As Always, Reagan Absolutely NAILED It!

 

Aired Last Night: The Meaning Of Flag Day!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐍’𝐒 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟔 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐆 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐔𝐅𝐂 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐍 — 𝟒𝟎 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑

Between the fights at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn Saturday night — on President… pic.twitter.com/JSb51lUi8B

— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) June 15, 2026

How In The Hell Did THIS Ever Happen?

When Giants wide receiver Phil McConkey picked up a gun from the field after winning the 1987 Super Bowl 😳 pic.twitter.com/8mBQm8Fsr8

— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) April 19, 2026

When Giants wide receiver Phil McConkey picked up a gun from the field after winning the 1987 Super Bowl

HOCKEY GOLD: Setting The Record Straight

Sadly, some people are trying to politicize the recent series of events surrounding the US hockey team's stunning gold medal victory at the Olympic games. It's time to set the record straight:

The facts:

1) In 1980 then Vice President Walter Mondale (a Minnesotan and a huge hockey fan) attended the Olympic games, was at the championship hockey game when the US defeated Russia and celebrated with the team afterwards in the locker room.

2) On the heels of their big victory (aka The Miracle on Ice) then President Jimmy Carter invited the team to the White House. The team accepted and were later feted by the President and Mrs. Carter and congressional leaders in Washington.

3) In 1980, both Republicans and Democrats joined together to celebrate the team. Throughout the nation, as far as anyone could tell, people of every race, color, faith, neighborhood and political persuasion took pride in the win and were overjoyed. 

4) FBI Director Kash Patel played hockey, is a huge hockey fan, is friend's with the coach of the US team, attended the championship Olympic game in Milan and celebrated with the winning USA team.

5) Director Patel was in the locker room with the team after the game and put the team on the phone with the president who invited the team to the White House and the upcoming State of the Union Address. The president invited the winning US women's hockey team as well. The men's team accepted the president's invitation. The women 's team is reprteably unable to attend at this time due to a scheduling conflict. They will presumably accept at a later date.

6) Those who are attempting to politicize the teams' victories, Patel's attendance at the game, President Trump's invite and other aspects of this series of events are wrong. They are making fools of themselves.

7) The president is the president of all the people. He's my president and, yes -- he's your president too. The Olympic teams and participants represent our entire country. Pride in and love of country are nothing to apologize for. In fact, they are normally (and always should be) part of such participation. 

8) When the president invites you to Washington to be recognized and honored, unless you have some truly compelling reason not to accept, you accept and you attend. It's a matter of respect, no matter who the president may be.

45 Years Ago, Nixon Foresaw It All!

May leadership and stability return.

In 1980, Richard Nixon landed in Egypt for the Shah of Iran’s funeral. Here’s what he said upon arrival: pic.twitter.com/t3aRCA6O3m

— Richard Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) January 11, 2026

The Story Of Ronald And Donald

Growing up, one was quieter and more introspective while the other was a more vivid, more assertive personality. One was more contemplative, carefully mapping out his plans and taking advantage of opportunities as they came his way while the other tended to seize the day almost before it began, barging ahead even into realms where he was not welcome. 

But both garnered early fame, both succeeded in multiple carers and both became pillars of the popular culture well before they capped it off by ascending to the highest office in the land.

The Story of Ronald and Donald

Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump stand as towering figures in American politics—one a beloved statesman who gave voice to American ideals, the other a political brawler who translated those ideals into forceful action. Reagan’s rhetoric shaped generations of conservative thought. Trump, especially after his return to office this year, turned long-standing conservative dreams into tangible, lasting victories. Simply put: Ronald was the architect. Donald is the builder. And Donald isn’t done yet!

Reagan: The Conservative Idealist

Ronald Reagan was the most effective conservative communicator of the 20th century. He championed free markets, limited government, a strong military, and traditional values. He awakened national pride, helped end the Cold War, and made it respectable—patriotic, even—to be a conservative again.

Yet Reagan’s presidency, while influential, often fell short of his stated goals. He promised to eliminate the Department of Education but never did. He talked of a leaner federal government, but federal spending and debt grew significantly. He was pro-life in word and tone, but he lacked the effective judicial appointments and perhaps even the moxie to shift the legal foundations of abortion in America.

Reagan’s gift was inspiration. He offered the right blueprint—but too often, construction stalled.

