Free Republic

John Bolton has referred to President Obama as America's first post-American President. By this he means that instead of pursuing America's interests in relation to the rest of the world, President Obama is pursuing the rest of the world's interests in relation to America. In other words, Obama is imposing on America the policies the rest of the world would like to see stuffed down our throats. This is why it seems like we are losing our country piece by piece, and that America is in an accelerating downward spiral. To those who are paying attention, and not just blindly...

Approximately once every four years, the media establishment and certain "moderates" in the Republican Party decide to destroy a conservative candidate. They sharpen their blades and their tongues and they go into action, armed with the conviction that the vitriol of their pens will wither away the candidate's reputation and potential. Very often, it works. After all, what would you think of a candidate the Baltimore Sun calls a symptom of "the right, the radical right, which cherishes notions that often are too simple, too negative and too risky"? What would you believe about a candidate one liberal columnist calls...

Why do Palin fans feel so passionately about her? Because she reminds them of former President Reagan: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-6996-Louisville-Economic-Policy-Examiner~y2009m11d25-Palinism-is-Reaganism

I was fortunate enough to live in a city that was on the list of stops for Governor Palin’s book tour. Of all the cities and areas in upstate NY, I didn’t expect it to be mine! However as an organizer for 2012 Draft Sarah Committee, I was happy that I could potentially get my book signed and meet the governor. I ended up walking out with a signed copy of ‘Going Rogue,’ a signed t-shirt (that my awesome girlfriend made for me) and an awesome experience under my belt! There were people from all walks of life. Some were...

Predictably, Charles Johnson is up in arms over the GOP's proposed "purity test".  Chamberlain-esque RINO candy ass Allahpundit has a more, balanced sane opinion. My two cents:  the purity test is wrong because if Reagan was their inspiration (someone who agrees with me 80% of the time is my friend, not an enemy), then this litmus test from Reagan should have been their guide: “We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual...

ReGaining Reagan Sarah Carlsruh, November 23, 2009 Today, there are “far too many people saying ‘let’s move beyond Reagan,’” lamented Steve Hayward, author of The Age of Reagan and keynote speaker at Accuracy in Academia’s November 5th Author’s Night. Reagan stuck to an unwavering and enduring set of ideals. Yet, liberals are trying to present a distorted picture of Reagan and make him into a proto-liberal, said Hayward. Some liberals embrace the 2nd Term Reagan as a man of peace, call his foreign policy “pretty good” while condemning the Reagan of domestic policy. In contrast, Hayward insisted that “it was...

Fundamental truths are often beyond the grasp of people with advanced degrees — you know, the Parenthetical People on the coasts imbued with wisdom absorbed during erudite cocktail conversations in Hollywood and Manhattan and Brussels... Americans want to be cheerful and hopeful, not negative and enraged... If you question the intelligence of the people, try to turn them against God, send a negative message, encourage rage, and offer a free lunch and more Government, you are swimming upstream. ... Americans generally like America, and they don’t think Obama’s plan to turn it into Cuba is such a great idea... “The...

Seeking to deflect a rising frequency of calls for his resignation, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner suggested that “the root source of our current troubles can be traced back to the Reagan Administration. Remember, it was the tax cuts and deregulation pushed by President Reagan that unleashed an abnormal expansion of economic growth. The American people became accustomed to an unhealthy pace of increasing material prosperity that is incompatible with the more socially conscious restraint President Obama is trying to bring to this country.” “Rising home values, rising investment values, rising salaries all stimulate a sense of greed that is...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20--President Carter would easily defeat either former Gov. Ronald Reagan of California or former President Gerald R. Ford if the election were held today, according to the Gallup Poll.

Fascinating NYT articles from the late 70s about the same things we see today. The GOP needs to be more moderate, reach out to independents, they're too conservative, Reagan is bad news, too extreme, etc... Things never change. Here's some highlights: From 10/3/77: Mr. Ford drew a warm but not particularly enthusiastic response when he told the Republicans that their party's future lay in avoiding idealistic extremes and in attracting non-aligned voters..."In my judgment the radical liberal or idealistically pure conservative policies will not in the long run attract the independent voter". It was a remark that some listeners interpreted...

