Free Republic

When Ronald Reagan ran for a second term in 1984, he was 73 years old—and, at that time, the oldest presidential candidate in U.S. history. Biden eclipsed that record in 2020, turning 78 just two weeks after the general election. And now he's done it again with the announcement of his bid for a second term. Already the oldest president in U.S. history, Biden would, if reelected, be 82 on Inauguration Day and 86 by the time he leaves office. While Biden's age will no doubt be a factor in the 2024 presidential campaign, history demonstrates that older presidents like...

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said he "will do whatever" he can "to help the country," after the FBI’s raid of his Mar-a-Lago home last week, telling Fox News Digital that the "temperature has to be brought down," while stressing that the American people are "not going to stand for another scam." In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Monday morning, his first since the raid, Trump said he had his representatives reach out to the Justice Department to offer to help amid outrage over the FBI’s unprecedented raid on his private residence last week, in which agents seized classified...

Transcript For Oregon Representative Sal Esquivel, a Republican who has served in the statehouse for 12 years, the Trump administration’s hard line immigration stance is long overdue. Sal Esquivel: This is America. We have borders. We have laws. We're a nation of laws, so therefore we should adhere to those laws, and we should not ignore the laws that we don't want to adhere to. Sal Esquivel: The state needs to get its act together. And comply with federal law. As Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently made clear, federal law requires cities and counties to work with immigration authorities. Full...

The Statesman will not allow additional comments on Hillary's collapse story. See here: Click here.

Donald Trump’s surprise visit to Mexico, where he met the Mexican president and discussed the many contentious issues between our two countries, reminds me of President Reagan’s important trip to Geneva in 1985. Reagan was more than willing to sit down with the Communist leader of the USSR in an effort to build a personal connection between the two men without sacrificing America’s vital interests in the Cold War.

Ever since 1988, Republican candidates for all offices, particularly those running for President, have tried to channel Ronald Reagan. The conservative icon is the shining example of how a proper right-wing perspective has the power to make the country prosper domestically and make it respected around the world. In three decades, no candidate has come as close to truly picking up the Reagan mantle and bringing his ideals back to the White House than Ted Cruz. As The Atlantic points out, the sentiment from voters is very similar to what was happening in 1979 and 1980. The Judeo-Christian right had...

...........Moderator: We turn now to the economy and domestic policy. It's your turn to go first, Mr. President. What are your thoughts on the proper role and scope of government? Do we need more government, or less?Obama: We need more--for two reasons. We need more regulation to keep greedy capitalists from ripping off everyone else. And we need more government intervention and planning to pick the economic winners of the future.I'll help our auto companies retool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for American people to afford these...

June 26, 2012 A Statesman in Congress To the Members of the 112th Congress: This Friday marks the 160th anniversary of the death of Henry Clay (June 29, 1852). With only a few years excepted, Clay served in the House of Representatives and the Senate from 1803 until his death almost 50 years later. When he died, he was the most famous American of his day and received many, many eulogies. One of them came from a little-known, former one-term Congressman from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln, who eulogized Clay as "my beau ideal of a statesman." In calling Clay a "statesman,"...

Dear Fellow Virginians and Americans, I wanted to update you on the appellate ruling in the healthcare case in the 6th Circuit on June 29th. There are a lot of nuances to the ruling, so let's start at the beginning and go through them one at a time. Process Remember that in an ordinary appeal (not to the Supreme Court), three judges sit together to decide the appellate case. There are three appellate courts that have heard appeals of the merits of the healthcare cases: the 4th circuit (including Virginia); the 6th circuit; and the 11th circuit (where 26 of...

This interview is part of an ongoing 2010 series of conversations with former Congressman and conservative icon Duncan Lee Hunter. The intent is to keep this rock ribbed conservative’s ideas in the public square which will hopefully influence the direction of the Republican Party, as well as inspire the American people to embrace his Reaganesque views on American life and politics. With any luck, Hunter will seek the presidency again in 2012, but for now he is concentrating on helping the GOP wrestle control of the Congress from the radical Pelosi brigades. AJM: Hello Congressman, I hear you are keeping...

