The American Presidency: Reagan Restored Patriotism Overnight
As this coming Monday is President’s Day, The National Review Online has published an article titled “A Great and Mighty President”. The article features the commentary of three historians who discuss the nature of the American presidency and the men who have held the office.
Each president has left his mark on the office, but the NRO story points to several who were particularly influential in shaping the scope and responsibility of the presidency. While noting the contributions of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt, the author, Brian Bolduc, notes the impact of one modern president - Ronald Reagan.
Mr. Bolduc writes:
“The most obvious and dramatic effect of his inauguration was the restoration overnight — it really was overnight — of American self-confidence and patriotism,” Morris argues. “It’s one thing he and TR had in common: It was a personal dignity and they embodied the national dignity as well as its force.”
The other quality Morris emphasizes is Reagan’s courage. “Before him, every president seemed to be scared of the Soviet Union — terrified of it,” he says. “Reagan seemed to instinctively understand that it was a ramshackle system, a house of cards that just had to be tipped over and then it would crumble.”
Reagan was the last president who strengthened the office, Morris says: “Clinton was much more accommodating with Congress and the latest Bush was much more controversial. But Reagan somehow managed to hold it all together.”
In a time when the world is as unstable a place as it has ever been, one can’t help but hope that our next president is, once again, an individual who displays that Reagan-esque sense of self-confidence (not to be construed as conceit) that simultaneously embodies our “national dignity as well as its force.”
Indeed, perhaps it is appropriate that we ask whether one can exist without the other.
- tdc
*Photo credit: thehistoryplace.com
on arizona: sarah palin responds
Over the past few days following the mass shooting in Arizona, many in the mainstream media have seen fit to declare open season on Governor Sarah Palin.
Some blamed Palin and her “rhetoric” for the actions of the lone killer. Others insisted that her statement of condolences in the hours after the shooting were insufficient and illustrated a lack of leadership on her part.
Well, today, Governor Palin once again proved to be a woman of grace and grounding. She released a video with her thoughts on the violence in Arizona and the despicable (my word) statements of blame that have flooded the airwaves and newspapers in the days since.
Certainly, those in the media who are accustomed to political figures of old - the kind who don’t fight back against the clique of those who buy ink by the barrel full - were assuming the Sarah Palin would be similarly meek. They were wrong.
Governor Palin has now weighed in - in her own words and in her own time. And she did so with the unapologetic language that we have come to expect and, apparently, shocks many in the media:
Vigorous and spirited public debates during elections are among our most cherished traditions. And after the election, we shake hands and get back to work, and often both sides find common ground back in D.C. and elsewhere. If you don’t like a person’s vision for the country, you’re free to debate that vision. If you don’t like their ideas, you’re free to propose better ideas. But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.
Contrary to most of the drivel that has passed for journalistic thought in recent days, we need more of what Sarah Palin offers. Not less. Her unwavering strength in the face of incivility, and her willingness to stand up for her beliefs are, unfortunately, becoming less and less common among leadership in Washington and our local communities.
Open, spirited, honest debate are at the root of our democracy. Any attempt to silence opposing views - through legislation or innuendo - strikes at the core of who we are as a nation.
- tdc
mark ballas and bristol palin: class acts
For those of us who keep track of the media and hype surrounding Governor Sarah Palin and her family, this past week has been one for the record books. Not only has the former governor been the victim of illegal acts (the website Gawker publishing unauthorized excerpts from her upcoming book), but Bristol Palin has seen her appearance on the fun show Dancing With The Stars turned into another object of scorn from the haters who seems to take pleasure in denigrating her family.
FEAR AND LOATHING…AND ABSOLUTELY NO SHAME
Bristol Palin’s appearance in the finale of Dancing With The Stars, alongside her partner, Mark Ballas, has sparked the ire of the outspoken liberal Left, as well as supposed “fans” of the show who deem her to be unworthy of a presence in these last two episodes of the season.
The thought that a Palin would have the chance to participate in, and excel at, a fun and challenging endeavor like ballroom dancing is simply too much for some people to handle. One look at the online forums or comment sections of many left-leaning or entertainment websites reveals a degree of mean-spirited hate speech that has become de rigueur when it comes to the Palin family.
Sadly, it seems not to matter in the least that, in this instance, the object of this contempt is a 20-year-old single mother who has endured a loss of privacy and more public pain and heartache than most of us is likely to experience in a lifetime. Heaven forbid this kid - yes, in many was, she’s still a kid - would want to take a break from the serious political world in which she lives to spend three months learning how to dance…
Through all of this, though, Bristol Palin has risen above the fray and continued to move forward. In front of God and everyone, as the saying goes, she has subjected herself to endless hours of practice and pressure-filled evenings of live performance on a world stage. All the while with a smile on her face.