Is Reagan Conservatism dead? The answer is a resounding - No! The ideal is as solid as it has ever been, but the objective view of this writer is that it is not enough to deliver this nation from the 70 year socialistic grip of liberalism and its horrific consequences (moral and institutional) on our society and people. Anyone who has an objective view and appraisal of our current situation would have to agree. In light of the present conditions plaguing our country and what seems to be the disintegration of the Republican Party, Conservatives have been on suicide alert...

Paul Krugman Criticizes Reaganomics Here's how to defend it Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics Krugman proves that a crafty, educated man can make statistics say whatever he wants them to. It's all about how you aggregate or disaggregate them and how wide or narrow an angle your snapshot captures.He showcases the blazing hot growth of the 50's and 60's that was the inevitable result of post-WW II rebuilding, and then criticizes Reagan because his growth didn't measure up to this impossible-to-maintain pace. So why does Fama (Eugene Fama, who trumpets the irrefutable success of Reaganomics) believe that something wonderful happened...

The 19th century American writer Henry Adams said the descent of American presidents from George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant was enough to discredit the theory of evolution. The same could be said of the pantheon of conservative political heroes, which in the last half-century has gone from Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan to Sarah Palin. That refutation may be agreeable to Palin, who doesn't put much stock in Darwin anyway. You can confirm all this by looking at what the three wrote. Goldwater, the 1964 Republican presidential nominee, made his reputation four years earlier with an eloquent and intellectually...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMpQqDP-nk&feature=related A great clip of Walter Cronkite and a CBS panel announcing Reagan's 1980 landslide victory. Wondering how all the polls were so wrong, how Carter could have done so badly, what happened. Dan Rather says it was just a total rejection of the democratic party and of liberalism. Leslie Stahl calls Carter impotent and incompetent, a total failure. Cronkite tries to defend him on the hostages. Harry Reasoner explains that he had no base, just blacks and hispanics. That the midwest totally abandoned him over unemployment. It's like a funeral on the set. Just extremely entertaining. Worth watching in...

Steve Hayward Discusses Reagan (Video) Bethany Stotts, November 17, 2009 Our video of Steven Hayward’s Author’s Night presentation on Ronald Reagan is now up on YouTube. Visit our channel or sit back and enjoy the embedded videos of his speech....

(I should've posted this the day before yesterday - on World Freedom Day...) ...President Reagan came to office with the belief that the United States and other free nations should use all aspects of political, military, economic, diplomatic and cultural power to defeat Communism. Once in office he put those ideas into practice by encouraging and influencing other free nations to join in his endeavor. Most notably was his speech in Berlin where he declared to General Secretary Gorbachev that if he wanted peace and prosperity for the Soviet Union he must, “Tear Down this Wall.”

Ronald Reagan's V-Day Ceremony Address at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Delivered 11 November 1988, Washington D.C. Before I begin, let me take a moment to congratulate the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and the other distinguished guests without whom the construction and operation of this memorial would not have been possible. Let me also say that America is grateful to the hundreds of Vietnam veterans who, when I asked them to join my Administration, did so, and have and are serving our nation so proudly. For your devotion to America, I salute you. We're gathered today, just as we have gathered...

Hillary Clinton Scrubs Ronald Reagan From History Nile Gardiner November 10th, 2009 It’s bad enough that President Obama could not be bothered to attend the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But Hillary Clinton’s refusal to even acknowledge the role played by Ronald Reagan in the Wall’s demise as well as the downfall of Communism was highly insulting towards one of the greatest figures of our time, and reeked of petty and partisan mean-spiritedness. The Secretary of State’s remarks yesterday in Berlin completely erased from history the huge contribution played not only by President...

