May leadership and stability return.
— Richard Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) January 11, 2026
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
Showing posts with label 1980. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1980. Show all posts
Sunday, January 11, 2026
45 Years Ago, Nixon Foresaw It All!
Friday, October 21, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Does Any This It Sound Familiar? Does It?
A Facebook friend passes this along:
--"He's been divorced and remarried. He can't commit to anything.
--"He's dangerously ignorant about international affairs. The Russian leaders will walk all over him."
--"He has no filter— doesn't think before he speaks."
--"Until recently, he was a Democrat. He's not a real Republican. He hasn't paid his GOP dues."
--"He used to be Pro Choice. Now, suddenly he's Pro Life?"
--"That can't be his real hair!" "He's a loose cannon. No one wants HIS finger on the nuclear button."
--"His opponent has the experience and political savvy to be president. He does not."
--"He's just not presidential."
--"His temperament disqualifies him from ever being Commander-In-Chief."
--"He's proven himself to be mentally unstable."
--"The military will never accept him as Commander-In-Chief. He's not smart enough."
--"The GOP doesn't want him to be the head of the party. He could never reach across the aisle to get anything done."
--"Most Republican voters will just stay home rather than go out and vote for him."
--"Evangelicals will never support him."
--"He says '(Lets) Make America Great Again'. How dare he say we aren't still great?"
--"His intellect is thinner than spit on a slate rock.
--"After all his gaffs, he doubles down on them instead of admitting he made a mistake."
--"He's threatening to upend our treaties and relationships with our allies by demanding that they pay for their own defense!"
--"Because of his gross factual errors he might take rash action and needlessly lead this country into open warfare!"
--"He's racist, xenophobic, and fuels the fires of hatred!"
--"The rising turnout of his voters are not loyal Republicans or Democrats and are alienated from both parties because neither takes a sympathetic view toward their issues.
--"The fact that he could be deemed a serious candidate for president is a shame and embarrassment for the country.
--"Is he Safe? ...he shoots from the hip ... he's over his head ... What are his solutions?
--"Voters want to follow some authority figure, a leader who can take charge with authority; return a sense of discipline to our government; and, manifest the willpower needed to get this country back on track -- Or at least a leader from outside Washington,"
Sound familiar? You've heard this all about Donald Trump, right?
But all this was said of Ronald Reagan in 1976 and 1980. Most of it was BY OTHER REPUBLICANS.
--"He's been divorced and remarried. He can't commit to anything.
--"He's dangerously ignorant about international affairs. The Russian leaders will walk all over him."
--"He has no filter— doesn't think before he speaks."
--"Until recently, he was a Democrat. He's not a real Republican. He hasn't paid his GOP dues."
--"He used to be Pro Choice. Now, suddenly he's Pro Life?"
--"That can't be his real hair!" "He's a loose cannon. No one wants HIS finger on the nuclear button."
--"His opponent has the experience and political savvy to be president. He does not."
--"He's just not presidential."
--"His temperament disqualifies him from ever being Commander-In-Chief."
--"He's proven himself to be mentally unstable."
--"The military will never accept him as Commander-In-Chief. He's not smart enough."
--"The GOP doesn't want him to be the head of the party. He could never reach across the aisle to get anything done."
--"Most Republican voters will just stay home rather than go out and vote for him."
--"Evangelicals will never support him."
--"He says '(Lets) Make America Great Again'. How dare he say we aren't still great?"
--"His intellect is thinner than spit on a slate rock.
--"After all his gaffs, he doubles down on them instead of admitting he made a mistake."
--"He's threatening to upend our treaties and relationships with our allies by demanding that they pay for their own defense!"
--"Because of his gross factual errors he might take rash action and needlessly lead this country into open warfare!"
--"He's racist, xenophobic, and fuels the fires of hatred!"
--"The rising turnout of his voters are not loyal Republicans or Democrats and are alienated from both parties because neither takes a sympathetic view toward their issues.
--"The fact that he could be deemed a serious candidate for president is a shame and embarrassment for the country.
--"Is he Safe? ...he shoots from the hip ... he's over his head ... What are his solutions?
--"Voters want to follow some authority figure, a leader who can take charge with authority; return a sense of discipline to our government; and, manifest the willpower needed to get this country back on track -- Or at least a leader from outside Washington,"
Sound familiar? You've heard this all about Donald Trump, right?
But all this was said of Ronald Reagan in 1976 and 1980. Most of it was BY OTHER REPUBLICANS.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
'He Scares Me; He REALLY Scares Me!' OhYeah . . .
We're hearing a lot of warnings nowadays from liberals (and even quite a few moderate Republicans) about one or two of our presidential candidates. Dire warnings.
But does anyone remember what some of these same people said about Ronald Reagan? Huh?
