FreedomWriting

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Friday, August 17, 2012

The Best and the Worst in One Night

Posted on 4:13 AM by Unknown


Twenty years ago tonight, the Republican Party put on public display both its best side and its worst.

Now, for quite some time, I have observed the evolution of the absorption of an incendiary term like hate in our national political discourse.

In my experience, political campaigns have always been contentious. I grew up in Arkansas, about a mile from a prominent political family. The patriarch was a well–known segregationist who was not above using fiery rhetoric in his speeches, and he sought statewide office a couple of times when I was a child.

But, even in that environment (and, admittedly, I was quite young so there may be things I do not recall), the word hate was seldom, if ever, used. Looking back on those days, I feel it would have been considered bad form to use that word, even if it really did describe how a politician felt about his adversary and vice versa (and, no doubt, it did).

That word is tossed around so casually these days. Both Democrats and Republicans regard people who disagree with them as haters, but I believe both sides make the mistake of confusing dissent with hate.

Just because someone disagrees with you does not mean that person hates you. Look up the words in the dictionary. You'll find that the terms are not interchangeable.

This really seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon — in the context of American history, at least. When I was growing up, I knew Republicans and Democrats disagreed on many things, but only the most extreme members of either party accused the other of hatred. At the end of the day, both sides made an effort to reach a compromise.

In that time, both sides seemed to understand the meaning of the word civility.

But politics has become so polarized in this country that, today, neither seems to know what civility is, even though they give lip service to the word. Neither side is willing to give an inch — and both sides are all too eager to accuse the other of hatred. Civility gets lip service and little else.

When did this transformation happen?

I have been unable to determine the precise moment when it became socially acceptable to accuse those with whom one disagrees of hatred. I can identify points in its evolutionary line when behavior that was once considered extreme became the norm, but I can't say exactly when that transformation began.

Some would say it started with Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy," designed to exploit racial tensions and help him win the presidency in 1968. Others would point to Ronald Reagan kicking off his 1980 general election campaign with a reference to the racially charged code words states' rights in Mississippi.

And those were certainly covert points in the timeline of the acceptance of hate as a political argument. A more overt brand of political hate emerged in 1988, which is still regarded by some as the most mean–spirited campaign in American history — although, when all is said and done, the 2012 campaign may well exceed it.

It's already getting close to it, and we haven't even reached Labor Day yet.

(In case you don't remember, let me refresh your memory. 1988 was the year backers of George H.W. Bush's campaign unleashed the Willie Horton commercial against Michael Dukakis.)

Those were all significant milestones in the evolution of hate in American politics, and there certainly have been others since, but I always felt that the most blatant appeal to hate occurred 20 years ago tonight — when Pat Buchanan spoke to the Republican National Convention in Houston.

Buchanan, who had challenged Bush in the primaries and caused the president considerable discomfort when he was forced to work for a nomination he expected would be his for the taking, gave what has been dubbed his "culture war" speech, railing against the opposition with such venom that I am hesitant to quote it directly today.

(With Barack Obama's class warfare, I suppose things have now come full circle.)

But I will quote this much: Buchanan ranted, at length, about "abortion on demand, a litmus test for the Supreme Court, homosexual rights, discrimination against religious schools, women in combat" — all things he said a Clinton administration would impose on America.

The speech, delivered early in the evening, probably had its desired effect. It stirred up the conservative base, which was considered shaky for Bush at best in 1992.

Now, I can tell you that Texas is a fine place to whip conservatives into a frenzy, and Buchanan clearly was working on it that night. But it was an appeal to the worst of Republican instincts.

However, the possibility of redemption was at hand. Former President Reagan was about to give his final national address.

At the time, of course, no one knew it would be his final address. He didn't reveal to the public that he was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease until a couple of years later.

After he left the presidency, Reagan made relatively few public appearances before sharing his condition with the public. Each time I saw him speak in those years, there was always the thought that it might be his last one. In fact, I remember having that thought 20 years ago tonight.

But, at the time, I suppose, I believed there would be another. There was always another with Reagan. He was less than four years removed from his presidency, and the memory of his administration still cast a warm glow over the Republican Party. He was its rock star, even at the age of 81. He was its elder statesman, its president emeritus. The night he spoke to the 1992 Republican convention, they passed out placards for the delegates to wave when he came out to speak.

I didn't attend the convention, but I remember seeing the placards — in the flesh, as it were.

I was about to begin my first semester teaching journalism at the University of Oklahoma. Many staffers from the student newspaper had press passes for the convention, and they brought the placards back with them and put some up on the walls and file cabinets in the newsroom.

The placards said something like "Thank the Gipper for all he has done for our country!" — and, occasionally, on this night 20 years ago, the delegates burst into a chant of "Thank You, Ron!" and waved their placards.

Before he told the American public that he had Alzheimer's disease, Reagan was kind of like the Brett Favre of American politics. Most quarterbacks suffer a serious injury of some kind by the time that they're in their 30s, but Favre was different. He never got hurt, and he kept playing into his 40s.

Favre was the exception to the rule in football, and, I must admit, I believed Reagan was the exception to the rule in American politics. After all, three of the four men on Mount Rushmore died before reaching the age at which Reagan was first elected president. I saw no reason to think he would not be around for many more years — and, in fact, when he died, he had lived longer than anyone else who served as president.

As I have mentioned here many times, I did not agree with Reagan on most policy issues.

But it was not necessary to agree with Reagan on anything to understand that he was very effective as a public speaker. It was for that skill more than anything else that he was granted the rarest of tributes a president can receive — a moniker that is positive, not negative.