Well, NBC News shows us how, and, as a bonus, manages to include Hillary Clinton in the report, twice.

Mitt Romney is heading to Reagan country. The former Massachusetts governor is scheduled to speak this Friday to the Young America's Foundation at the Ronald Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, California. Romney is expected to be the dinner banquet speaker for the foundation's West Coast Leadership Conference, which consists of young conservatives from 44 colleges and universities across 12 states. "Young people provide much of the energy in the conservative movement, and if we are going to be successful as a party we need to harness that energy and put it work on behalf of the principles we all...

Amidst all of the hoopla surrounding the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall the two men most responsible have been all but forgotten. While German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world dignitaries praised former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for the fall of the wall, the two men perhaps most responsible, President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II were all but forgotten. Merkel praised Gorbachev, “You made this possible---you courageously let things happen.” He let things happen? Is she kidding? Gorbachev had no choice but to let things happen. Let’s revisit real history for a moment please. The fall of...

It’s bad enough that President Obama could not be bothered to attend the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But Hillary Clinton’s refusal to even acknowledge the role played by Ronald Reagan in the Wall’s demise as well as the downfall of Communism was highly insulting towards one of the greatest figures of our time, and reeked of petty and partisan mean-spiritedness. The Secretary of State’s remarks yesterday in Berlin completely erased from history the huge contribution played not only by President Reagan but also by the United States in confronting the Soviet Empire....

Reagan is dead but if we let his legacy, achievements and ideology die… so too are we. Every GOP politician and conservative commentator must demand that Obama apologize for ignoring Reagan’s part in the fall of the wall. It is a game changer because Obama’s slight crystallizes all the various issues we face today. Reagan faced a recession and knew the answer was getting the government off our backs. He understood the issues with socialized medicine and the liberties lost. He recognized evil, called it evil and opposed it. He was proud of America, not embarrassed by it. He saw...

Twenty years later: Why the Berlin Wall fell S A Aiyar Sunday October 25, 2009 We are approaching the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism. This comprehensively refuted the Communist claim to represent the people. Yet, the claim continues, sometimes dazzling a new generation of youngsters with no inkling of why the Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989. In democratic Capitalism, said Karl Marx, the rich became richer and the poor poorer. Marxism inspired young idealists for over a century. Lenin’s revolution in Russia in 1917 was hailed as a new dawn. Stalin’s invasions brought Communism to Eastern...

The collapse of communism: Reagan, Thatcher and the pope By Joseph A. Cannon Deseret News Published: Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 12:12 a.m. MST Twenty years ago, my wife, Jan, and I were in what was then called West Berlin for a conference. One pleasant afternoon we walked along the Berlin Wall from the Brandenburg Gate to Checkpoint Charlie. During that time, there were significant rancorous anti-Communist demonstrations in East Germany, primarily in the southern part. A German friend, with typical Prussian hubris, dismissed them. "Nothing will come of this, these are just the ineffective rumblings of a bunch of Bavarians."...

World leaders of the past and present have commemorated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by walking across a key bridge linking the east and west of the city. Despite the rain, thousands of people have gathered for a commemorative ceremony on the Bornholmer Street Bridge, which was the first border crossing to open on November 9, 1989. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Solidarity leader and later Polish President Lech Walesa walked across the bridge, recreating the short but historic journey taken by thousands of East Germans to reach West Berlin...

Ronald Reagan's historic speech before the Berlin Wall in 1987, in which he said "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall," is one of most important speeches in world history. The Berlin Wall's falling, which came about two years later, was a victory for freedom and a crushing blow to the former Soviet Union and the tyranny of Communism around the world.

It has been 20 long years since the fall of the Berlin wall. Millions of people who were trapped in their oppressive, government-planned states suffered as a result of collectivism. Over 100 million people died at the hands of sycophantic, megalomaniac leaders that claimed they could bring us a better world than so-called capitalism and individual liberty has brought us. I say "so-called" because nowhere in the world does capitalism truly exist. In the countries where it is allowed to exist in even small proportions, wealth and prosperity reign. However, the collectivists hate even this small proportion of capitalism that...