Here's a sampler:
"Something like the speech to the evangelicals is not presidential, it's not something a president should say. If the Russians are infinitely evil and we are infinitely good, then the logical first step is a nuclear first strike. Words like that frighten the American public and antagonize the Soviets. What good is that?" - Rick Hertzberg, quoted in the Washington Post, March 29, 1983.
"President Reagan has substituted a mindless militarism for a foreign policy, rattling arms from El Salvador to Saudi Arabia, frightening our friends from Japan to West Germany. He proposes a 50 percent increase in ‘defense expenditures.’ Much of it will be dissipated in the self-defeating spiral of an open-ended nuclear-arms race that poses a greater threat to our own internal and external security than all the Communist propaganda that ever emanated from Moscow. Already, the cost of Reagan policies is devastating to our country in economic strength, in diplomatic influence, in national security, in moral stature." -- John B. Oakes, former senior editor, New York Times, November 1, 1981.
"All evidence indicates that the Reagan administration has abandoned both containment and détente for a very different objective: destroying the Soviet Union as a world power and possibly even its Communist system. [This is a] potentially fatal form of Sovietphobia… a pathological rather than a healthy response to the Soviet Union." — Princeton Professor Stephen Cohen, 1983.
“I used to say I thought if you were down on your luck and you got through the Secret Service, got in the Oval Office and said, Mr. President, ‘I’m down on my luck,’ he would literally give you the shirt off his back. And then he’d sit down in his undershirt and he’d sign legislation throwing your kids off school lunch program, maybe your parents off Social Security, and of course the Welfare Queen off of welfare.”
— ABC’s Sam Donaldson.
"Ronald Wilson Reagan knows a thousand ways of being sentimental, hypocritical and cheap." --Christopher Hitchens, writing in The Nation
But does anyone remember what some of these same people said about Ronald Reagan? Huh?
Here's a sampler:
"Something like the speech to the evangelicals is not presidential, it's not something a president should say. If the Russians are infinitely evil and we are infinitely good, then the logical first step is a nuclear first strike. Words like that frighten the American public and antagonize the Soviets. What good is that?" - Rick Hertzberg, quoted in the Washington Post, March 29, 1983.
"President Reagan has substituted a mindless militarism for a foreign policy, rattling arms from El Salvador to Saudi Arabia, frightening our friends from Japan to West Germany. He proposes a 50 percent increase in ‘defense expenditures.’ Much of it will be dissipated in the self-defeating spiral of an open-ended nuclear-arms race that poses a greater threat to our own internal and external security than all the Communist propaganda that ever emanated from Moscow. Already, the cost of Reagan policies is devastating to our country in economic strength, in diplomatic influence, in national security, in moral stature." -- John B. Oakes, former senior editor, New York Times, November 1, 1981.
"All evidence indicates that the Reagan administration has abandoned both containment and détente for a very different objective: destroying the Soviet Union as a world power and possibly even its Communist system. [This is a] potentially fatal form of Sovietphobia… a pathological rather than a healthy response to the Soviet Union." — Princeton Professor Stephen Cohen, 1983.
“I used to say I thought if you were down on your luck and you got through the Secret Service, got in the Oval Office and said, Mr. President, ‘I’m down on my luck,’ he would literally give you the shirt off his back. And then he’d sit down in his undershirt and he’d sign legislation throwing your kids off school lunch program, maybe your parents off Social Security, and of course the Welfare Queen off of welfare.”
— ABC’s Sam Donaldson.
"Ronald Wilson Reagan knows a thousand ways of being sentimental, hypocritical and cheap." --Christopher Hitchens, writing in The Nation
"A few years from now, I believe, Reaganism will seem a weird and improbable memory, a strange interlude of national hallucination, rather as the McCarthyism of the early 1950s and the youth rebellion of the late 1960s appear to us today." - Arthur Schlesinger, Washington Post, May 1, 1988.
"I wonder how many people, reading about the [Evil Empire'] speech or seeing bits on television, really noticed its outrageous character… Primitive: that is the only word for it. … What is the world to think when the greatest of powers is led by a man who applies to the most difficult human problem a simplistic theology – one in fact rejected by most theologians?... What must the leaders of Western Europe think of such a speech? They look to the head of the alliance for rhetoric that can persuade them and their constituents. What they get from Ronald Reagan is a mirror image of crude Soviet rhetoric. And it is more than rhetoric: everyone must sense that. The real Ronald Reagan was speaking in Orlando. The exaggeration and the simplicities are there not only in the rhetoric but in the process by which he makes decisions." - Anthony Lewis, New York Times, March 10, 1983
"I wonder how many people, reading about the [Evil Empire'] speech or seeing bits on television, really noticed its outrageous character… Primitive: that is the only word for it. … What is the world to think when the greatest of powers is led by a man who applies to the most difficult human problem a simplistic theology – one in fact rejected by most theologians?... What must the leaders of Western Europe think of such a speech? They look to the head of the alliance for rhetoric that can persuade them and their constituents. What they get from Ronald Reagan is a mirror image of crude Soviet rhetoric. And it is more than rhetoric: everyone must sense that. The real Ronald Reagan was speaking in Orlando. The exaggeration and the simplicities are there not only in the rhetoric but in the process by which he makes decisions." - Anthony Lewis, New York Times, March 10, 1983
Friday, March 4, 2016
The Ten Steps That Led To Trump
Just as the emergence of Barack Obama did not happen overnight, the phenomenon of Donald Trump was a long time coming. It goes back decades and has to do with a seismic political, cultural, technological and demographic shifts that have occurred over time.