Even before he left the White House, Reagan was called "the Great Communicator."

That skill that Reagan had was on full display in Houston 20 years ago tonight. It was not what it once was. He was, as I say, in his 80s. But he could still bring the delegates to their feet and, at times, to tears. He spoke with optimism about America's future ("We were meant to be masters of destiny," he said, "not victims of fate"), and he brought the house down with a one–liner about then–Gov. Bill Clinton portraying himself as another Thomas Jefferson ("I knew Thomas Jefferson. He was a friend of mine. And, Governor, you're no Thomas Jefferson").

It was vintage Ronald Reagan, and modern politicians could learn from his example.

Take away the political philosophy, and you could sum up Reagan's approach in a song title — "Accentuate the Positive." That is what politicians of all stripes can learn from Reagan.

I don't know how Reagan felt about that song, but it perfectly describes his sunny disposition. That was what really appealed to people about Ronald Reagan. Even his political opponents had to concede that they liked him.

And, on a night when the worst of the Republican Party was presented to the American people, Reagan provided balance with its best.
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in 1992, convention, hate speech, history, Houston, Pat Buchanan, Reagan, Republicans, speeches | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Good Riddance to the Night Stalker
    "I love to kill people. I love to watch them die. I would shoot them in the head and they would wiggle and squirm all over the place an...
  • Prosperity Is Just Around the Corner
    I am a concerned American. I am concerned for many reasons, and I have been concerned for a long time. The debt ceiling crisis that is consu...
  • Spilling the Beans
    A pretty convincing case can be made that what happened 40 years ago today was what marked the beginning of the end for Richard Nixon. Three...
  • Was Gettysburg As Decisive As Historians Say?
    "If I had had Stonewall Jackson at Gettysburg, I would have won that fight." Robert E. Lee I think I was in ninth grade when I was...
  • That's Ridiculous ... And Yet ...
    Whatever else you may say about him — and there certainly are many things one could say about him — House Minority Leader John Boehner is n...
  • 'I Gave Them a Sword'
    Thirty–five years ago today, journalist David Frost and former President Richard Nixon sat down for the first of the Frost–Nixon interviews ...
  • The Randomness of Life
    I took this picture of Mom's grave this morning. See that dark marker in the center? That's where she is buried. A couple of days ag...
  • Phyllis' Opus
    This morning, in my hometown of Conway, Ark., people are gathering to honor my friend Phyllis, of whom I have written much — and thought eve...
  • They Know What You Want
    "In a Univision interview on Monday, the president, who campaigned in 2008 by referring not to a 'Red America' or a 'Blue A...
  • The Smoking Gun
    In an historical context, it's ironic that Barack Obama should claim executive privilege this week. For two years, Richard Nixon got awa...