Thank-you Great Communicator,Pope John Paul II The Great,And Margaret Thatcher for planting the seeds that realized a harvest on this day in history. On November 9, 1989, the East German Government announced that its citizens could freely visit West Germany and West Berlin. It came after several weeks of protests by East German citizens who yearned for the kind of freedom that the west enjoyed. It also marked the end of a 28 year old blockade that was the result of some 3 and a half million people fleeing communism to the west. After its erection, numbers vary, but it...

We win. They lose.

Please join me for a special 20-year commemorative look at the fall of the Berlin Wall, the triumph of liberty, and the "change" we'd better believe we're in. Live at 3pmE/2pmTX/NoonP, archived afterward here, and also available on iTunes as a podcast. Call-in number: (347) 327-9710 Unspun with AnnaZIndependent Radio for the Independent Spirit

Ronald Reagan never stopped regarding the Berlin Wall as an affront to human freedom. When so many other American leaders and opinion makers had come to accept its presence as inevitable and permanent, Reagan still hammered away at the Wall’s very premise in human tyranny, until finally the Wall itself was hammered down. Its downfall wasn’t the work of Reagan alone. Our president’s actions were joined with the brave acts of many individuals who stood firm and united in facing the Soviet Union. The Berlin Wall came down because millions of people behind the Iron Curtain refused to accept the...

Reagan deliberately confronted criminal regimes with what they fear most: the publicly spoken truth about their moral weakness.

THE STATEMENT STILL GIVES ME CHILLS Despite the efforts of the Democrats, the wall came down 20 years ago. God blessed this nation indeed to have given us such a man of profound clarity and courage.

Twenty years ago, on Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, as protestors on both sides began chipping away with sledgehammers, picks and hands. But the first crack in the wall appeared two years before that — on June 12, 1987 — when President Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate and gave his ultimatum to the Soviet leader: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”In his new book, “Tear Down This Wall” (Simon & Schuster), Romesh Ratnesar, deputy managing editor at Time magazine, traces the origin of Reagan’s remarks, noting how administration officials disagreed over whether the president should be...

When Sarah Palin left the governorship of Alaska at the end of July, her supporters stood strong and tall. Websites devoted to the former governor continued springing up across the web with the same vigor as they had before her resignation and since her selection as vice presidential candidate. Membership in pro-Sarah websites grew instead of contracting as most typical thinkers would have thought. But the termination of her Twitter account timed simultaneously with a self-imposed exile so she could write her book and “bone up” on the issues left her fans somewhat hungry. Like addicts “jonesing” for a fix,...

With Monday marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Ronald Reagan's son Michael tells Newsmax that his father was deeply troubled by the wall from the night it was first erected. Michael Reagan also said President Barack Obama's decision not to attend the anniversary ceremonies in Berlin is "sad," but "completely consistent" with Obama. On June 12, 1987, President Reagan delivered a rousing speech near the Berlin Wall in which he challenged the leader of the Soviet Union: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Less than 2 1/2 years later, on Nov. 9, 1989, the wall...

On June 12, 1987, as the liberal media elite were toasting the leader of the Soviet Union as a great champion of progress, President Ronald Reagan stood at the Berlin Wall and challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to put his money where his mouth was: “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Gorbachev did not open the gate or tear down the Berlin Wall, but two years later the people of...

This past weekend, a small brouhaha erupted over a Halloween display on Capitol Hill. The display, in essence, mocked the death of the Republican Party and the conservative movement... Though distasteful, the display makes a point that has become increasingly common in American political discourse, that the Republican Party and American conservatism are dead... Of course, this is oversimplification and hyperbole. Conservatism is not dead, just civil conservatism. You can still hear some semblance of conservatism in the streets when Tea Partiers march, still see it on the television when you watch Fox News. In ever more hysterical tones, conservatism...