Here are ten big developments that helped to get us where we are today:
1) FDR. What did he have to do with all this? Well, FDR was the first celebrity president of the modern age. He palled around with entertainers and movie stars and mastered the use of the new technological medium of radio to communicate. He was a true pop culture hero.
2) Ike. Not unlike Trump, Dwight D. Eisenhower didn't know whether he was a Republican or a Democrat before he decided to seek the presidency. In fact, he was courted by both parties. He could have turned either way. In the end (again, not unlike Trump) he made a pragmatic decision to run as a Republican. Of course, it helped that he was a national hero. He was also the first presidential candidate who turned to Madison Avenue to manage the marketing of his campaign and he was the first to use television advertising.
3) JFK. John F. Kennedy, the second celebrity president of the modern age, mastered the use of television. He also became a pop-culture phenomenon. Kennedy's multi-millionaire father (who once controlled a movie studio) hired Hollywood's top talents to market his son's name and image, stressing his movie star looks. Kennedy also demonstrated that with a deep well of money you didn't need to rely on other sources for funding.
4) Richard Nixon. During his second run for the White House in 1968 Nixon was sold to the public like a bar of soap. He used slick advertising techniques to convince the public that he had a plan to extract us from a costly and protracted foreign war and put America back on its feet. But he never really detailed the plan. Turns out he didn't have to. Sound familiar?
5) Watergate. The massive Watergate scandal seriously damaged the presidency and eroded the public's faith in government and other institutions. As faith was eroded, the media gained greater and greater influence and became an even larger factor in the political scheme of things.
6) Jimmy Carter. This man proved that just about anybody could become president. An obscure Georgia peanut farmer emerged to preside over the most powerful office in the land and turned out to be a micro-managing failure. This is where "incompetence" became a major issue. Interestingly enough, you hear Trump use that term quite frequently today.
7) Reagan. The Great Communicator (who started as a radio broadcaster, became a movie and TV star and then set out on the hustling as a folksy corporate spokesperson) fused all media and mastered his message with relentless discipline while making it all seem natural. He became a brand -- a brand that endures even into the 21st century.
8) The internet and social media. As print died and broadcasting was replaced by narrowcasting and personal media, power flowed out of the hands of big entities and into the hands of ordinary people. This allowed groups, subgroups and emerging movements to begin to supplant political parties. This is just the sort of atmosphere that serves as a perfect hothouse for causes such as Trumpism.
9) Obama. Obama showed how to use social media to win. His was the first cyber campaign. And, using cyber technology. Obama built his own infrastructure; his own organization; his own silicon engine; his own party. Call it Obamanism.
10) The Washington Republican leadership and other entrenched Republicans. They said that if we gave them control of the Congress they'd reverse the dastardly deeds of Obama. We not only gave them the Congress but we also handed them the majority of the state legislatures and nearly three out of four governerships. And they did virtually nothing. Nothing! For huge masses of people this was truly the last straw.
And one more thing: It's important to note that Bill Clinton played a role in all this as well. Never a great orator, he was a master conversationalist and storyteller. And he loved the spotlight. He brought a cavalier attitude to the presidency (that's putting it kindly) and cheapened the oval office. The Clinton era was marked by tawdriness and greatly contributed to the coarsening of the culture.
All of this set the stage for the new populism -- a massive counterforce that has taken on a life of its own.
Celebritizing the presidency. Using Mad Men techniques to sway voters. Mastering modern communication tools. Dumbing down the office and the message. Buying into the pop culture, including its penchant for vulgarity and coarseness. It's all there.
Donald Trump watched this. He studied it. And you better believe he planned his moment.
And now he has stepped into the breach.
Here are ten big developments that helped to get us where we are today:
1) FDR. What did he have to do with all this? Well, FDR was the first celebrity president of the modern age. He palled around with entertainers and movie stars and mastered the use of the new technological medium of radio to communicate. He was a true pop culture hero.