Categories

  • 14th Amendment (2)
  • 16th Street Baptist Church (1)
  • 1787 (1)
  • 1789 (1)
  • 1861 (2)
  • 1863 (1)
  • 1867 (1)
  • 1869 (1)
  • 1876 (1)
  • 1881 (1)
  • 1886 (1)
  • 1896 (2)
  • 1912 (3)
  • 1913 (2)
  • 1916 (1)
  • 1923 (1)
  • 1927 (1)
  • 1934 (1)
  • 1936 (1)
  • 1937 (3)
  • 1940 (1)
  • 1942 (1)
  • 1945 (3)
  • 1946 (1)
  • 1948 (2)
  • 1950 (1)
  • 1952 (1)
  • 1953 (1)
  • 1956 (3)
  • 1960 (1)
  • 1960s (3)
  • 1961 (6)
  • 1962 (2)
  • 1963 (6)
  • 1964 (5)
  • 1965 (1)
  • 1966 (2)
  • 1967 (3)
  • 1968 (11)
  • 1968 Democratic convention (2)
  • 1968 Republican convention (1)
  • 1969 (3)
  • 1970 (2)
  • 1971 (2)
  • 1972 (17)
  • 1973 (10)
  • 1974 (4)
  • 1976 (10)
  • 1977 (1)
  • 1978 (2)
  • 1980 (14)
  • 1981 (4)
  • 1982 (4)
  • 1983 (3)
  • 1984 (4)
  • 1986 (3)
  • 1987 (3)
  • 1988 (6)
  • 1988 Democratic convention (2)
  • 1988 Republican convention (1)
  • 1989 earthquake (1)
  • 1990 (1)
  • 1991 (4)
  • 1992 (8)
  • 1993 (3)
  • 1994 (5)
  • 1995 (3)
  • 1996 (7)
  • 1997 (2)
  • 1998 (4)
  • 1999 (1)
  • 2000 (3)
  • 2001 (1)
  • 2002 (1)
  • 2004 (2)
  • 2005 (3)
  • 2007 (1)
  • 2008 (13)
  • 2009 (1)
  • 2010 (10)
  • 2012 (57)
  • 2013 (1)
  • 2014 (1)
  • 20th Amendment (1)
  • 20th century (1)
  • 22nd Amendment (1)
  • 24-hour news (1)
  • 26th amendment (1)
  • 60 Minutes (1)
  • abortion (1)
  • absence (1)
  • Academy Awards (1)
  • acceptance speech (9)
  • accidents (1)
  • acquittal (3)
  • addiction (1)
  • Adlai Stevenson (1)
  • afterlife (1)
  • age (1)
  • age discrimination (2)
  • AIDS (1)
  • air travel (1)
  • airplane (1)
  • Al Neuharth (1)
  • Al Qaeda (1)
  • Alabama (4)
  • Alan Shepard (1)
  • Alaska (3)
  • alcoholism (1)
  • Alexander Butterfield (2)
  • alien (1)
  • alternate reality (1)
  • Amelia Earhart (2)
  • American exceptionalism (1)
  • American Experience (1)
  • American way (1)
  • amusement park (1)
  • Angela Corey (1)
  • Anita Hill (1)
  • Ann Coulter (1)
  • Ann Richards (2)
  • anniversaries (1)
  • anniversary (33)
  • anonymity (1)
  • Anousheh Ansari (1)
  • Anthony Shadid (1)
  • Anthony Weiner (2)
  • Anwar Sadat (1)
  • AP style (1)
  • apartheid (1)
  • Apollo 11 (1)
  • Apollo 13 (1)
  • Apollo 17 (1)
  • approval ratings (10)
  • April (1)
  • Argentina (1)
  • Ari Fleischer (1)
  • Arizona (4)
  • Arkansas (31)
  • Arkansas Arts Center (1)
  • Arkansas Democrat (1)
  • Arkansas Gazette (5)
  • Arkansas Post (1)
  • armed forces (1)
  • armistice (1)
  • Arthur Bremer (1)
  • Artur Davis (1)
  • Aruba (1)
  • assassination (3)
  • assassination attempt (2)
  • Associated Press (2)
  • astronaut (2)
  • Atlanta (1)
  • Atlantic City (1)
  • atomic bomb (1)
  • Auschwitz (2)
  • authorship (1)
  • auto crash (1)
  • aviation (1)
  • ballot (1)
  • Baltimore Sun (1)
  • Barbara Boxer (1)
  • Barry Switzer (1)
  • baseball (1)
  • Baskin-Robbins (1)
  • Batman (2)
  • Battle of France (1)
  • battleground states (1)
  • Bay of Pigs (1)
  • BBC (2)
  • beatification (1)
  • behavior (1)
  • Benedict XVI (4)
  • Benghazi (4)
  • Berlin (2)
  • Berlin Wall (2)
  • Betty Ford (3)
  • Bible (1)
  • bicycle trip (1)
  • Biden (7)
  • Big Tex (1)
  • Bill Clinton (27)
  • Bill Fulbright (1)
  • Bill Halter (1)
  • Bill Maher (1)
  • Bill Murray (1)
  • Bill of Rights (1)
  • Billy the Kid (1)
  • birthday (12)
  • birthdays (1)
  • black voters (1)
  • blame (1)
  • Blanche Lincoln (2)
  • blockade (1)
  • blog (1)
  • blogger (1)
  • blogs (1)
  • bluffing (1)
  • Bob Dole (6)
  • Bob Herbert (8)
  • Bob McDonnell (1)
  • Bob Meriwether (1)
  • Bob Newhart (1)
  • bombing (5)
  • book (1)
  • Boston Globe (1)
  • Boston Marathon (3)
  • Boynton v. Virginia (1)
  • bra burning (1)
  • Brady Johnson (1)
  • Branch Davidians (1)
  • break-in (1)
  • breast cancer (2)
  • broadcasting (3)
  • broccoli (1)
  • brokered convention (1)
  • Brown v. Board of Education (1)
  • budget (1)
  • budget compromise (1)
  • budget cuts (1)
  • budgets (1)
  • Burst of Joy (1)
  • Busch beer (1)
  • Bush (20)
  • busing (1)
  • Busted (1)
  • C word (1)
  • Cabinet (1)
  • cable TV (1)
  • California (6)
  • Camp David (1)
  • campaign (6)
  • campaign announcement (1)
  • cancer (4)
  • capitalism (2)
  • Cardiff Giant (1)
  • Carr Van Anda (1)
  • cartoon (1)
  • Casablanca (1)
  • Casey Anthony (2)
  • Catholic church (3)
