush clan--Jeb--during a "listening tour" with Mitt Romney and Eric Cantor, called for the GOP to give up its "nostalgia" for the Reagan era and to "upgrade its message" perhaps taking a page from the Democrat playbook, noting that "the other side [Obama]has something."
Palin deftly juxtaposed Reagan's success in defeating the expansionist ideology of big government with the current failures of the same big government ideology, which BEGAN with the retrenchment of big government under the guise of "compassion" (whether "kinder and gentler" or "compassionate conservatism")during the first Bush Administration. In labeling this so-called "kinder and gentler" euphemism for what it is: the old "big government" bad idea dressed up in drag, Palin at once mounted a long overdue defense of Reagan's legacy and separated herself not only from the crescendo of this ideology personified in Barack Obama but from the "two decades" of its "subtle encroachment" by Bush-Clinton-Bush, without which Obama would never have been possible in the first place.
Governor Palin is the first major GOP figure since Reagan left office to step forward and defend President Reagan and his administration, albeit subtly, from the not so subtle slap at his Administration delivered by his Vice President, George H.W. Bush, in New Orleans 22 years ago and repeated by his sons both in their words and in their policies. In so doing she separates herself from the Establishment that always reviled Reagan and now reviles her, noting that the conservative movement, which Reagan birthed and to which she belongs: "has never been more engaged... and more willing to put up with what it takes to serve." Observing that Reagan was unique, she freely concedes that: "No. There is not one replacement for Reagan, but rather an army of patriotic Davids who are not afraid to stand up and speak out in defense of liberty. These Davids aren't afraid to tell Goliath, 'Don't tread on me.'"
The battle lines are drawn, and the Governor has drawn them herself, aligning herself firmly with the successful ideas of Reagan and against the carnage wrought by his successors' expansionist Great Society ideology in the last two decades. In 2012, it will not just be Sarah Palin versus Barack Obama, but Palin versus the Bush-Clinton-Obama "hydra of big government" that has grown at a gallop since the Gipper departed for his California ranch 22 years ago.
David versus Goliath, huh? Sounds to me like she is reaching into her pouch for a smooth stone...
Ping!
This is why so many conservatives admire and support Sarah Palin. I'm proud to be one of them.
Gingrich is hoarding mo’ money then others.
We have to outstomp the money and elect our baby Reaganette Sarah!
Palin also slyly mentioned how excited she was to ride horseback at the ranch... on a trail that was cleared by RR himself. I certainly got the metaphor.
The moment she announces, I’m in for as much as I can afford to give her campaign. She will have an astounding campaign fund and it will scare the RINOs and left to know how many Davids are here to fight their Goliath.
I love that pic
Nice!
Nice post BC. Tks. Have watched the speech twice..it was excellent on a variety of levels. The US is very fortunate to have this courageous lady so dominant in the political discourse. Many of her opponents believed she was down and out after AZ but how wrong they were in their arrogance and conceit.
Domestically speaking, I don’t see much difference between Clinton and either Bush. Makes me sad to say it too.
Dittos.
Well, I certainly see a difference between dubya and Clinton but Free Republic seems to have forgotten all the good Bush did. Sad.
This is a daunting task.
In the entire field, only Gov. Palin has either committed to that mission or has the stature to see it through.
The Tea Party delivered a ton of votes. The Republicans fired back at the Tea Party by supporting Rats or write ins, and followed with the "Date Night" at the State of the Union address. It was their way of saying, "Here inside the beltway, we're one big happy family. If you didn't go to Harvard and don't embrace the premise of a New World Order, we'll take your votes, but after that, the H### with you. We're dancing with the Rats who are more ideologically in agreement with us." Battle isn't over. 2012 will tell us if we can root out the One Worlder Big Government types from the Republican party.
I must admit I was so distracted by the terrible audio/video that I didn't listen as well as I should have, so it will he great to listen to it again or, better yet, read the transcript. BTW, if you find one, forward it to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit, who had this to say:
I DIDN’T SEE SARAH PALIN’S SPEECH LAST NIGHT, but Randy Barnett saw it, and emailed: “I must admit it was an impressive speech. The first I have heard her give since she accepted the VP nomination, only much better. Reaganesque even.” When Sarah Palin is getting that kind of praise from Georgetown law professors, it suggests that there’s something missing from the narrative. Is there a transcript somewhere?
If you took at look at the clinton v. GWBush US Supreme Court picks you might see the difference. Does the name Ruth Bader Ginsburg ring a bell?
Sir, you are 100% correct!
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