2) Ike. Not unlike Trump, Dwight D. Eisenhower didn't know whether he was a Republican or a Democrat before he decided to seek the presidency. In fact, he was courted by both parties. He could have turned either way. In the end (again, not unlike Trump) he made a pragmatic decision to run as a Republican. Of course, it helped that he was a national hero. He was also the first presidential candidate who turned to Madison Avenue to manage the marketing of his campaign and he was the first to use television advertising.
3) JFK. John F. Kennedy, the second celebrity president of the modern age, mastered the use of television. He also became a pop-culture phenomenon. Kennedy's multi-millionaire father (who once controlled a movie studio) hired Hollywood's top talents to market his son's name and image, stressing his movie star looks. Kennedy also demonstrated that with a deep well of money you didn't need to rely on other sources for funding.
4) Richard Nixon. During his second run for the White House in 1968 Nixon was sold to the public like a bar of soap. He used slick advertising techniques to convince the public that he had a plan to extract us from a costly and protracted foreign war and put America back on its feet. But he never really detailed the plan. Turns out he didn't have to. Sound familiar?
5) Watergate. The massive Watergate scandal seriously damaged the presidency and eroded the public's faith in government and other institutions. As faith was eroded, the media gained greater and greater influence and became an even larger factor in the political scheme of things.
6) Jimmy Carter. This man proved that just about anybody could become president. An obscure Georgia peanut farmer emerged to preside over the most powerful office in the land and turned out to be a micro-managing failure. This is where "incompetence" became a major issue. Interestingly enough, you hear Trump use that term quite frequently today.
7) Reagan. The Great Communicator (who started as a radio broadcaster, became a movie and TV star and then set out on the hustling as a folksy corporate spokesperson) fused all media and mastered his message with relentless discipline while making it all seem natural. He became a brand -- a brand that endures even into the 21st century.
8) The internet and social media. As print died and broadcasting was replaced by narrowcasting and personal media, power flowed out of the hands of big entities and into the hands of ordinary people. This allowed groups, subgroups and emerging movements to begin to supplant political parties. This is just the sort of atmosphere that serves as a perfect hothouse for causes such as Trumpism.
9) Obama. Obama showed how to use social media to win. His was the first cyber campaign. And, using cyber technology. Obama built his own infrastructure; his own organization; his own silicon engine; his own party. Call it Obamanism.
10) The Washington Republican leadership and other entrenched Republicans. They said that if we gave them control of the Congress they'd reverse the dastardly deeds of Obama. We not only gave them the Congress but we also handed them the majority of the state legislatures and nearly three out of four governerships. And they did virtually nothing. Nothing! For huge masses of people this was truly the last straw.
And one more thing: It's important to note that Bill Clinton played a role in all this as well. Never a great orator, he was a master conversationalist and storyteller. And he loved the spotlight. He brought a cavalier attitude to the presidency (that's putting it kindly) and cheapened the oval office. The Clinton era was marked by tawdriness and greatly contributed to the coarsening of the culture.
All of this set the stage for the new populism -- a massive counterforce that has taken on a life of its own.
Celebritizing the presidency. Using Mad Men techniques to sway voters. Mastering modern communication tools. Dumbing down the office and the message. Buying into the pop culture, including its penchant for vulgarity and coarseness. It's all there.
Donald Trump watched this. He studied it. And you better believe he planned his moment.
And now he has stepped into the breach.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Broadway Musical Offers Tickets For $19.89!
| AMERICAN PSYCHO, the American premiere of a new musical based on the iconic novel by Bret Easton Ellis, announces that $19.89 tickets for six select preview performances will go on sale on Saturday, March 5th from 10:00 am – 12 Noon in-person only at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre box office (236 West 45th Street). A reference to the year in which AMERICAN PSYCHO is set, the specially priced tickets are being offered in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Ellis’s book (published in March 1991). $19.89 will be available for the following performances only: Monday, March 28 at 8pm, Tuesday, March 29 at 8pm, Wednesday, March 30 at 8pm, Monday April 4 at 8pm, Tuesday, April 5 at 8pm, and Wednesday, April 6 at 8pm. $19.89 tickets are subject to availability. Limit 2 tickets per order. (All sales final; no refund or exchanges. Seating restrictions may apply.) AMERICAN PSYCHO will begin performances on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Opening Night is set for Wednesday, April 20, 2016. AMERICAN PSYCHO has music and lyrics by Tony and Grammy Award-winner Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), and