Trump: The Conservative Executor

Donald Trump arguably lacks Reagan’s more traditional oratorical skills. And Trump has never been a policy wonk, let alone an ideologue. But Trump the dogged pragmatist does what so many polished pols  have failed to do: he delivers results. His first term saw a string of policy achievements that Reaganites had only dreamed about: massive tax reform, aggressive deregulation, a revitalized energy sector, border security enforcement, and a reshaped judiciary. 

His second term, beginning in 2025, has only deepened that record, bringing long-sought conservative victories to full fruition. In fact, in terms of scope and impact, Trump’s first six months have been nothing short of breathtaking.

Perhaps nowhere is this more visible than in the Supreme Court.

While Reagan appointed justices who sometimes drifted left (Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony Kennedy), Trump appointed three originalists—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—who have mostly held the line. And, with Justices Thomas and Scalia they have pretty much formed the backbone of the majority that overturned Roe v. Wade in the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. That ruling, issued in 2022, marked a profound shift in constitutional law, ending the federal guarantee of abortion and returning the power to the states — the biggest conservative triumph in a half century!

Again, this was no small footnote. It was the culmination of a 50-year conservative goal—and Trump made it possible. While Reagan had eloquently voiced his pro-life beliefs year after year, it was Trump who courageously restructured the judiciary in a way that made change irreversible.

On top of all that, Trump has now signed an executive order ending the use of taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion and the president has withheld funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. 

Trump’s 2025 Encore: Expanding an Enacted Reagan Agenda

In his second term, Trump has returned with greater focus and an iron determination to finish what he and others started. Most symbolically, he dismantled the Department of Education, fulfilling Reagan’s original promise to return education to state and local control. What Reagan couldn't do, Trump did—removing the federal stranglehold on curriculum, testing, and woke ideological influence in schools.

He followed this with passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a signature legislative package that encapsulates his America First philosophy. This sweeping law:

• Established a flatter tax system and effectively ended the death tax;
• Fully funded border security, completed the wall, and gave ICE expanded authority;
• Codified parental rights and religious liberty protections in public education;
• Defunded DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) initiatives in all federal agencies;
• Supercharged domestic energy production by gutting overreaching environmental regulations.
• Drastically cut funding for NPR and PBS (another long-held Reagan goal) finally slashing taxpayer support for left-leaning "public broadcasting." 

Where Reagan gestured toward a smaller, freer, more American-centered government, Trump forged it into existence. What’s more, he brought the Reagan agenda up to date on 2025’s most pressing social issues and carried out results. 

Beyond Policy: Cultural and Bureaucratic Warfare

Reagan sought to unify. Trump confronts. And in this confrontational age, his style has proven effective. Trump’s revival of Schedule F has gutted the unelected bureaucratic class that quietly thwarts conservative policies. His cultural counteroffensive—defending women’s sports, pushing back against gender ideology, and removing CRT from federal training—has been unapologetic and effective.

On another front, though Trump has been called an isolationist, his actions abroad hardly warrant such a sweeping characterization. In fact, in many ways (and most recently) his foreign policy echoes Reagan’s peace-through-strength posture but with sharper edges: an assertive stance on China, expanded Middle East peace deals, and forced compliance from NATO allies. It’s a good bet Reagan would have loved to have seen a greater commitment from our NATO allies (both financial and otherwise) but Trump actually delivered it. And with the Abraham Accords and Trump’s latest actions in Iran, Israel has enjoyed the support of no greater ally that Donald Trump, and that includes Ronald Reagan. 

Conclusion: The Blueprint and the Builder

Yes, Reagan was mostly the architect, though that in no way diminishes his many successes. And Trump is clearly the builder but one who still knows how to make America dream and soar higher. The two are not rivals, but rather different chapters in the same conservative revolution. They actually compliment one another and it's safe to say without President Reagan there may not have been a President Trump.

Reagan lit the torch. Trump carried it—through battlefields Reagan never had to cross—and planted it firmly in ground that now bears visible, historic conservative victories: the end of Roe, the collapse of the education bureaucracy, the reaffirmation of national borders, piercing a liberal media stronghold and forging a judiciary that honors constitutional originalism.

Ronald the visionary, talked it, imagined it, dreamed it. Donald the builder,  did it. And America will never be the same.

4th of July Story, Message You'll NEVER Forget!

President Ronald Reagan wrote this 4th of July address himself in his own hand and delivered it on that date in 1981:

For one who was born and grew up in the small towns of the Midwest, there is a special kind of nostalgia about the Fourth of July.

