“This is no time to repeat the shopworn panaceas of the New Deal, the Fair Deal and the Great Society.”

By Michelle Malkin  •  November 5, 2008 03:09 PM

Words of wisdom as relevant today as they were in 1975.

Read ‘em. Savor ‘em. Live ‘em.

Brand ‘em on your foreheads, Republican politicians.

(Hat tip: Lisa)

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Posted in: Ronald Reagan

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Comments


  1. #1
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:13 pm, Misscheryl said:

    Thanks again Michelle for your dedication.

  2. #2
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:13 pm, chow said:

    Comforting words indeed.

  3. #3
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:13 pm, pianoman said:

    Ditto!

  4. #4
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:15 pm, wighttrasch said:

    Who would’ve thought we could get consolation from words uttered in 1975?

    His majesty.

  5. #5
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:15 pm, mymanpotsandpans said:

    The socialism I can live with. I’ll obey the laws, but only the government that despises 47% of its citizens when I must.

  6. #6
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:15 pm, tonyr951 said:

    From the article:

    A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency, or simply to swell its numbers.
    – Ronald Reagan

  7. #7
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:15 pm, Misscheryl said:

    Add young voters need to read this!

  8. #8
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:20 pm, wighttrasch said:

    Americans are hungry to feel once again a sense of mission and greatness.

    Great words, and true, Mr. Reagan. Unfortunately, today, people think this ‘mission’ is answered by Obama.

  9. #9
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:22 pm, ThunderHawkk said:

    Yeah, they think “greatness” today is paying more in taxes and lowering your carbon footprint…

  10. #10
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:25 pm, drivingjack said:

    Wow. When will we hear this from any current Republican leaders?

  11. #11
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:26 pm, MBuck said:

    God Bless Ronald Reagan. I look forward to shaking his hand on the other side.

  12. #12
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:26 pm, Paul Revere said:

    More tears…good lord. I’m an emotional wreck!

  13. #13
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:28 pm, flmom said:

    Reagan vocalized perfectly, over 30 years ago, what happened last night. Reagan’s speeches should be required reading for all GOP hopefuls. McCain lost last night because he didn’t define himself by Conservative principles and so the lines between him and Obama were fuzzy, not delineated. They were essentially in a popularity contest. I honestly think if a Reagan-type Conservative had been running against Obama, instead of looking ethereal and transformative, Obama would have been shown up to be the immature and inexperienced candidate we all know him to be.
    I agree with another poster, William Amos. We need to ensure that only Republicans are able to decide who our candidate is, and look at the Secretaries of State and do our best to represent ourselves there and finally we need grass-root organizations that can help our promising candidates get their message out. The Republicans were out-flanked, we just have to start out with an early game plan and implement it.

  14. #14
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:31 pm, englishqueen01 said:

    Compare and contrast, people. Our reaction with those of the opposition 4 years ago.

    With the exception of a few Eeyores it’s been stalwart, classy, stoic, and focused as opposed to hysterical, angry, and shrill.

    Which is why conservativism will always win in the end.

    Here’s to 2010 and two years of rebellion. :)

  15. #15
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:32 pm, thirteen28 said:

    Excellent, and thanks for posting this Michelle. This is why I cringe when people on our side say we need to “get over Reagan.” Reagan was successful becasue he practiced a few timeless principles and applied them to the problems of his day.

    When you stand on principle, it attracts independents as well. When you water down your principles and pander, you accomplish nothing.

  16. #16
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:33 pm, tre said:

    I wonder. With this new cloning technology, would it be possible to clone Ronald Reagan? I think we need him now. More than ever.

  17. #17
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:35 pm, Misscheryl said:

    Imagine! The MSM hated Reagan!

  18. #18
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:37 pm, tre said:

    EnglishQueen, as I said on your blog, I say this is a National Dad of Mourning.

  19. #19
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:38 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    Is it possible to filibuster for 2 years straight?

  20. #20
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:44 pm, MNUSMCDavid said:

    I don’t mean this in any way as a comparison of Ronaldus Maximus over the slime ball Saul Alinsky.. but asking us to get over Reagan is like asking the libs to get over Alinsky… if they can follow their spiritual leader, then, damn it… don’t be ashamed to follow ours. We have to fight like never before…. we have to get our Conservative roots growing again.. Knock heads, take names and beat the barbarians( libs) back.