a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (“Supergirl,” “Looking,” “Glee”). Directed by Olivier Award-winner Rupert Goold (King Charles III), AMERICAN PSYCHO has choreography by Tony Award-nominee Lynne Page (La Cage Aux Folles). Benjamin Walker (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Choice) is cast in the lead role of Patrick Bateman. Following a highly acclaimed, sold-out London run, AMERICAN PSYCHO brings its designer brand of style, sex and synthesizers to Broadway. Set in the excess of 1980s Manhattan, AMERICAN PSYCHO tells the story of Patrick Bateman, a young and handsome Wall Street banker who pursues his darkest American dreams. Patrick and his elite group of friends spend their days in exclusive restaurants, hot clubs and luxury labels. But at night, Patrick takes part in a more sinful indulgence, and his mask of sanity is starting to slip… Joining Benjamin Walker in the cast of AMERICAN PSYCHO Heléne Yorke (Bullets over Broadway, “Masters of Sex”) as Evelyn Williams, Patrick’s girlfriend; Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley (Next to Normal) as Patrick’s Mother/Mrs. Wolfe; Tony Award nominee Jennifer Damiano (Next to Normal) as Jean, Patrick’s secretary; Drew Moerlein (seen in the horror series “”South of Hell”) as Paul Owen; Krystina Alabado (Lazarus, American Idiot) as Vandan; Dave Thomas Brown (The Legend of Georgia McBride) as David van Patten; Jordan Dean (Shows For Days, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Luis Carruthers; Anna Eilinsfeld (Kinky Boots, Wicked) as Victoria; Jason Hite (Bare) as Sean Bateman; Ericka Hunter as Sabrina (Rock of Ages); Holly James* (AMERICAN PSYCHO’s London cast) as Christine; Keith Randolph Smith (Fences, King Hedley II) as Detective Kimball; Theo Stockman (American Idiot, Hair) as Tim Price; Alex Michael Stoll (West Side Story, Evita, If/Then) as Craig McDermott; and Morgan Weed (Next to Normal, Saved) as Courtney Lawrence. Also featured in the company are Brandon Kalm (American Idiot tour), Sydney Morton (Memphis, Evita, Motown), Anthony Sagaria (The Bad Years), and Neka Zang (Rock of Ages). *Holly James is appearing with the support of Actors’ Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance in this production. AMERICAN PSYCHO has music direction by Jason Hart, and music supervision and vocal arrangements by David Shrubsole. AMERICAN PSYCHO has scenic design by triple Olivier Award-winning stage designer Es Devlin (tours for Adele, Beyoncé, U2, Kanye West), costume design by Tony Award-winner Katrina Lindsay (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), lighting design by Obie Award-recipient Justin Townsend (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Here Lies Love), sound design by Obie Award-recipient Dan Moses Schreier, and video design by Tony Award-winner Finn Ross (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). Casting is by Telsey + Company/Craig Burns, CSA. AMERICAN PSYCHO is presented on Broadway by Act 4 Entertainment (David Johnson & Jesse Singer), Jeffrey Richards and Will Trice, in cooperation with Edward R. Pressman. AMERICAN PSYCHO had its world premiere at the Almeida Theatre in London from December 3rd, 2013 through February 1st, 2014. That sold-out production was presented by The Almeida Theatre and Headlong in association with Act 4 Entertainment (David Johnson & Jesse Singer). Critical acclaim for the world-premiere Almeida production: “Pure, decadent pleasure.” – London Times “Funny and superbly staged… the most stylish production of the year.” – Sunday Express “Brilliant and absorbing.” – Evening Standard “A stylish feast…” – The Daily Mirror “Stunning. Original . . . creepy, beautiful . . . sleek and disturbing.” – What’s On Stage "It leaves us all dangerously entertained." – The Guardian For more information, and to listen to composer & lyricist Duncan Sheik perform select demo tracks from AMERICAN PSYCHO, visit www.americanpsychobroadway.com. Visit AMERICAN PSYCHO online at: Facebook: /American.Psycho.Musical https://www.facebook.com/American.Psycho.Musical Twitter: @APtheMusical https://twitter.com/apthemusical Instagram: Apthemusical https://www.instagram.com/apthemusical/ |
Saturday, February 6, 2016
'Rawhide Declassified' - Reagan Military Aides Speak
|
Friday, June 12, 2015
Happy Birthday, Mr. President - With Gratitude!
President George H. W. Bush
# 41 @ 91
A great American patriot!
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Thursday, November 27, 2014
President Reagan's Thanksgiving Message To America
Delivered in 1985 at the pinnacle of his remarkable presidency.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
This Week, We Journey To The Reagan Ranch!
President Reagan's Rancho del Ciello (the ranch in the heavens) has always impressed us as one of the most beautiful places imaginable.
It's a place we've always wanted to visit - a storied place full of history and meaning. It's a place that captures the essence of a great man, a loving couple and a wonderful time in our nation's history.
And, it's a place we've longed to absorb firsthand.
Well, later this week we'll be visiting the Reagan Ranch and we're taking you along with us as we live blog from this most extraordinary place nestled in the San Ynez mountains.
“From the first day we saw it, Rancho del Cielo cast a spell over us," Reagan explained. "No place before or since has ever given Nancy and me the joy and serenity it does.”