I remember it as a day almost as long-anticipated as Christmas.
This was helped along by the appearance in store windows of all kinds of fireworks and colorful posters advertising them with vivid pictures.

No later than the third of July – sometimes earlier – Dad would bring home what he felt he could afford to see go up in smoke and flame.
We'd count and recount the number of firecrackers, display pieces and other things and go to bed determined to be up with the sun so as to offer the first, thunderous notice of the Fourth of July.

I'm afraid we didn't give too much thought to the meaning of the day.
And, yes, there were tragic accidents to mar it, resulting from careless handling of the fireworks. I'm sure we're better off today with fireworks largely handled by professionals. Yet there was a thrill never to be forgotten in seeing a tin can blown 30 feet in the air by a
giant "cracker" – giant meaning it was about 4 inches long.

But enough of nostalgia. Somewhere in our growing up we began to be aware of the meaning of days and with that awareness came the birth of patriotism. July Fourth is the birthday of our nation. I believed as a boy, and believe even more today, that it is the birthday of the
greatest nation on earth.

There is a legend about the day of our nation's birth in the little hall in Philadelphia, a day on which debate had raged for hours. The men gathered there were honorable men hard-pressed by a king who had flouted the very laws they were willing to obey. Even so, to sign
the Declaration of Independence was such an irretrievable act that the walls resounded with the words "treason, the gallows, the headsman's axe," and the issue remained in doubt.

The legend says that at that point a man rose and spoke. He is described as not a young man, but one who had to summon all his energy for an impassioned plea. He cited the grievances that had brought them to this moment and finally, his voice falling, he said, "They may turn every tree into a gallows, every hole into a grave, and yet the words of that parchment can never die. To the mechanic in the workshop, they will speak hope; to the slave in the mines, freedom. Sign that parchment. Sign if the next moment the noose is around your neck, for that parchment will be the textbook of freedom, the Bible of the rights of man forever."

He fell back exhausted. The 56 delegates, swept up by his eloquence, rushed forward and signed that document destined to be as immortal as a work of man can be. When they turned to thank him for his timely oratory, he was not to be found, nor could any be found who knew who he was or how he had come in or gone out through
the locked and guarded doors.

Well, that is the legend. But we do know for certain that 56 men, a little band so unique we have never seen their like since, had pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Some gave their lives in the war that followed, most gave their fortunes, and all preserved their sacred honor.

What manner of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists, 11 were merchants and tradesmen, and nine were farmers.
They were soft-spoken men of means and education; they were not an unwashed rabble. They had achieved security but valued freedom more. Their stories have not been told nearly enough.

John Hart was driven from the side of his desperately ill wife. For more than a year he lived in the forest and in caves before he returned to find his wife dead, his children vanished, his property destroyed. He died of exhaustion and a broken heart.

Carter Braxton of Virginia lost all his ships, sold his home to pay his debts, and died in rags. And so it was with Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Rutledge, Morris, Livingston and Middleton.

Nelson personally urged Washington to fire on his home and destroy it when it became the headquarters for\ General Cornwallis. Nelson died bankrupt.

But they sired a nation that grew from sea to shining sea. Five million farms, quiet villages, cities that never sleep, 3 million square miles of forest, field, mountain and desert, 227 million people with a pedigree that includes the bloodlines of all the world.

In recent years, however, I've come to think of that day as more than just the birthday of a nation.

It also commemorates the only true philosophical revolution in all history.

Oh, there have been revolutions before and since ours. But those revolutions simply exchanged one set of rules for another. Ours was a revolution that changed the very concept of government.

Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily
granted to it by the people.

We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should.

Happy Fourth of July.

Reagan Nailed It Then; Even More So NOW!

Yeah, I'm A Boomer! Ya Got A Problem With That?

The boomers are getting a bad rap -- again.

The generation born between 1946 and 1964 used to be the source of endless fascination and the darlings of the media. Now, we've become America's favorite whipping boy, or gal or whoever or whatever.

We've been blamed for bankrupting social security, the decline of the family, the abandonment of traditional values, America's monstrous debt, the loss of numerous wars, gender blending, rampant promiscuity, drug culture, lawlessness, depravity, the mental health crisis and the problems of every generation that followed us.

At the 1964 NY Worlds Fair.