Similarly, it cannot go unsaid that Mark Ballas, the professional dancer with whom Bristol has been teamed, has proven himself to be a gentleman of the highest order - defending his friend and partner, and never failing to note his appreciation for the kindness and kinship he feels for the Palins and their extended family and friends.
Indeed, it is Mark’s obvious strength of character that has sparked this post.
GRATITUDE
Every week throughout the Dancing With The Stars season, Mark has penned a diary of sorts, reflecting on the past week and previewing the dances to come. Today’s journal entry is, in many ways, particularly moving, and deserves sharing here:
I am so thankful to be on a show that millions of people are able to release the pressures of their everyday life while allowing us to entertain them. That really is a performer’s dream and goal, to whisk the audience away on a journey where they lose themselves and their troubles for a moment. Thanks to you all. You are the treasure in our success!
As for Bristol, she knows how thankful I am to call her my partner and friend. What Bris doesn’t know is how thankful I am for what she has taught me this season. It can be summed up in two words: determination and respect. Everyone goes through his or her own version of pain and endurance issues on the show — both the celebs and the dancers. Some pain is physical, for others it’s the pain of stress, and for some it’s the pain of having your life taken away from you as you prepare each week.
Bristol deals with a special pain of having people wanting and hoping for her to fail and dealing with hate issues no one should ever have to encounter. But probably her greatest source of pain is hearing what is said about her son. Fortunately, she has this miraculous way of dealing with it and focusing on getting better each week and proving to herself, that despite all that noise, she is a woman to be respected.
Our country was built on people taking advantage of the basic freedom to do everything in our power to excel with the God-given talents with which we have been blessed. During this season, I’ve seen firsthand how those rights shouldn’t be taken for granted, much less allowing others to take that basic human right away from you. Thank you, Bristol, for helping me understand how important that freedom is.
Like many of us who have spent the last two years getting to know the Palin family from afar, gleaning what we can of who they are - via a handshake at a book-signing or conversations with Palin family friends - Mark Ballas now seems to understand the magnitude of what this average American family must contend with on a daily basis.
Yes, Governor Palin is an outspoken political figure who doesn’t mince her words. But, Bristol? She’s just a young mother who wanted to do something different. All she wanted was to learn how to dance…
TRIUMPH
Tomorrow night, I (and millions of others) will be more excited than ever to cheer Bristol Palin on. I hope she dances better than ever. And I hope she receives an unprecedented ovation from the studio audience. Most importantly, though, I hope these last two nights of dancing are the joyful experience Bristol and Mark deserve for their hard work and inspiring conduct throughout the season.
Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas are both class acts. When the curtain closes on their final performance - whenever that might be - they deserve nothing less than our utmost respect for a job well-done.
- tdc
*Vote for Bristol and Mark online at abc.com, call 1-800-868-3407, or text “Vote” to 3407 (AT&T customers only).
The ‘reporters’ who continue to cite ‘unnamed GOP-insiders’ as hard news sources are deemed impotent by the American public as we rise up and say, ‘The state of journalism today stinks. Let’s clean it up and expect some accountability’,” Palin wrote in an email to The Daily Caller.
Palin also mocked Politico’s use of anonymous sources, saying, “I suppose I could play their immature, unprofessional, waste-of-time game, too, by claiming these reporters and politicos are homophobe, child molesting, tax evading, anti-dentite, puppy-kicking, chain smoking porn producers…really, they are… I’ve seen it myself…but I’ll only give you the information off-the-record, on deep, deep background; attribute these ‘facts’ to an ‘anonymous source’ and I’ll give you more.
This one was so good, it required posting for future reference (and laughter)…
Governor Sarah Palin gives her comments on the latest Politico hit piece citing “anonymous sources.” She’s quite the wordsmith, wouldn’t you say?!
*Read the whole story at The Daily Caller
- tdc
From a British Conservative who loves his country, to Americans who still believe in theirs: Honor the vision of your Founders. Respect the most sublime Constitution ever devised by human intelligence.
Never be afraid to speak to and for the soul of this nation; of which, by good fortune and God’s grace, you are privileged to be part.
September 29, 2010 - Daniel Hannan, member of the Bristish Parliament, addresses the CATO Institute in Washington, D.C. to discuss the perils of socialist policies. Mr. Hannan eloquently speaks to the future of the United States from the perspective of someone who, as he says, “has seen it.”
This is a well-delivered talk that touches on the subject of Mr. Hannan’s new book, The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America. I urge you to see the entire speech at the link below.
(h/t Cubachi)
- tdc
*VIDEO - Watch Daniel Hannan’s full address to the CATO Institute at Cubachi