On November 13, 1974, the Reagan's purchased “Tip Top Ranch.” They rechristened it “Rancho del Cielo.”We'll tell you the story of President Reagan and his time at the ranch. We'll detail some of the famous people that the ranch has played host to and explain the events that this beautiful spot has witnessed. Above all, we'll recapture the spirit of President Reagan -- his ideals, his love for our great country, his resolve, his impressive leadership qualities, his humanity, his enduring wisdom, his warmth and his humor.
And we'll tell you about the ranch's role today as part of a remarkable training center for young people under the direction of the wonderful Young America's Foundation.
Ronald Reagan had a deep concern for young people in America, and a special bond with Young America’s Foundation students. By his own account, Reagan’s career in public service was based on the conviction that America’s founding principles needed to be preserved and passed on to future generations and that's exactly what's happening now at Ranch del Ciello and at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara.
Stay with the Dan Cirucci Blog this week.
You won't want to miss this!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Monday, November 25, 2013
Debunking The Myth Of 1980s Bipartisanship
From the great Matt Rooney at the always-informative Save Jersey Blog:
Rutgers University Professor David Greenberg delivered an icy review of Chris Matthews’s new Tip and the Gipper book in Friday’s New York Times, Save Jerseyans.
Rutgers University Professor David Greenberg delivered an icy review of Chris Matthews’s new Tip and the Gipper book in Friday’s New York Times, Save Jerseyans.
Liberal on liberal violence is something to behold; here’s an illustrative sample:
“Most important, Matthews provides no evidence to suggest that whatever personal amicability O’Neill and Reagan maintained mattered. In one or two cases, the Democrats cut good deals with Reagan, such as when they revised the Social Security program. But on the key legislative issue of Reagan’s presidency — the 1981 fight over his budget, which slashed taxes on the rich — O’Neill simply got rolled. Spooked by the president’s popularity, which surged after he was shot by John Hinckley in March of that year, O’Neill failed to compete with Reagan in the new age of media politics. Worse, he also came up short in his supposed strong suit — riding herd on his caucus — as scores of Democrats, fearing the tax-cutting bandwagon, defected to back the Reagan bill. The consequences — skyrocketing budget deficits and debilitating inequality — have plagued us ever since.”
It’s laughable, Save Jerseyans! On multiple levels.
For starters, today’s contemporary American college graduates can only imagine what it’s like to be “plagued” by two decades of historically low unemployment rates attributable, in large part, to President Reagan’s policy successes.
But if we look past David Greenberg’s debilitating liberalism, you can appreciate the truth under-girding his superseding point: “bipartisanship” had very little to do with the Reagan story.
Professor Greenberg could’ve written a much better review centering on this theme were he capable of looking behind his blinding antipathy for Ronald Reagan.
You’ve read my take on it. The myth of a bipartisan Washington preceding 2010 and the Tea Party is exactly that: a myth. Bunk. Hogwash. Ridiculousness. Any variation will do. The hyper-partisan Matthews came of age politically on a Capitol Hill that had been dominated by one party for decades and would remain almost entirely under Democrat control until January 1995. Things certainly seemed superficially less contentious when only one side was at the table!
Courage, principles and talent — not bipartisanship — defeated the Soviet Union, won tax cuts and built a movement in the 1980′s. Anyone who claims otherwise is ignorant of history… or simply trying to sell you a book.
- See more at: http://savejersey.com/2013/11/more-bipartisanship-bunk/#sthash.yg3hJjcN.dpuf
Saturday, September 28, 2013
When Politics Worked? Exactly When Was That?
A certain BigMouth TV yapper (who appears regularly on MesSNBC) is out with a new epistle about a once-upon-a-time era "when politics worked."
This champion bloviator and relentless book huckster is a hopeless Obama worshiper who has admitted he gets a tingle up his leg at the mere sight of Obama. He's a congenital liberal who once worked for Democrat Boss and fellow Irishman Tip O'Neill and he also worked for the most ineffective president of modern times, Jimmy Carter.
In an effort to bolster O'Neill's image and put the former Speaker of the House on an equal plain with Ronaldus Maxus, he would have us believe that O'Neill and Ronald Reagan were best buds who worked together to advance if not the same, at least a similar agenda. Phooey!
Nothing could be further from the truth.
This is classic liberal revisionist history by people who want you to conclude that the only reason why things don't seem to be working now is because Republicans are preventing government from functioning. Forget the fact that Obama constantly castigates all those who oppose him and that he engages in 24/7 campaigning instead of governing and that he won't even negotiate with the opposite party that controls the House of Representatives and most state governments. According to liberal revisionists, it's all just the GOP's fault.
But let's get back to that "hunky-dory' relationship between Tip and Ron, okay?
Here are the facts:
Tip O'Neil and other liberals were condescending to Reagan and dismissed President Reagan as an "amiable dunce." Of Reagan, former Democrat Defense Secretary and advisor to Dem presidents Clack Clifford said at the time: "Poor dear, there's nothing between his ears."
As Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill presided over 12 funding gaps or government shutdowns. Was that politics that worked?
Politics is a bloodsport - then, now and probably in the future as well. As Harry Truman once said of Washington: "If you ant a friend in this town, get a dog."
Except perhaps for times of extreme national crisis when our nation was under attack by foreign forces (2011, 1942, etc.) the parties and their leaders have pretty much always been at each other's throats.
That's the way politics is.
That's the nature of the beast.
And anybody who would have you believe otherwise is s snake-oil salesman. For he is engaging in the very same political shenanigans that he pretends to decry.
This champion bloviator and relentless book huckster is a hopeless Obama worshiper who has admitted he gets a tingle up his leg at the mere sight of Obama. He's a congenital liberal who once worked for Democrat Boss and fellow Irishman Tip O'Neill and he also worked for the most ineffective president of modern times, Jimmy Carter.
In an effort to bolster O'Neill's image and put the former Speaker of the House on an equal plain with Ronaldus Maxus, he would have us believe that O'Neill and Ronald Reagan were best buds who worked together to advance if not the same, at least a similar agenda. Phooey!
Nothing could be further from the truth.
This is classic liberal revisionist history by people who want you to conclude that the only reason why things don't seem to be working now is because Republicans are preventing government from functioning. Forget the fact that Obama constantly castigates all those who oppose him and that he engages in 24/7 campaigning instead of governing and that he won't even negotiate with the opposite party that controls the House of Representatives and most state governments. According to liberal revisionists, it's all just the GOP's fault.
But let's get back to that "hunky-dory' relationship between Tip and Ron, okay?
Here are the facts:
Tip O'Neil and other liberals were condescending to Reagan and dismissed President Reagan as an "amiable dunce." Of Reagan, former Democrat Defense Secretary and advisor to Dem presidents Clack Clifford said at the time: "Poor dear, there's nothing between his ears."
As Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill presided over 12 funding gaps or government shutdowns. Was that politics that worked?
Tip O'Neill said that Ronald Reagan “has no concern, no regard, no care for the little man in America. And I understand that. Because of his lifestyle, he never meets those people.”
O'Neill even blasted Reagan further, claiming in 1984 that "the evil is in the White House at the present time. And that evil is a man who has no care and no concern for the working class of America and the future generations of America, and who likes to ride a horse. He’s cold. He’s mean. He’s got ice water for blood."
Indeed, Steven F. Hayward has written in Commentary:
The hostilities between parties and ideologies in Washington during Reagan’s presidency make the present day look tame by comparison. No president in modern times has ever been as reviled [as Reagan]. And the hatred of Reagan [by liberals] was justified, to some degree, because his presidency, in the rueful words of the journalist Richard Reeves a decade ago, “damned near destroyed American liberalism.”So, there was no love lost between Reagan and O'Neill nor between Republicans and Democrats in the 1980s. And the same holds true for just about any era in American history.
Politics is a bloodsport - then, now and probably in the future as well. As Harry Truman once said of Washington: "If you ant a friend in this town, get a dog."
Except perhaps for times of extreme national crisis when our nation was under attack by foreign forces (2011, 1942, etc.) the parties and their leaders have pretty much always been at each other's throats.
That's the way politics is.
That's the nature of the beast.
And anybody who would have you believe otherwise is s snake-oil salesman. For he is engaging in the very same political shenanigans that he pretends to decry.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
America, As Witnessed By Lee Daniels' The Butler
Lee Daniels' The Butler (so named as to not be confused with another film titled The Butler produced in 1916 by Warner's) is one of the most talked-about movies of the year.
This big, star-studded film covers more than half a century. Based on a story in the Washington Post, it tells the tale of Cecil Gaines, an African-American butler who served at the White House from the Eisenhower era into the Reagan administration. The butler's actual name was Eugene Allen.
Gaines' story is intertwined with the story of America during this period from the relatively sedate 1950s through the tumultuous 60s and the war-torn 70s and into the boom years of Reagan prosperity. The script by Danny Strong (based on the article by Will Haygood) keeps shifting back and forth between Cecil's inspiring personal story and the story of the civil rights movement in America.
We saw this film in director Daniels' hometown with an enthusiastic audience that included Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter, Daniels himself and stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Yaya DaCosta.
If you were born after 1975, much of The Butler may be informative for you -- if not an outright revelation. And, even if you're not particularly interested in the history you can still appreciate the story.
But if you actually lived through the greater part (if not, all) of the civil rights struggle as we have, this tale can be painful for you. Indeed, we found it hard to revisit since we marched alongside protesters of that era and lived bits and pieces of the history.
Parts of The Butler are like ripping a bandage off an open wound. It's searing.
This is a movie with a strong point of view and it's not shy about pushing it.