And now a new trope is making the rounds: The boomers had it easy; they were indulged; loud, spoiled and obnoxious, they grew up to be shrill, aged hippies who clog our streets with endless demonstrations on behalf of lunatic leftwing causes that make no sense. They're never satisfied. They're reliving Woodstock at our expense. Sitting on all our money, they're the source of all our grief.

Well, the time has come to set things straight. So, here's my tale of indulged boomerdom:

I did NOT "have it easy." I grew up in a row home in a decaying industrial city. My father was a janitor and my mother worked in a sweatshop. They struggled mightily to get ahead.

I was the first of my extended family to attend college. Of course, as a young person full of hope and ambition, I was certain the whole world was awaiting my arrival. But upon graduation I was greeted with scores of rejection letters for jobs I sought. I kept the letters, resolving to defy those who turned me away -- to prove them wrong. And through hard work and determination, I did just that.

My wife (also a boomer) and I raised a family. When we sought a mortgage to buy a home, interest rates were as high as 15 percent. But we eventually acquired a modest home, maintained our home, paid our mortgage and taxes and did our duty as an active, engaged, patriotic citizens. And, BTW: We weren't at Woodstock. Lots of boomers can tell this same story.

Boomers have been through a lot. We've lived through the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK, the Vietnam war (several of my HS classmates died there) the energy crisis, the Iran hostage crisis, Carter stagflation, the 1987 stock market crash, the Gulf War, 9/11, the 2008 crash and Covid -- turbulent times, to say the least.

Are there boomers protesting? Yes, of course. We're a big, noisy, active generation. We always have been. And this is America and those who protest have that right. I vehemently disagree with the protestors, am in many cases ashamed of them and feel some are hopelessly stuck in the '60s and should have moved on years ago.

But I know they're a distinct minority of my generation and the vast majority of us are not out on the streets protesting. We're trying to live what's left of our lives. We're neither looking for plaudits, nor carping nor scapegoating. By the same token, we do not seek to be scapegoats ourselves. If fact, we're tired of being trashed. So, we're speaking up now to do what little we can to set the record straight.

And since we're not planning to bow out any time soon, we'll do our best to nimbly hold on to what we have for now, even amidst some turbulence. Yes, others could learn a lot from us but few even inquire of us any more. That's OK. We know who we are and we're proud of what we have accomplished, both for ourselves and for the nation we love.

And Now, President Ronald Reagan In 1987

Ronald Reagan's St. Patrick's Day joke, 1987 🍀 pic.twitter.com/45XSaVigtZ

— Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute (@RonaldReagan) March 17, 2025

From President Trump On Reagan's Birthday!

Today we celebrate the birthday of Ronald Reagan—a giant of American history, a lion of freedom and liberty, and the 40th President of the United States.

In 1980, Reagan’s common sense political vision propelled him to the Oval Office, ushering in a new era of prosperity and peace at home and abroad.  The Reagan Revolution was underway.  Throughout his eight years as Commander-in-Chief, the economy boomed, confidence soared, Communism collapsed, and faith in our Nation’s promise thrived and flourished like never before—signaling a renaissance of the American conservative movement.
 
As we honor President Reagan’s life and legendary contributions to our Nation, we recognize that we are in the midst of another political revolution.  Last year, the American People loudly rejected the politics of bitterness and betrayal—and launched a new and triumphant era of renewal and reform.  Every day, my Administration is reminding the world once again that America is its own Nation with its own borders, its own culture, its own customs, and its own heritage—and that the American People will never waver in defending their glorious inheritance of Freedom.
 
Today, we honor President Reagan’s legacy—bringing common sense back to Washington and fortifying the causes of prosperity, safety, security, and peace that he cherished so deeply.  As we enter America’s Golden Age, we remember the indelible mark President Reagan left on our Nation, and we commit to carrying the torch of Liberty and Justice for generations to come.
 
Happy birthday, President Reagan!

Yes, It Really WAS Therapeutic!

 

President Reagan’s Thanksgiving Message . . .

Ronald Reagan Thanksgiving Radio Address (1988) https://t.co/W9RmLNZyym via @YouTube

— Dan (@dancirucci) November 28, 2024

There's A Reason Why This Movie Is Triumphing

Yesterday, I went to a nearby theater to see Reagan, the movie.

I honestly didn't quite know what to expect. Oh, sure I'd heard about the movie and followed its somewhat twisted path to fruition. And I saw photos and clips of Dennis Quaid in the title role. I also read that audiences were giving the movie high marks while critics (no surprise here) were panning it.