Former Congressman Duncan L. Hunter was kind enough to interrupt his extended Idaho vacation once more to answer a few questions and put his two cents in on the issues of the day. He and Lynne had their daughter-in-law and grandkids join them in Idaho over the Halloween weekend. He also extended his vacation plans for another week or so. After 28 years in the US House, then writing a book, he certainly deserves to enjoy his family, the R&R, and the hunting and fishing opportunities this weeks long vacation has afforded him. Hunter mentioned his son Duncan D. could...

Cold War: The White House has announced our absence at ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Meanwhile, Russia has been practicing a nuclear invasion of an abandoned Poland. The Berlin Wall has been a famous backdrop for American presidents sounding the battle cry of liberty in the struggle against tyranny. It was there that John F. Kennedy expressed our solidarity with the encircled residents of that outpost of freedom with his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner." And it was there that Ronald Reagan, with a defiant "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," voiced our...

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama noted Wednesday's 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, while insisting he wants the U.S. and Iran to move beyond "suspicion, mistrust and confrontation."

Return to the Article November 03, 2009Twenty-five years after the Reagan landslideBy Bruce Walker Election Day, 1984 -- twenty five years ago -- many thought that the ideological battle of America was won. President Reagan, the disciple of "Mr. Conservative" Barry Goldwater ran against Walter Mondale, the disciple of "Mr. Liberal" Hubert Humphrey.  Reagan got into politics with "The Speech" endorsing Barry Goldwater.  Here is what Reagan said in 1964:  This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite...

Listened to Bush Sr. Gave lots of credit to others, but there was a stark omission of Reagan. No Credit for Reagan???

Ronald Reagan did say never speak ill of another Republican but he also said trust but verify. In the case of New York's 23rd Congressional District candidate Republican Dierdre Scozzafava the people have spoken.

He was called a dumb actor -- a mere mouthpiece for wealthy controllers on the right, who fed him lines and pointed him toward a lectern to deliver them. He communicated well and knew how to act the part, having trained in those arts. But he was really an empty suit. Today, many rank that man -- Ronald Reagan -- among our greatest presidents. That he was not the derogatory things he had been called was a matter of record. Well before running for the presidency he had wedded himself to the core ideas he espoused in that office --...

In 1909, in the great state of Illinois, school teachers one February day were directed to spend at least half the school day in public exercises, patriotic music, and recitations of sayings, verses, and speeches to mark the centennial birthday of a great hero. At the end of it all, they were to have their students face in the direction of Springfield and chant in unison the following: “A blend of mirth and sadness, smiles and tears; “A quaint knight errant of the pioneers; “A homely hero, born of star and sod; “A Peasant Prince, a masterpiece of God.” Who...

Wow. I just noticed something. Our commander-in-chief is the least alpha of any of the leaders of our former enemies from World War II and the Cold War: Germany, Italy, and Russia. While I knew Obama exhibited beta behavior, I had no idea it was this bad. Give me a minute and I’ll lay out pictorial proof. We all know that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi holds the title of “Intergalactic Alpha”. The 73 year-old silverback is banging 18 year-olds, has amassed a fortune, laid the smack down on his wife, and avoided indictment and/or lynching for his shenanigans....

Rush Limbaugh, in response to the announcement that RINO, Dede Scozzafava, had withdrawn from the NY-23 race, told Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review Online:

His warning about the value of freedom and danger of big government is even more relevant today!"A Time for Choosing" otherwise known as "The Speech" was delivered in a broadcast in support of Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential election. The name of the program, "Rendezvous with Destiny" marked the beginning of Reagan as a national political figure. It turned out to be Reagan's rendezvous with destiny... [VIDEO AT SITE] Full text of the speech Excerpts from "A Time for Choosing" By Ronald Reagan Broadcast October 27, 1964...No nation in history has ever survived a tax burden that reached a third of...