  21. #21
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:44 pm, William Amos said:

    Reagan passed a little of himself off to the rest of us and he lives on in that we have recognized his words of wisdom.

    We are the new Reagans we just need to find those in the political arena who do represent us.

  22. #22
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:44 pm, Flyoverman said:

    Ronaldus Magnus….. simply awesome.

  23. #23
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:47 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:35 pm, Misscheryl said:
    Imagine! The MSM hated Reagan!

    And they didn’t hate John McCain enough, because he was way to bipartisan. They liked him but in the end, he was too old and not as smooth as the “Fresh Prince Of Bill Ayers” (I stole this, sorry, I cannot remember where I saw it, but it’s to good a moniker not to use, please forgive.)

  24. #24
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:56 pm, tre said:

    MNUSMCDavid, here’s a better one:

    Asking us to get over Ronald Reagan is like asking England to get over Winston Churchill, or asking Marines to get over Chesty Puller, or asking Air Force Pilots to get over Chuck Yeager, or asking the Army to get over George Patton (Chesty Pullers cousin).

  25. #25
    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:57 pm, ahraley said:

    Looks like the election was at HIT on Wall Street….

    Dow DOWN 500PTS.

    What have we done…….

  26. #26
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:06 pm, Misscheryl said:

    said:
    Looks like the election was at HIT on Wall Street….

    Dow DOWN 500PTS.

    What have we done…….

    nothing “we” about it but Obama will get his just deserts.

  27. #27
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:07 pm, flaming_o said:

    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:47 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:35 pm, Misscheryl said:

    Imagine! The MSM hated Reagan!

    And they didn’t hate John McCain enough.

    The MSM liked McCain enough to be the Republican nominee but not enough to win. That may be why they liked him. Maybe they believed that, as a centrist trying to be all things to all people, his campaign would ultimately be uninspired, uninterested and uninteresting. I don’t believe McCain cared enough to want to win. He cared enough to run. Maybe for him, that was enough. We needed more. Let’s have no more of this “next in line” nonsense.

  28. #28
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:10 pm, MNUSMCDavid said:

    tre
    couldn’t have done better….. good ones.

  29. #29
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:14 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    This is why I cringe when people on our side say we need to “get over Reagan.”

    Wow – who on our side would say that?

    I’m having trouble getting over Lindsey Graham, but I figure pennicillin or vomiting will help.

  30. #30
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:14 pm, Boomer said:

    From what I have seen of the current crop of the GOP leaders conservatives are going to be praying for the second coming of Saint Ronnie!

    I had a feeling the stock market was not going to like the lazy/give me class’ choice for POTUS. I wouldn’t doubt it will go below 5000 points by the 19th of January at this rate. So much for my and the wife’s 401K accounts. At least there will be less for the Democrats to tax. :(

    ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE (mo-lone lah-veh) Translation: Come and take them!

  31. #31
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:16 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Oh, and a shout out to Sarah Palin! You rock! Keep the faith. If you ever need a fishing buddy…

  32. #32
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:17 pm, Lan Astaslem said:

    Where, oh where is our Ronald Reagan?? Isn’t there someone out there who thinks this way, believes these things, and can stand up and articulate these points to make everyone understand what true conservative principles are all about?? His speeches (and ideals) are timeless.

    RR reminded me so much of my grandfather. I miss them both.

  33. #33
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:20 pm, farmgal said:

    I just read a Newsweek article saying McCain’s campaign was the worst in history,why you ask? They say because he was too mean spirited and his choice of Sarah Palin.Didn’t we say that was coming.If he hadn’t picked Sarah Palin he wouldn’t have had a chance.Too mean give me a break it made me sick the way he was so nicey,nicey to Obama and the fawning media and left Obama talk over him during the entire debates.I guess that one gal moderator will be raking in the bucks for her book.

  34. #34
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:26 pm, Boomer said:

    Sarah Palin was the only reason many of us held our noses and voted for McCain. Without her I would have voted for none of the above and my wife would have never been energized to register again and vote. Keep spouting your nonsense Newsweek I can hardly wait for you to go bankrupt.

    ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE (mo-lone lah-veh) Translation: Come and take them!

  35. #35
    On November 5th, 2008 at 4:30 pm, Misscheryl said:

    I quit reading Newsweek in the early 90s

  36. #36
    On November 5th, 2008 at 5:00 pm, Marc said:

    I know this is controversial but for a center-right candidate to win, he or she has to emphasize tax policy and downplay the social issues. The candidate should hammer home again and again what happens when a big spending liberal gets to change tax rates and fiscal policy. You have to emphasize the job killing nature of these policies and make people aware that liberals will take most or all of your money that we earn and give it to people who swill beer all day at the off track betting parlor. If a candidate will do this, he or she can win the votes in the burbs that all went to Obama. The economic and fiscal policies of Obama/Hillary et al are what will get people in the burbs to vote against ultraliberals. You can’t get these votes emphasizing social policies. This is just a fact of life that McCain’s dopey campaign managers did not understand. About a year ago I wrote a post saying that Jack Kemp could defeat any Democrat. Tonight I am more sure than ever that I am correct about this. And if Jack Kemp were president, I could actually keep my own money. A Kemp-JC Watts ticket would have slaughtered the Democrats. But alas it will never happen.

  37. #37
    On November 5th, 2008 at 5:11 pm, paboperfecto said:

    We can take steps to ease the suffering of some who will be hurt more than others, but if we turn from fighting inflation and adopt a program only to fight recession we are on the road to disaster.

    Right on cue for today as well.

  38. #38
    On November 5th, 2008 at 5:12 pm, ITookTheRedPill said:
  39. #39
    On November 5th, 2008 at 5:23 pm, RedDog said:

    Anyone who aspires to political leadership in the Republican party should study Reagan and acknowledge the truth that is Conservatism. We don’t need more forays into collectivism. It is a failure.

    I fear that Obama and his congressional allies will so damage the nation that it may never recover from this next round of Great Society. If that happens, the entire world will sadly realize that their grand 60 year socialist experiment took a free ride on the back of the great engine that was America. We cannot look forward to an etherial socialist nirvana, only a slow death spiral.

  40. #40
    On November 5th, 2008 at 5:24 pm, duff65 said:

    A Kemp-JC Watts ticket would have slaughtered the Democrats. But alas it will never happen.

    There were several tickets that would have slaughtered the democrats. Too bad that McCain was not on the list. The MSM set this up. They managed to get the least electable candidate nominated. I personally like McCain and think he would have been much better than Obama but he was not a potential winner. Palin got him a lot of extra votes but she wasn’t enough. Anything with Fred Thompson on top of the ticket could have won. The MSM did a really good job of sandbagging that one. We really need a press that reports the news, not distorts the news.

  41. #41
    On November 5th, 2008 at 5:24 pm, alamedaman said:

    extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!

  42. #42
    On November 5th, 2008 at 6:00 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    Brand ‘em on your foreheads, Republican politicians.

    And if they be RINOs tag their ears and cut them too. Have knife, will travel

    Jack Kemp? He is 73. Good man to be sure but a bit long in the tooth.

  43. #43
    On November 5th, 2008 at 6:17 pm, MNUSMCDavid said:

    Lt. Gen. H.M. “Howlin’ Mad” Smith USMC said at Iwo Jima in 1945–” We’re not accustomed to occupying defensive positions. It’s destructive to morale”. I’m of a mind that thinks we as Conservatives should have that as our mantra. Enough defending ourselves. It’s time to attack Obama and his ilk…he is POTUS now or will be… where we have him in our “sights”. We have to get agrressive and stay that way till the White House is ours again.

  44. #44
    On November 5th, 2008 at 6:32 pm, MarcoPolo said:

    I know this is controversial but for a center-right candidate to win, he or she has to emphasize tax policy and downplay the social issues.

    Center right candidates don’t get elected.

  45. #45
    On November 5th, 2008 at 7:18 pm, Khyris said:

    You all missed the MOST important passage from that speech:

    I don ‘t know about you, but I am impatient with those Republicans who after the last election rushed into print saying, “We must broaden the base of our party”—when what they meant was to fuzz up and blur even more the differences between ourselves and our opponents … When have we ever advocated a closed-door policy? Who has ever been barred from participating? Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?”