  • Catholicism (1)
  • caucuses (2)
  • CBS (2)
  • cell phones (1)
  • Census (1)
  • centennial (4)
  • Central Park (1)
  • centrism (1)
  • Challenger (1)
  • Challenger disaster (2)
  • change (1)
  • Charles Blow (1)
  • Charles Colson (1)
  • Charles de Gaulle (1)
  • Charles Duell (1)
  • Charles Percy (1)
  • Charlie Brown (1)
  • Charlie Cook (2)
  • Cher (1)
  • Chicago (3)
  • Chicago Tribune (1)
  • Chicken Little (1)
  • childhood (1)
  • childhood friend (11)
  • Chile (1)
  • China (3)
  • China Syndrome (1)
  • Chris Christie (1)
  • Chris Matthews (1)
  • Christian Science Monitor (1)
  • Christianity (1)
  • Christine O'Donnell (1)
  • Christmas (4)
  • Christmas Eve (1)
  • cigarette labels (1)
  • cigarettes (2)
  • cigars (1)
  • citizen journalism (1)
  • civil rights (6)
  • Civil War (6)
  • civilian courts (1)
  • Clarence Thomas (1)
  • classic rock (1)
  • classmate (1)
  • Clayton Williams (1)
  • Clement Moore (1)
  • Clint Eastwood (1)
  • Clinton (6)
  • closure (1)
  • CNN (7)
  • CNN.com (1)
  • CNNMoney.com (1)
  • Coca-Cola (1)
  • cold case (1)
  • Cold War (3)
  • Colin Powell (1)
  • Colorado (3)
  • Columbia Journalism Review (1)
  • Columbine (1)
  • column (3)
  • commencement (1)
  • Commentary (1)
  • commercial (1)
  • Commodore 64 (1)
  • common cause (1)
  • community activism (1)
  • community college (1)
  • compromise (1)
  • computer football (2)
  • computers (1)
  • concealed weapons (1)
  • Confederate History Month (1)
  • confirmation hearing (1)
  • Congress (16)
  • congressional power (1)
  • Connecticut (1)
  • conservatives (1)
  • conspiracy theories (2)
  • Constitution (6)
  • Constitution Day (1)
  • consumerism (1)
  • convention (8)
  • Conway (7)
  • Corazon Aquino (1)
  • corruption (1)
  • crash (1)
  • credit rating (1)
  • Creepy Crawlers (1)
  • crime (3)
  • crises (2)
  • cruise missiles (1)
  • crying in the snow (1)
  • Crystal Ball (1)
  • Cuba (2)
  • Cuban missile crisis (1)
  • Custer's Last Stand (1)
  • D.B. Cooper (1)
  • Dad (2)
  • Daily Kos (1)
  • Dale Bumpers (1)
  • Dallas (14)
  • Dallas Morning News (2)
  • Dallas Times Herald (1)
  • Dan Quayle (7)
  • Dan Rather (1)
  • Dana Mize (1)
  • Daniel Inouye (3)
  • Daniel Schorr (2)
  • David Brooks (1)
  • David Frost (1)
  • David Gergen (1)
  • David Johnson (1)
  • David Koresh (1)
  • David Letterman (1)
  • David Pryor (2)
  • David Shribman (1)
  • death (17)
  • deaths (1)
  • debate (5)
  • debt ceiling (8)
  • dedication (1)
  • deficit (1)
  • deficit debate (1)
  • Delaware (1)
  • delegates (1)
  • Democrat (2)
  • Democrats (55)
  • demonstrations (1)
  • dentist (1)
  • depression (1)
  • desegregation (1)
  • Detroit (1)
  • developmental writing (1)
  • Devil's Den (1)
  • Digital Journal (1)
  • diplomacy (1)
  • disappearance (1)
  • Disneyland (1)
  • Dispatch News Service (1)
  • divided government (1)
  • Doctors Trial (1)
  • Dodi Fayed (1)
  • Dog n Suds (1)
  • domino theory (2)
  • Donald A. Redelmeier (1)
  • Donald Luskin (1)
  • Donald Trump (1)
  • Doobie Brothers (1)
  • Doonesbury (1)
  • Dorothea Lange (1)
  • Dorothy Kilgallen (1)
  • double-dip recession (1)
  • Doug Wilder (1)
  • Douglas Schoen (1)
  • Dr. Frank Ryan (1)
  • driving (2)
  • drugs (1)
  • Dukakis (3)
  • e-mail correspondence (1)
  • Eagles (1)
  • Earl Spencer (1)
  • earthquake (2)
  • east coast (1)
  • East Room (1)
  • Easter (1)
  • eastern Europe (1)
  • Ecclesiastes (1)
  • economics (1)
  • economy (27)
  • Ed Muskie (2)
  • Ed Rollins (1)
  • editorial (1)
  • Edward R. Murrow (2)
  • Egypt (5)
  • Eisenhower (10)
  • Eleanor Clift (1)
  • Eleanor Opitz (1)
  • election (4)
  • elections (2)
  • Electoral College (2)
  • elementary school (1)
  • Eli Whitney (1)
  • Elizabeth Colbert Busch (1)
  • Elizabeth Edwards (3)
  • Elizabeth Scalia (1)
  • Elton John (1)
  • Emily Dickinson (1)
  • endorsement (2)
  • enemies list (3)
  • energy (1)
  • England (2)
  • English (2)
  • entrepreneurship (1)
  • Environmental Working Group (1)
  • eras (1)
  • Erin Brockovich (1)
  • ESPN (1)
  • Estes Kefauver (1)
  • Etch A Sketch (1)
  • Eugene Robinson (2)
  • eugenics (1)
  • Europe (1)
  • executions (1)
  • executive order (1)
  • experience (1)
  • explosion (1)
  • Facebook (4)
  • faith (4)
  • faithless electors (1)
  • far right (1)
  • farewell address (1)
  • fatality (1)