But when it comes to movies these days, you're never really quite sure. And, in fact, all too many current forms of entertainment come up short of expectations.

Not so this time. For more than two hours, I sat transfixed -- transfixed by a story I already knew; a story who's high points, low points and ending I was already familiar with. Why? Because the tale is exceptionally well told via flashbacks and a backstory replete with details and surprising facts I hadn't known.

In short, this is a sweeping biopic that tells the story of a man whose journey would be enough to encompasses several lives and in fact, spans several careers. 

Dennis Quaid nails it as Reagan, recreating his presence, his mannerisms, the cadence of his voice and his resolute self assurance. But we also see the hardships that Reagan suffered and the doubts and defeats he was called upon to overcome. Again, Quaid's three-dimensional, nuanced performance gives the character depth and substance. Here, you will discover the Ronald Reagan beneath the iconic image.

Beyond that, the entire first-rate cast is effective with standout supporting performances by Jon Voigt and Penelope Ann Miller. Most of the important moments in this man's rich and consequential life are accurately and dramatically depicted with great care and craftsmanship. These include his childhood, the roots of his Christian faith, the Hollywood years and his time leading the Screen Actors Guild (SAG),  his services as Governor of California and his emergence on the national political scene.  All of these set the stage for his White House years which make up a big chunk of the movie.

If you lived through the Reagan years the film will have a special resonance for you. You will relive moments that you remember -- moments that may have deeply influenced you and moments that certainly impacted your daily life during that time. Quite frankly, it was very emotional for me.

If you did not live through the 1980s, you will learn about a great man, the values that motivated him and an extraordinary era that renewed America's spirit and its sense of purpose. This is a beautiful film to watch. It's majestic -- particularly in its depiction of  California's vast coastline and the scenes set at the Reagan Ranch in the San Ynez mountains. The ending, by the way, is  poignant and deeply meaningful.

Like it or not, historians now rank Ronald Reagan among our ten most successful presidents. His impact cannot be denied -- and that alone demands our attention.

Don't miss Reagan -- and be sure to see it on the big screen to enjoy its true impact!

Celebritizing The Presidency: Origins And Outcomes

It's 2024 and in the battle for presidency we now have a certified celebrity (and former president) running against a wannabe celebrity who's launched a pop up campaign built around imagery, sloganeering and cosmetic promises.

And we just witnessed the routing of a sitting president, triggered in part by an op-ed penned by the celebrity pal of the victim's former running mate.

How did we get to this point? How did the Presidency of the United States become celebritized?  Because, make no mistake, that's where we're at.

In the modern era of mass communication it all started with Franklin D. Roosevelt and the emergence of radio. In Roosevelt's day, radio was the most powerful medium imaginable. For the first time, the president could enter your living room and speak directly to you. You could hear his voice, live on the radio. His cadence, his tone, his feelings and his emotion became reachable, touchable, real. And FDR mastered the power of radio with his legendary fireside chats.

Radio is what they call a "hot" medium. It's intimate and engaging because it requires the listener to imagine the appearance, the movements and the mannerisms of the person whose voice comes through the speaker. FDR understood this and he tailored his messaged warmly and informally as if he were having a conversation with one person, sitting right beside him.

Roosevelt also surrounded himself with famous friends. He welcomed the support of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, the most popular young movie stars of the era and he made sure to be seen not just with them but with the then reigning "King of Hollywood" Clark Gable as well as other stars of the 1930s and 40s. Roosevelt often colluded with the big Hollywood studio bosses and was regularly featured on the silver screen in the filmed Movietone News that was the in-theater precursor to television. FDR's face, his distinctive profile, his voice and his moving image were everywhere. He was the first celebrity president of the electronic age.

In the years that followed Roosevelt's death it was hard for any leader to match let alone eclipse his celebrity.  True, Harry Truman played the piano while Lauren Becall sat atop the spinet and swooned. And Ike brought an iconic smile and the first Madison Avenue produced TV spots to the presidency. But it wasn't until John F. Kennedy in 1960 that celebrity reached a new zenith in the oval office.

Few people recall that among his many other endeavors, Kennedy's millionaire dad, Joseph P. Kennedy was a Hollywood producer. The old man was determined that his strikingly handsome young son would become the leader of the free world. So John Fitzgerald  "Jack" Kennedy was given the moniker JFK and presented to the public via the best image-makers money could buy. He was dressed by the finest tailors, photographed by world renowned photographers, depicted in the most eye-appealing settings, seen with all the right people and armed with the words and witticisms of America's top speechwriters and wordsmiths. America was sumptulously seduced.

