Reagan Foundation: Governor Ronald Reagan vs President Jimmy Carter: 10/28/1980

Source:Reagan Foundation-

Source:The FreeState

How times have changed for the Republican Party. Because back in 1980 they actually did have a Conservative Republican leading their ticket. And leading them back into power in the White House and Senate. After spending another four years as they spent eight years, in the 1960s as the opposition minority party in the United States. With Democrats controlling both the White House and Congress.

Back then the GOP had a Conservative Republican, because Ronald Reagan actually understood what conservatism is, which is how Barry Goldwater laid it out as conserving the individual liberty of individuals. Big Government out of our wallets and bedrooms, letting free people live their own lives. Not using government to try to control how people lived their lives. Which is what we see with the GOP today, with its Religious and Neoconservatives. The same-sex marriage debate case in point.

This is the perfect time to be talking about Ron Reagan, since it would be his 103rd Birthday this year. And since he was the best Republican President we’ve had since Dwight Eisenhower and the best Republican President we’ve had since. And George W. Bush being the worst President we’ve had since, well maybe all-time. Ron Reagan described his politics as libertarian as late as 1975. He backed Barry Goldwater for President in 1964.

Politically its hard to tell the differences between Goldwater and Reagan. Except for maybe foreign policy, Reagan I believe became a classical Conservative, because what he saw in the 1960s what he saw as the growth of big government with the Great Society, but he also saw the growth of big government in the late 1970s, in California. That in 1978 passed a law that would allow employers to fire homosexuals just because they are gay. And he disagreed with that law.

The Christian Right came to power and influence in American politics in the late 1970s. Perhaps even as early as the mid 1970s, with Rev. Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority. Arguing against things like homosexuality and pornography, arguing for censorship of certain forms of entertainment, that of course they see as immoral. And even though President Reagan would talk to these groups, he played them like a politician, he knew he needed their votes. But never gave them anything, unlike Republican politicians today who don’t seem to be able to say no to these Far-Right big government groups. And that’s how the GOP is different today.
Source:Reagan Foundation

PBS: Frontline- JFK & the Mob (Nov. 17th 1992)

Source:The New Democrat

It is clear that the Italian-American Mafia invested in the John F. Kennedy Campaign For President in 1960. And at least to a certain extent got Jack Kennedy elected President of the United States. Especially if you look at their role in Chicago in the Illinois election. And what JFK ever knew about the Mafia's involvement in his presidential campaign, I don't think we'll ever know. But his father Joe Kennedy certainly knew about it and perhaps even reached out to Italian-American mobsters.

But as President of the United States especially because of his Attorney General, who just happened to be his little brother Robert Kennedy, the Italian Mafia didn't get much if anything for their investment in JFK. The Kennedy Administration if anything under Bobby Kennedy went harder after the Italian Mafia and put policies in place that essentially eliminated the Italian Mafia in America by the early 1990s. With new wiretapping laws and isolating these crime families and going after their leaders.

So yeah, the Italian Mafia may of stole the 1960 presidential election for Jack Kennedy and I'm not saying that is a good thing and not serious. But they if anything invested in their own demise and help bring themselves down, instead of investing in Richard Nixon for President in 1960, who didn't have any special plans to go after the mob, or at least didn't run on them. So you can't make the case that the Italian Mafia had bought President John Kennedy, because if anything the opposite is true.

Andrew Kaczynski: U.S. Representative Speaking Against the House Democrats Budget (1982)

Source:The FreeState

Back in the day when Newt Gingrich was a Junior Representative in the House and I would argue up to a certain extent even when then Minority Whip Gingrich became Speaker of the House, even though to a certain extent, getting in the bed with the Christian Right, Newt Gingrich was a Reagan Republican. Someone who believed in limited government and that Uncle Sam shouldn’t be telling Americans how to live their lives.  

Who believed in decentralizing the Federal Government and balances budgets, tax relief, strong defense, but he was more progressive than President Reagan on welfare policy. He did believe in welfare reform before it became popular. Where President Reagan basically just wanted to gut the safety net. But Representative Gingrich was basically a Reagan Republican in the 80s and 90s.

Three months ago I thought Newt Gingrich on paper anyway would be the best Republican to take on President Obama. Not just in the debates, but Speaker Gingrich would’ve had the Republican base behind him. And had he did a better job in the Florida debate in January. Maybe he’s not the frontrunner right now, but based on how he’s ran this his campaign ever since, its almost impossible to make a credible case that he would be the strongest Republican today. 

But unlike Mitt Romney, Newt is someone thats trusted by the entire Republican Party. By Reagan Conservatives, the Tea Party, Religious Conservatives, Neoconservatives. Even Libertarians have a certain respect for Newt. The thing you get with Newt Gingrich, similar to Barry Goldwater, is someone who speaks his mind and is not worried about offending people. Including Republicans, so he’s clearly not a smooth politician. Which is a big reason why he’s fallen down so far. Finishing fourth in one of the primary’s last week.

Firing Line With William F. Buckley: Newt Gingrich, Where is the GOP Headed?