  46. #46
    On November 5th, 2008 at 7:24 pm, PKAmmoTroop said:

    Thank you for the reminder, the words of Ronald Reagan reminded me of the good days, the honorable days, the days where I served under officers of dignity and a Commander in Chief of honesty.

    Give me “a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people”

    I will proudly carry that red white & blue into the future as I have in the past.

    Come on fellow veterans, let’s show these civilians what Pride and Honor are all about!

  47. #47
    On November 5th, 2008 at 7:38 pm, purplepeep said:

    Khyris said:
    You all missed the MOST important passage from that speech:

    “I don ‘t know about you, but I am impatient with those Republicans who after the last election rushed into print saying, “We must broaden the base of our party”—when what they meant was to fuzz up and blur even more the differences between ourselves and our opponents”

    Yup, that jumped right out at me, too, Khyris. It’s even more relevant today.

  48. #48
    On November 5th, 2008 at 8:01 pm, Dandapani said:

    Republican lose when they try to go left like the Democrats, but no RINO has the guts to go as far left as Obama is. The RNC is dead dead dead, unless it retraces its Conservative roots and reforms itself around long standing Conservative principles that can be clearly enunciated to all Americans. There are some outstanding Conservative Republicans waiting in the wings, but the dead dog RINOs sitting at the top have to roll over and make room for them. Palin, Jindal, Russel, etc., have to come forward and take over the RNC.

  49. #49
    On November 5th, 2008 at 9:35 pm, RedDog said:

    Don’t waste our talent in loser races. Wait for the right timing then pounce. Palin was wasted this time around. Although far more qualified than Obie himself, she was not prepped for the collaborationist press. RNC get some balls.

  50. #50
    On November 5th, 2008 at 9:55 pm, Dave the Libertarian said:

    President Reagan was a brilliant man. He’s made fun of by the left, but reading his early work is amazing. I heard Mark Levin (I think) play an extended clip tonight…and Reagan still just blows me away with how utterly CORRECT he was.

  51. #51
    On November 5th, 2008 at 10:00 pm, MtsEdge said:

    On November 5th, 2008 at 3:28 pm, flmom said:

    flmom, I agree. John McCain was not conglomeration of conservative principles, but rather a consolidation of candidates, someone who thought he could please everyone. His campaign was at best, uninspiring, as flaming_o pointed out. Selecting Sarah Palin was one of the best things he did, if not the only great thing, in his campaign. Everything else was floundering.

    We can’t afford to flounder. Our message is timeless, as the remarks from Ronald Reagan echo eerily from over 30 years ago. I get teary-eyed at the thought of this great man, lent to us for such a fleeting time, who made such a lasting mark on this country. Whether you agreed with his politics or not, he was an icon of the conservative movement and he loved all people without bending his principles with the wind. This is what gives me resolve.

    John McCain’s campaign was reminiscent of Bob Dole’s lukewarm attempt in 1996 to take “his turn.” I think McCain’s motives were more altruistic, but his message was too fuzzy, and he and Obama seemed to agree on too many things. Perhaps that was another stroke of brilliance for Obama, his repeating many times that “I agree with John McCain”…so if they agree, then it comes down to personality and pizzazz. Obama won that one.

  52. #52
    On November 5th, 2008 at 10:03 pm, MtsEdge said:

    One thing I’m still wondering: Do the Repub politicans “get it”? Do they have a CLUE as to why they lost so many seats?

    MEMO TO REPUB POLS: Voting for the bailout/socialism cost you your base! Conservatism DOES NOT EQUAL watered-down liberalism! Get some courage, or get out of the way!

  53. #53
    On November 6th, 2008 at 8:27 am, Dave Turson said:

    On November 5th, 2008 at 9:55 pm, Dave the Libertarian said:
    President Reagan was a brilliant man. He’s made fun of by the left, but reading his early work is amazing. I heard Mark Levin (I think) play an extended clip tonight…and Reagan still just blows me away with how utterly CORRECT he was.

    Here’s the Reagan speech that Mark Levin played last night.

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