  • fatty foods (1)
  • Fawn Hall (1)
  • FBI (2)
  • FDA (1)
  • FDR (10)
  • federal response (1)
  • Feingold (1)
  • FEMA (1)
  • Ferdinand Marcos (1)
  • Ferraro (2)
  • film footage (1)
  • financial reform (1)
  • fire (2)
  • First Amendment (3)
  • first lady (2)
  • flight (1)
  • Flight 93 (1)
  • Florida (6)
  • food (1)
  • Food Network (1)
  • foreign policy (1)
  • Fort Sumter (2)
  • Fourth Amendment (1)
  • Fourth of July (2)
  • Fox News (2)
  • France (1)
  • Francis Church (1)
  • Frank White (1)
  • Frasier (3)
  • Free Man in Paris (1)
  • free press (2)
  • Freedom 7 (1)
  • freedom of speech (2)
  • freedom of the press (4)
  • Freedom Riders (1)
  • French Revolution (1)
  • friend (2)
  • Friendship 7 (1)
  • Froma Harrop (1)
  • frontrunner (1)
  • funeral (2)
  • Gabrielle Giffords (3)
  • Gallup (10)
  • game (1)
  • Gandhi (2)
  • Gannett (1)
  • Garret Hobart (1)
  • gas prices (6)
  • Gazeta de Buenos Ayres (1)
  • Gene McCarthy (2)
  • general election (1)
  • generic Republican (1)
  • Gennifer Flowers (1)
  • George Carlin (2)
  • George Custer (1)
  • George H.W. Bush (15)
  • George Marshall (1)
  • George Orwell (1)
  • George Pickett (1)
  • George Romney (1)
  • George Santayana (1)
  • George Wallace (6)
  • George Washington (1)
  • George Zimmerman (2)
  • Georgia (2)
  • Gerald Ford (17)
  • Gettysburg (2)
  • Gianni Versace (1)
  • Gingrich (1)
  • goat roast (1)
  • gold (1)
  • Golden Gate Bridge (1)
  • Goldwater (1)
  • Good Friday (1)
  • good old days syndrome (1)
  • Gore (4)
  • government (1)
  • governor (3)
  • governor's race (2)
  • governor's races (1)
  • governors (1)
  • graduate school (1)
  • grandmother (2)
  • Grant (1)
  • Grant Ujifusa (1)
  • gravitas (1)
  • Great Britain (1)
  • Great Depression (1)
  • Great Society (1)
  • Gregory XII (1)
  • Groundhog Day (1)
  • Guantanamo (1)
  • Gulf of Mexico (6)
  • Gulf oil spill (9)
  • gun control (2)
  • guns (3)
  • H.H. Holmes (1)
  • H.R. Haldeman (7)
  • hate crimes (1)
  • hate speech (1)
  • Hawaii (1)
  • headline (1)
  • health care (8)
  • Health.com (1)
  • hearings (1)
  • heart attack (1)
  • heart surgery (1)
  • heat (3)
  • heat wave (1)
  • Heath Shuler (1)
  • Heinrich Himmler (1)
  • Helen Gahagan Douglas (1)
  • Helen Thomas (1)
  • Henry David Thoreau (1)
  • Henry Livingston (1)
  • Henry Wallace (1)
  • Herald Sun (1)
  • Herb Kohl (1)
  • Herbert Hoover (1)
  • Herman Cain (2)
  • Herman Talmadge (1)
  • heroism (1)
  • high school (1)
  • hijacking (1)
  • Hillary (2)
  • Hindenburg disaster (1)
  • Hiroshima (2)
  • historic firsts (1)
  • history (178)
  • Hitler Youth (1)
  • hoax (1)
  • holidays (1)
  • Holocaust (2)
  • homecoming (1)
  • homicide (1)
  • honesty in politics (1)
  • hooding (1)
  • Hosni Mubarak (1)
  • hostages (1)
  • Hour of Lead (1)
  • House (13)
  • Houston (2)
  • Howard Kurtz (1)
  • Hubert Humphrey (3)
  • human experimentation (1)
  • humidity (1)
  • humorous headlines (1)
  • Hurricane Irene (1)
  • Hurricane Katrina (3)
  • I Have a Dream (1)
  • Ian Fleming (1)
  • ice (2)
  • ich bin ein Berliner (1)
  • icy road (1)
  • Idaho (2)
  • illegal (1)
  • Illinois (1)
  • immigrant (1)
  • immigration (1)
  • implosion (1)
  • inaugural address (1)
  • inauguration (2)
  • independents (2)
  • Indiana (1)
  • Indians (1)
  • indictments (1)
  • Inherit the Wind (1)
  • International Holocaust Remembrance Day (1)
  • internet (4)
  • interview (2)
  • interviews (2)
  • investigation (1)
  • Iowa (2)
  • Iowa caucus (2)
  • Iran-Contra hearings (1)
  • Iraq (2)
  • Iraq War (1)
  • IRS (1)
  • Israel (2)
  • Italy (1)
  • Jack Germond (2)
  • Jack Ruby (1)
  • Jackie Kennedy (1)
  • James Bond (1)
  • James Cagney (1)
  • James Garfield (1)
  • James Longstreet (1)
  • James McCord (2)
  • James Sherman (1)
  • Japan (3)
  • Jared Loughner (2)
  • Jari Askins (1)
  • Jaws (1)
  • Jay Cost (1)
  • Jeb Magruder (2)
  • Jefferson (1)
  • Jennifer Levin (1)
  • Jerald terHorst (1)
  • Jersey Shore attacks (1)
  • Jerusalem Post (1)
  • Jesus Christ Superstar (1)
  • JFK (15)
  • JFK assassination (6)
  • Jim Guy Tucker (1)
  • Jim Leavelle (1)
  • Jim Mattox (1)
  • Jimmy Carter (24)
  • Jindal (1)
  • job creation (2)
  • job gains (2)
  • joblessness (10)
  • jobs (7)
  • jobs report (2)
  • Joe Manchin (1)
  • Joe McCarthy (1)
  • John Adams (1)
