It seems that almost every really good leader, even those we on the right like and admire, has at least one MAJOR position they are wrong on, be it immigration as the most common, but not only one.
Even Reagan was wrong on a few things.
The Leadership Factor
Roosevelt, according to [Ronald] Reagan, was a strong leader, one to emulate in certain respects. He had taken over the presidency during a time of unprecedented crisis and implemented a plan of action to bring the nation out of its doldrums. Reagan fondly recalled FDR’s Fireside Chats, which were designed to give hope to the people. “His strong, gentle, confident voice resonated across the nation with an eloquence that brought comfort and resilience to a nation caught up in a storm and reassured us that we could lick any problem. I will never forget him for that.” As governor of California later, Reagan had to deal with a Democratic legislature. “It occurred to me that I had an opportunity to go over their heads.” How? He used radio and television to communicate directly with the people of California, a tactic he traced back to FDR’s Fireside Chats, which, he commented, “made an indelible mark on me during the Depression.”
As president, Reagan often mentioned his admiration for FDR’s spirit of leadership. On a trip back to his alma mater, Eureka College, in 1984, he reminded his listeners what it was like to experience the Great Depression, and how the Fireside Chats had been so reassuring. “All of us who lived through those years,” he instructed them, “remember the drabness the depression brought. But we remember, too, how people pulled together, that sense of community and shared values, that belief in American enterprise and democracy that saw us through. It was that engrained American optimism, that sense of hope Franklin Roosevelt so brilliantly summoned and mobilized.” In his view, FDR was instrumental in reviving an inherent American optimism that was endangered by the economic crisis.
http://www.firstprinciplesjournal.com/articles.aspx?article=1082&loc=r
Did Newt remind viewers that he once said, "the era of Reagan is over."?
Asinine to criticize a person’s admiration for two dead Presidents. There is much to admire and to criticize - is that so hard to understand?
The historical record of the Roosevelts is the reference for judgement.
They were human beings, imperfect and flawed; guided by principles and chaotic times that required leadership.
My dead ancestors were revered men of character and devoid of warts. That’s my mother’s story and she’s sticking to it. Fortunately for her - there are no written records to contradict the legend.
My God the delusions of Newt as the savior of our republic are pathetic! The guy is an over fed political whore of the worst sort who has taken money from the big bankers, the eco-nuts and just about every other liberal advocacy group. He’ll be no different than the O if he gets elected and will continue the big government take-over of our lives and the stealing of our money by the elites.
If you look at Newt as a whole, his infatuation with the Roosevelts along with Wilson isn’t a sign of unpredectability. It makes perfect sense — those are the people he actually identifies with and admires. Which should scare the living daylights out of any right-thinking conservative.
If you look close enough, Newt’s the only candidate on our side worse than Romney. Plenty of fiery rhetoric though. Right-wing big gov’t progressive? Maybe. More likely some kind of agent-provacateur. Definitely not a conservative.