I'm from Jersey. This guy is a breath of fresh air. Hope he lasts...

This is the fifteenth in a series of conversations with former Congressman and conservative stalwart Duncan Hunter. He has agreed to these sessions as one way to keep his message of Reaganesque foreign policy and constitutional domestic policy on the front burner for the American people and his Republican colleagues. Hunter is currently spending much time and personal capital positioning a group of conservative candidates to take back congressional seats from liberal Democrats. With any luck, Mr. Hunter will choose to run for the presidency come 2012. But for right now, the 2010 midterm election is his mission. The interview...

As the federal budget season heats up, some Placer County officials are grumbling that Republican Rep. Tom McClintock's ideological opposition to congressional earmarks puts their constituents at a disadvantage. "It's already hurt us," Supervisor F.C. "Rocky" Rockholm said in a recent interview. McClintock said he will not seek congressional earmarks – budget requests made outside of the budget process. "I've made it very clear that I will fight for our district through the normal appropriations process," he said.

Duncan Hunter, a retired Republican who once chaired the Armed Services Committee, has decided that Iraq War veterans are the perfect candidates to revive the Republican Party in 2010. Hunter -- a Vietnam War vet who briefly sought the 2008 Republican presidential nomination -- is already backing two such candidates as they launch challenges to two of the more junior members of the House Democratic majority: Jesse Kelly, who wants to take on two-term incumbent Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona's 8th District, and Vaughn Ward, whose target in Idaho's 1st District is freshman Democrat Walt Minnick. Hunter will be attending a...

What Is a Leader? by Rev. James V. Schall, SJ 10/06/08 The verb "to lead" means to be out in front. But it also has the implication of knowing where the group that one leads is to go. The image of the lead mountain climber mistakenly guiding the troupe over a cliff comes to mind. The leader is supposed to know the way and to know when he doesn't. We look for political leaders who know the way -- to what? They seek to limit evils and to promote the reasonable flourishing of citizens to be sufficiently prosperous and humanly...

I just finished emailing this to all the Newspapers in VA:A Statesman Now Heads to WashingtonI don't think I've ever in my life had more admiration for a man. I didn't even start out liking him very much but John McCain regardless of ones political stripe made a selfless decision today  in suspending his campaign and pulling his ads. It may very well mean he jeopardizes his chances to win the Presidency but he has proven once again that when it comes to politics versus the business of the people, the people win every time with John McCain. This is...

Tribute video for Congressman Duncan Hunter, who ended his candidacy for president today.

First, let me say that this was by far the worst debate yet. The questions were not only skewed to the left, not only almost entirely neglected foreign policy, but they were so broad as to allow the candidates to fall back on talking points. Also, there was no room for back and forth between the candidates. Absolutely awful. With that said, Fred Thompson was the only candidate who stood out. He was funny, charming, and peppy. Here was a guy who wasn't afraid to speak hard truths, and who displayed knowledge of the policy issues--especially on entitlements. But the...

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul said today that he could see no possible reason to ever launch military action or initiate a war, vowing instead to battle efforts he said are undermining the individual liberties of people in America. In an interview with Washingtonpost.com's PostTalk program, the Texas congressman said he could see "no reason" to justify military action if he were elected president. He compared the United States to a schoolyard bully and said the country has no reason to flex its muscles overseas. "There's nobody in this world that could possibly attack us today," he said in the...

5 major food companies agree to snack guidelines that would ban Snickers Snacks sold in schools will have less fat, sugar and salt under the latest crackdown on junk food won by former President Clinton. Just five months after a similar agreement targeting the sale of sodas in schools, Clinton and the American Heart Association announced a deal Friday with several major food companies to make school snacks healthier — the latest assault on the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic. “This is voluntary,” Clinton said. “They don’t have to do it. But they recognize the challenge we face, and they are...