  • John Anderson (1)
  • John Bell Hood (1)
  • John Boehner (4)
  • John Buford (1)
  • John Dean (9)
  • John Demjanjuk (1)
  • John Edwards (3)
  • John Ehrlichman (5)
  • John Glenn (1)
  • John Lennon (2)
  • John McClellan (1)
  • John McIntyre (1)
  • John Mitchell (4)
  • John Paul I (1)
  • John Paul II (4)
  • John Paul Stevens (2)
  • John Pemberton (1)
  • John Roberts (1)
  • John Sirica (2)
  • John Tyler (1)
  • John Ward (2)
  • Johnny Carson (2)
  • joint session of Congress (1)
  • Jon Stewart (1)
  • Joni Mitchell (1)
  • Joplin (1)
  • Joran van der Sloot (1)
  • Joshua Chamberlain (1)
  • journalism (51)
  • Journalist Day (1)
  • Jules Witcover (4)
  • July 20 (1)
  • June 18 (1)
  • jury duty (1)
  • justice (2)
  • Justice Department (2)
  • Justice Jim Johnson (3)
  • KAL Flight 007 (1)
  • Kansas (1)
  • Kansas City (2)
  • Kate Middleton (2)
  • Kent State (1)
  • Kentucky (2)
  • keynote address (1)
  • Kim Phúc (1)
  • kiss (1)
  • Kissinger (1)
  • Korea (1)
  • Kristen Breitweiser (1)
  • Ku Klux Klan (2)
  • labels (1)
  • Labor Day (2)
  • Labor Department (1)
  • landslide (1)
  • language (1)
  • laptops (1)
  • Lara Logan (1)
  • Larry Sabato (3)
  • laughter (1)
  • law (2)
  • Lawrence McDonald (1)
  • LBJ (16)
  • leadership (5)
  • Lee Atwater (1)
  • Lee Harvey Oswald (2)
  • left at the altar (1)
  • legislation (1)
  • Lena Dunham (1)
  • Lend-Lease (1)
  • liberal (1)
  • liberals (1)
  • Libya (4)
  • life expectancy (1)
  • likely voters (2)
  • Lil Musial (1)
  • Lincoln (7)
  • Lincoln Memorial (1)
  • Lindbergh (2)
  • Liselotte Pulver (1)
  • literacy (1)
  • Little Bighorn (1)
  • Little Rock (2)
  • Little Round Top (1)
  • Liz Carpenter (1)
  • Lloyd Bentsen (2)
  • Log Cabin Democrat (1)
  • logic (1)
  • Long Island (1)
  • low expectations (1)
  • Lowell Weicker (1)
  • luck of the Irish (1)
  • Lucy (1)
  • M*A*S*H (1)
  • Madison (1)
  • Maine (1)
  • Manchester Boddy (1)
  • Manchester Union Leader (1)
  • Marathon (3)
  • March on Washington (1)
  • Margaret Sanger (1)
  • Margaret Thatcher (1)
  • marijuana (1)
  • Marissa Alexander (1)
  • Mark Sanford (2)
  • Mark Twain (1)
  • Martin Luther King (3)
  • Mary Fallin (1)
  • MASH (1)
  • Massachusetts (2)
  • master's degree (1)
  • Maureen Dowd (1)
  • McCain (3)
  • McGovern (10)
  • media (4)
  • medical experiments (1)
  • memorial service (2)
  • memories (2)
  • Menachem Begin (1)
  • mentor (1)
  • Miami (1)
  • Michael Barone (5)
  • Michael Gauldin (2)
  • Michele Bachmann (4)
  • Michigan (1)
  • Middle East (1)
  • midterms (29)
  • Migrant Mother (1)
  • Mike Culpepper (2)
  • Mike Wallace (1)
  • milestone (1)
  • military tribunals (1)
  • Minuteman hamburgers (1)
  • miracles (1)
  • Miss America (1)
  • missing person (1)
  • Missouri (1)
  • mistakes (1)
  • mistrial (1)
  • Mitch McConnell (1)
  • Mitt Romney (23)
  • MLK Day (1)
  • Moammar Gadhafi (1)
  • Mom (13)
  • Mondale (7)
  • Monica Lewinsky (2)
  • Monroe (1)
  • Montana (1)
  • Monty Python (1)
  • moon walk (1)
  • mosque (1)
  • mother (1)
  • Mother Teresa (1)
  • Mount St. Helens (1)
  • movie (3)
  • movie theater (2)
  • MSNBC (2)
  • murder (2)
  • music (2)
  • Muslim (1)
  • Muslims (1)
  • Mussolini (1)
  • my goddaughter (2)
  • My Lai (1)
  • My Man (1)
  • mystery (1)
  • myths (1)
  • N word (1)
  • NAACP (1)
  • Nagasaki (1)
  • Nancy Pelosi (2)
  • NASA (4)
  • Natalee Holloway (1)
  • Nate Silver (1)
  • national convention (2)
  • National Day of Prayer (1)
  • National Defense University (1)
  • National Guard (1)
  • National Institute for Civil Discourse (1)
  • National Park Service (1)
  • National Review (1)
  • Nazis (4)
  • NCAA Tournament (1)
  • neighbor (1)
  • Neil Armstrong (1)
  • Nelson Mandela (1)
  • Nelson Rockefeller (1)
  • Nevada (2)
  • New Christy Minstrels (1)
  • New Covenant (1)
  • New Hampshire (4)
  • New Mexico (2)
  • New Orleans (1)
  • New York (2)
  • New York Daily News (1)
  • New York Post (2)
  • New York Sun (1)
  • New York Times (17)
  • New Yorker (1)
  • news (2)
  • newspaper (2)
  • newspaper war (1)
  • newspapers (5)
  • Nick Ut (1)
  • nicotine (1)
  • Night Stalker (1)
  • Nikki (1)
  • Nixon (52)
  • Nobel Prize (1)
  • nominating speech (1)
  • nomination (4)
  • nonviolence (1)
  • Norman (1)
  • North Carolina (2)
  • North Dakota (1)
  • Northeast (1)