Source:The FreeState

Not really Newt Gingrich himself, but his movement and followers represented where the Republican Party was headed post Ronald Reagan. Not George H.W. Bush who succeeded President Reagan as President, but didn’t offer a vision other than maybe on foreign policy. Of where he would take the GOP with him. President Bush was more of an operator or pragmatist as President. 

George H.W. Bush took  issues and problems as they came up, but not having a set of ideas and policies, or direction where he wanted to take the Republican Party. Whereas Newt Gingrich and his Conservative Opportunity Society group had a vision where they wanted to take the Republican Party. That later became known as the Contract with America in 1995. Shortly after being elected to the House in 1978, December, 1978, Rep. Elect Newt Gingrich when House Republicans were still in the minority. 

The House GOP had around 160 or so seats during the Carter Administration. They put together working groups that would work on bringing a House majority for the GOP. Raising money recruiting like-minded candidates, putting together and agenda. That they would try to pass, that later became the CWA of 1995-96. But it took them sixteen years to get there. But only he and his group believed they had any shot of taking back the majority. This was back in the day when the House Republicans had for the most part had around 160-180 seats, the late 1970s and 1980s. 

And House Democrats controlled the House since 1955. I don’t agree with Newt on much and he has personal characteristics that I don’t like, but I respect him a lot as a political strategist. Probably the best we’ve had since Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson. He could see things happening that no one else could. Because he knew how to get there and deserves a lot of credit for that. 

CBS News: Longines Chronoscope: Senator Prescott Bush (1953)

Source:The New Democrat 

Senator Prescott Bush who of course is the father of George H.W. Bush and the grandfather of George H.W. Bush's children, was what we would call a Northeastern Republican today. Someone who leans conservative, but who isn't anti-government and someone who believes government should help people in need, but not try to run people's lives for them. Someone who believes that physically and mentally able people should work.

A Northeastern Republican is no Progressive New Dealer or Great Society advocate, but not someone who fits in well with the anti-government more libertarian leaning Tea Party movement of the Republican Party either. Or the Religious-Right in the Republican Party. Who leans right on economic and foreign policy, but not anti-government. Someone who believes the best government is the government that is closest to home and shouldn't be running people's lives for them. Out of people's wallets and personal lives.

CBS News: Dan Rather-George H.W. Bush Showdown (1988)

Source:The New Democrat

If you are familiar with the old CNN version of Crossfire from the 1980s and 1990s, this is what it looks like. Where the two debaters let's say aren't really there to answer the others questions or points, other than to try to turn it around and make it look like something else. Where they are there to actually respond to the other side other than to say what they are there to say. Get their talking points out and to make their case. But not to actually have a discussion with the other side.

If this was a real interview, Dan Rather asks questions or makes points. And then George Bush has the opportunity without being interrupted as long as he's responding to the questions and points about what the interviewer asked. Not trying to respond to every single point that is made before the other has the opportunity to finish their point and make their case. Didn't see that here, what we saw was two people not really talking to each other, but for the most part talking past each other

TNA Impact Wrestling: The Knockouts Brawl On Impact

Source:TNA Impact- Tara vs Mickie James.

Source:The Daily Post

When I was a kid even though my father went out of his way to prevent me from watching pro wrestling because it was staged and winners were picked ahead of time and perhaps even for the violence. Even though dad let me watch as many Clint Eastwood and other action movies as I wanted to I managed to watch the WWF, WCW and the AWA almost every week. And several times each week because they were on multiple channels kind of like today. I was definitely a pro wrestling junky as a kid I couldn't get enough of it. Sort of how I feel about politics, current affairs and history today.

Even as a young adult and now as someone and this is a little hard to admit to, but now as Gen Xer in his mid 30's the generation is not hard to admit to but, the age I was still a fan, but didn't feel the urge to watch it every week. I sort of grew out of it like a boy grows out of wanting to build forts or wanting to eat junk food all the time. I'm not a TNA expert obviously, but back in 2003 or 2004 former WCW wrestler Jeff Jarrett along with former WWF and WWC wrestler Kevin Nash and a few other former WCW and WWF wrestlers launched a new pro wrestling organization called Total Non Stop Action or TNA. Because the WWE had a monopoly on the Pro Wrestling market.

TNA recruited other former WWE wrestlers like Scot Steiner, Sting and a few others and they discovered others like Samoan Joe. At first TNA was probably a minor league outfit barely making a profit if any. But within a few years they already had their own pay per view events. And a weekly cable show on Spike TV that was drawing ratings. And now today their probably a legitimate competitor with WWE. Even though WWE is clearly still on top, but TNA has clearly managed to make money and to recruit several wrestling stars away from the WWE. Like Kurt Angle who pound for pound and height for height is probably the best pro wrestler in the world today. And their top level wrestlers could probably compete with the top level wrestlers of the WWE today.

To speak about this video for a moment, I don't watch pro wrestling on a regular basis anymore. But going through Google Reader to look for things to read (which is the whole point of Google Reader) which is how I saw this video for the first time. But this video is a little more then nine minutes long with six beautiful, sexy, well built women all wearing tight sexy outfits. Look like their beating the hell out of each other. I think they did a good job of making it seem real and it would probably seem real in a movie as well.