Still, the story is tempered and deepened by human, three-dimensional performances rendered with humor, pathos and great attention to detail by an extraordinary cast. Daniels' explains that he wanted the tale to include all of the richness of the African-American experience that he remembers growing up as a kid in Philadelphia. He says the personality traits of his own friends and family members are woven into the story's characters.
But then Daniels added that for him "the story of America is the story of the civil rights movement."
Well, the story of America encompasses a bit more than that.
For one, just imagine what Native Americans would think of Daniels' statement. As the late Alistair Cook pointed out in his landmark work, America: "For at least a hundred and fifty centuries before 'Yankee Doodle,' the Indians' way of life was 'the American way of life.'"
But this is Daniel's movie and he's decided that this is American history for him and he wants the story to be told from a decidedly African-American point of view. So, African-American actors play the lead roles and white actors make up the supporting cast. And in this film, that means that all of the presidents from Eisenhower through Reagan are supporting players. We found John Cusack's performance as Nixon (with way too much hair) to be almost laughable whereas Liev Schreiber was fine as LBJ and Alan Rickman was a fairly convincing Reagan.
Forest Whitaker is outstanding as the butler and is likely to gain another Oscar nomination. Ditto Oprah Winfrey who plays the butler's wife. Cuba Gooding, Jr. is another standout. But there are so many fine performances in this film that it's difficult to name them all.
Lee Daniels' The Butler opens tomorrow.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Rumors Of GOP's Death Are Greatly Exaggerated
Buoyed by what they see as recent GOP stumbles in Congress, a few of my dear liberal friends are ready to dance on the grave of the GOP.
C'mon!
Do you know how many times the Republican Party has been declared "dead?" The Grand Old Party (which held its first convention in Philadelphia in 1856) has been declared "kaput" countless times only to rise again stronger than ever. The party was out of power for 20 years from 1932 to 1952 at one point claiming only a handful of seats in Congress, Yet, it still came back to produce five presidents from 1952 to 2002.
In my lifetime, the party was declared dead after Watergate (when I was a Democrat) but it arose like a phoenix to produce the greatest president of the second half of the 20th century and one of the ten greatest of all time (the one man who made me a Republican).
Indeed, many of those who are writing the GOP's obituary now are the same ones who declared it dead in the 70s and 80s, calling Ronald Reagan a "wacko extremist" and (when they were being "kind") an "amiable dunce." They were wrong then and they're wrong now.
So here's my message to them: You can count the Republican Party out if you'd like -- if that will make you feel even more superior -- but be forewarned: You do so at your own peril.
C'mon!
Do you know how many times the Republican Party has been declared "dead?" The Grand Old Party (which held its first convention in Philadelphia in 1856) has been declared "kaput" countless times only to rise again stronger than ever. The party was out of power for 20 years from 1932 to 1952 at one point claiming only a handful of seats in Congress, Yet, it still came back to produce five presidents from 1952 to 2002.
In my lifetime, the party was declared dead after Watergate (when I was a Democrat) but it arose like a phoenix to produce the greatest president of the second half of the 20th century and one of the ten greatest of all time (the one man who made me a Republican).
Indeed, many of those who are writing the GOP's obituary now are the same ones who declared it dead in the 70s and 80s, calling Ronald Reagan a "wacko extremist" and (when they were being "kind") an "amiable dunce." They were wrong then and they're wrong now.
So here's my message to them: You can count the Republican Party out if you'd like -- if that will make you feel even more superior -- but be forewarned: You do so at your own peril.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Will This Election Be A Repeat Of 1980? Barone's View
Respected political analyst Michael C. Rainone thinks we may be witnessing "a slow-motion repeat" of the 1980 election via a swing of affluent suburbs to Romney. Here are some excerpts:
A pro-Romney affluent swing is confirmed by the internals of some national polls. The 2008 exit poll showed Obama narrowly carrying voters with incomes over $75,000. Post-debate Pew Research and Battleground polls have shown affluent suburbanite Romney carrying them by statistically significant margins.Click here to read more.
In particular, college-educated women seem to have swung toward Romney since Oct. 3. He surely had them in mind in the foreign policy debate when he kept emphasizing his hopes for peace and pledged no more wars like Iraq and Afghanistan. . . .
But also keep in mind that Romney gained not just from style but from fundamentals. Most voters dislike Obama's domestic policies and are dissatisfied with the sluggish economy. And now they seem to believe have an alternative with presidential stature.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Order Now: Nancy Reagan, A First Lady's Style
This would make a wonderful Easter or Mother's Day gift for mom or other ladies in your life. Nancy Reagan: A First Lady's Style, documents her historic role as America's first lady. With over 304 photographs, this elegant publication provides an exceptional glimpse into the life and times of Nancy Reagan, as well as her influence, which continues today.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
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