  • Northwest Orient Airlines (1)
  • not guilty verdict (1)
  • NPR (3)
  • NTSB (1)
  • nuclear energy (1)
  • nuclear reactors (1)
  • nuclear weapons (1)
  • Obama (168)
  • obesity (1)
  • obituaries (3)
  • obituary (24)
  • Occupy Wall Street (1)
  • Ohio (4)
  • Oklahoma (3)
  • Oklahoma City (4)
  • old friends (1)
  • Oliver North (1)
  • Oliver Stone (1)
  • Olympe de Gouges (1)
  • Olympia Snowe (1)
  • One Two Three (1)
  • orbit (1)
  • Oregon (2)
  • Orteig Prize (1)
  • Osama bin Laden (4)
  • Our Sunday Visitor (1)
  • Oval Office speech (2)
  • P.T. Barnum (1)
  • Pacific Northwest (1)
  • Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (1)
  • Pakistan (1)
  • Palin (9)
  • papacy (2)
  • papal conclave (1)
  • paparazzi (1)
  • parachute (1)
  • pardon (2)
  • Paris (2)
  • parking meters (1)
  • party affiliation (1)
  • party unity (1)
  • Pat Buchanan (2)
  • Pat Caddell (1)
  • Patrick Caddell (1)
  • patriotism (1)
  • Patti Davis (1)
  • Paul Conrad (1)
  • Paul Krugman (1)
  • Paul Revere (1)
  • Paul Ryan (4)
  • Paula Deen (1)
  • pay for content (1)
  • PBS (1)
  • peace (2)
  • Peanuts (1)
  • Pearl Harbor (1)
  • Peggy Noonan (2)
  • Pennsylvania (1)
  • People Power (1)
  • performance (1)
  • Peru (1)
  • Peter Benchley (1)
  • Pew Research Center (1)
  • Philippines (1)
  • photograph (3)
  • photographer (1)
  • Phyllis (10)
  • picket (1)
  • Pittsburgh (1)
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1)
  • plane crash (1)
  • Planned Parenthood (1)
  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1)
  • poem (1)
  • polarization (1)
  • policy (1)
  • political commercial (1)
  • political correctness (1)
  • political phrases (1)
  • Politico (1)
  • politics (8)
  • Politics Daily (2)
  • polls (10)
  • pope (3)
  • Pope Francis (1)
  • Pope-elect Stephen (1)
  • popularity (1)
  • population (1)
  • poverty (1)
  • predictions (1)
  • prep school (1)
  • Prescott Daily Courier (1)
  • presidency (148)
  • presidential campaign (5)
  • presidential debates (3)
  • presidential decisions (1)
  • presidential election (13)
  • presidential elections (2)
  • presidential nomination (4)
  • presidential rankings (1)
  • presidential succession (1)
  • presidents (1)
  • Presidents Day (1)
  • press (2)
  • press conference (2)
  • press conferences (1)
  • primaries (8)
  • primary (2)
  • prime minister (1)
  • Prince Charles (2)
  • Prince William (2)
  • Princess Diana (3)
  • priorities (1)
  • prison (1)
  • prison camp guard (1)
  • Prison Fellowship (1)
  • proofreading (1)
  • proposed ban (1)
  • protest (2)
  • protest vote (1)
  • psychiatry (1)
  • pubic hair (1)
  • public service announcement (1)
  • Pulitzer Prize (2)
  • questions (1)
  • Quran burning (1)
  • race relations (1)
  • racism (2)
  • Randy (1)
  • Randy Sparks (1)
  • ransom money (1)
  • rape (1)
  • Rasmussen (1)
  • Ray Thornton (1)
  • Raymond Carver (1)
  • read my lips (1)
  • Reagan (38)
  • Reagan revolution (1)
  • Real Clear Science (1)
  • recession (2)
  • recovery (1)
  • Recovery Summer (1)
  • redistricting (1)
  • reflections (1)
  • registered voters (2)
  • religion (5)
  • repeal (1)
  • Republicans (54)
  • resignation (1)
  • retirement (1)
  • reunion (1)
  • Reuters (2)
  • revolution (2)
  • Rich Lowry (1)
  • Richard Ramirez (1)
  • Richardson (1)
  • Rick Perry (2)
  • Riverside Church (1)
  • robbery (1)
  • Robert Altman (1)
  • Robert Byrd (2)
  • Robert Chambers (1)
  • Robert E. Lee (2)
  • Robert Kennedy (2)
  • Robert Shrum (3)
  • Rockefeller Republicans (1)
  • roller coaster (1)
  • rolling blackouts (1)
  • Romney (4)
  • Rose Mary Woods (1)
  • Ross Perot (1)
  • rough sex (1)
  • Roy Reed (1)
  • royal family (1)
  • royal wedding (2)
  • rumor (1)
  • running mate (5)
  • Ruth Marcus (1)
  • sacrifice (1)
  • Saddam Hussein (1)
  • Sal Veder (1)
  • Sally Ride (3)
  • Sam Dash (1)
  • Sam Ervin (4)
  • same-sex marriage (1)
  • Samuel Johnson (1)
  • San Diego (1)
  • San Francisco (2)
  • Sandra Day O'Connor (1)
  • Santa Claus (1)
  • Santorum (1)
  • Sara Teasdale (1)
  • Sargent Shriver (2)
  • Saturday Night Live (2)
  • scandal (2)
  • scandals (1)
  • scapegoat (1)
  • school violence (3)
  • seatbelts (1)
  • second term (2)
  • secretary of state (1)
  • security (1)
  • segregation (1)
  • Senate (20)
  • Senate Watergate Committee (2)
  • sentencing (1)