Just as FDR mastered radio, JFK was the first president to master  the world of television, a "cool" medium which perfectly suited Kennedy's magnetic presence. Of course, it helped that Jack Kennedy was also smart, charming and married to a beautiful, classy, worldly woman who gave birth to two adorable children. And it also helped that he hobnobbed with the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack while she brought artists such as Pablo Casals into the White House to perform. They probably single handedly popularized the word glitterati. And all of this reached a dazzling crescendo on May 19. 1962 when Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" before a captivated crowd at Madison Square Garden. That was the night that celebrity and the presidency were as tightly bound as Marilyn and her dress.

Still, it took another 20 years for America to crown its first genuine celebrity president by bringing an actual, verified, rock-solid Hollywood star into the White House. And, as the late producer, director and actor John Houseman would say, Ronald Reagan "did it the old-fashioned way, he earned it." Reagan served eight tumultuous years as Governor of California and didn't win the White House until his second try when he was nearly 70 years-old.

By the time he became president Reagan had been a celebrity for nearly four decades. He was comfortable with fame and all its trappings. Indeed, for the better part of his life, that's all he knew. On top of that, he had already mastered radio (he was an announcer and a sportscaster) the movies (he appeared in more than 50 films and helmed the Screen Actors Guild) and television (he hosted and appeared in a top-rated TV series). This made Reagan a triple threat and established him as The Great Communicator. 

And let's not forget that First Lady Nancy Reagan had herself been an actress and had appeared on stage and in the movies. So, this pair needed little or no media training, that's for sure. And while Hollywood stars and other celebrities remained within their galaxy, the Reagans were mostly unfazed by Tinseltown's glitz and glamour. They'd been there, done that. And this is precisely what set them apart.

As they sat in front of the tube each evening and ate their dinner off of TV trays, Ronald and Nancy Reagan wore celebrity like a set of snuggly jammies. In the process, they gave celebrity the one thing it most sorely lacked -- credibility! Knowingly or not, they opened the door to the possibility of a President Donald J. Trump.

Like Reagan, Trump was a celebrity for many years before he sought the presidency. And like Reagan, he was (and is) comfortable with his own fame. Like Reagan he was successful in several other endeavors before he sought the White House. Like Reagan, Trump had also been a TV host and star of a top-rated show. And like Reagan, Trump has sought the presidency more than once. Beyond all that, both men have been the target of an assassin's bullet and both men survived.

The difference is this: Donald Trump has taken the credibility that the Reagan's gave celebrity and he's made it familiar and accessible. Trump's authenticity is on display 24/7 for everyone to see. And Trump has weaved all this into a powerful movement based on the sort of bedrock faith that creates an army of true believers. 

Not since FDR has America seen this sort of trust in one personality. Not since JFK have we seen this sort of affection for an imperfect but nonetheless compelling public figure. And not since Reagan have we seen have we seen this sort of adulation. 

Of course, between Reagan's departure from office in 1989 and the emergence of Trump in 2016 we did have the era of Barack Obama. But for all its flash and graphic messaging, Obama's presidency lacked the depth of Roosevelt, the panache of JFK, the comfort of Reagan or the daring of Trump. Indeed, while Obama wrote about audacity President Trump continues to define it.

Where does all this leave us? Well, we now know that celebrity, embodied by the right personality, is more than skin deep. It's more than surface celebrity. It's powered by ideas, aspirations and character. It reaches us on a visceral level. And all this is part of its allure.

Now combine this with power -- real power, as in the Presidency of the United States -- and you have something that's transformative.

The TV Spot We've Been Waiting For . . .

Trump campaign releases new ad with audio from Ronald Reagan

We haven't seen one like this before pic.twitter.com/TmxZAuJ6dw

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) August 6, 2024

A Sweet, Tender Reunion Of Icons . . .

Star Wars: Reagan Was Right, Biden Wrong!

A Notorious Plagiarist Strikes Again: Shameful!

Joe Biden essentially plagiarized Ronald Reagan’s famous 1984 speech at Pointe du Hoc today in Normandy. Watch these clips side by side. Wow: pic.twitter.com/jeGgTS2Nnm

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 7, 2024

Remembrances Of Christmas Long Ago . . .