  • Sentinel (1)
  • September 11 (4)
  • serial killer (2)
  • sesquicentennial (2)
  • Seward's Folly (1)
  • sex abuse scandal (1)
  • sexual assault (1)
  • Shannon Stone (1)
  • sharks (1)
  • shaving (1)
  • Shea Allen (1)
  • Shirley Sherrod (1)
  • shooting (7)
  • shootings (1)
  • Short Cuts (1)
  • sic semper tyrannis (1)
  • siege (1)
  • Siena College survey (1)
  • Sigmund Freud (1)
  • Silly Putty (1)
  • silver lining (1)
  • Six Flags Over Texas (2)
  • small business (1)
  • SmartMoney.com (1)
  • smoke-free (1)
  • smoking (4)
  • smoking gun (2)
  • social Darwinism (1)
  • socialism (1)
  • Society of Professional Journalists (1)
  • soft drinks (1)
  • Sonny Bono (1)
  • South (5)
  • South Africa (1)
  • South Carolina (3)
  • Soviet Union (2)
  • Soviets (2)
  • space (8)
  • space shuttle (2)
  • space travel (2)
  • special election (1)
  • speculation (1)
  • speech (8)
  • speeches (2)
  • Spirit of St. Louis (1)
  • Spiro Agnew (2)
  • sports (2)
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch (1)
  • St. Patrick's Day (1)
  • staff (1)
  • stamp prices (1)
  • Stan Musial (1)
  • standoff (1)
  • State of the News Media (1)
  • State of the Union (2)
  • Steve Davidson (1)
  • Steve Kornacki (1)
  • Stewart Udall (1)
  • stigma (1)
  • Stockdale (2)
  • stocks (1)
  • Stonewall Jackson (1)
  • straw poll (2)
  • street (1)
  • Strom Thurmond (1)
  • Stuart Rothenberg (3)
  • study (2)
  • suicide (1)
  • summer (1)
  • Summer Olympics (1)
  • Super Bowl (2)
  • Super Pacs (1)
  • Super Tuesday (2)
  • Supreme Court (9)
  • surveillance (1)
  • Susan Estrich (2)
  • Syria (3)
  • T.S. Eliot (1)
  • Tammy (1)
  • tank ride (1)
  • tape gap (1)
  • tapes (1)
  • taping system (1)
  • Tar Baby (1)
  • taxes (2)
  • Tea Partiers (2)
  • teaching (3)
  • technology (1)
  • Ted Stevens (1)
  • Telegraph (1)
  • Tennessee (1)
  • term limits (1)
  • Terri Schiavo (1)
  • terrorism (10)
  • Terry Jones (1)
  • Texas (10)
  • Texas Stadium (1)
  • Texas State Fair (1)
  • text message (1)
  • Thanksgiving (2)
  • The Almanac of American Politics 1994 (1)
  • The American Interest (2)
  • The American Spectator (1)
  • The Blue Marble (1)
  • The Brethren (1)
  • The Daily Show (1)
  • The Guardian (1)
  • The Long Recall (1)
  • The Making of the President 1964 (1)
  • The Making of the President 1968 (2)
  • The New Review (1)
  • The Night Before Christmas (1)
  • The Oklahoman (1)
  • The Rothenberg Political Report (1)
  • The West Wing (1)
  • theft (1)
  • Theodore H. White (12)
  • Theodore Roosevelt (3)
  • There Will Come Soft Rains (1)
  • Thirteen Days (1)
  • Thomas Jefferson (2)
  • Thought Police (1)
  • threats (1)
  • TIME (3)
  • time travel (1)
  • Times Square car bomb (1)
  • Titanic (3)
  • Toad Suck Daze (1)
  • tolerance (1)
  • Tom Dewey (2)
  • Tom Eagleton (3)
  • Tom Petty (1)
  • Tommy Thompson (1)
  • Tonight Show (1)
  • tornado (2)
  • tragedy (1)
  • Trang Bang (1)
  • transatlantic flight (1)
  • transcripts (1)
  • transparency (1)
  • travel (1)
  • Trayvon Martin (1)
  • trial (2)
  • triangulation (1)
  • tributes (1)
  • Truman (6)
  • Truman Capote (1)
  • ts (1)
  • TSA (1)
  • tsunami (1)
  • Tucson (2)
  • TV (5)
  • TV reporter (1)
  • TWA Flight 800 (1)
  • tweeting (1)
  • twins (1)
  • tyrants (1)
  • U.S. (2)
  • U.S. News and World Report (1)
  • U.S. Postal Service (1)
  • unemployment (25)
  • unemployment benefits (4)
  • United Kingdom (1)
  • unity (1)
  • University of Arizona (1)
  • University of Arkansas (1)
  • University of North Texas (1)
  • unsinkable (1)
  • USA Today (3)
  • Valentina Tereshkova (1)
  • values (1)
  • Vermont (2)
  • vice presidency (5)
  • vice president (1)
  • vice presidential debate (3)
  • vice presidential nomination (3)
  • Vicksburg (1)
  • video (1)
  • Vietnam (14)
  • Vilonia (2)
  • Virginia (6)
  • Virginia Tech killings (1)
  • volcano (1)
  • voters (4)
  • voting machines (1)
  • voting rights (1)
  • WAAY (1)
  • Waco (1)
  • Walker Report (1)
  • Wall Street (2)
  • Wall Street Journal (2)
  • Walter Cronkite (1)
  • Walter Russell Mead (1)
  • Wannsee Conference (1)
  • war (5)
  • war on terrorism (3)
  • Warren Commission (1)
  • Warren Harding (2)
  • wars (1)
  • Washington (2)
  • Washington Examiner (1)
  • Washington Post (13)
  • watchdog (1)
  • water (1)
  • Watergate (16)
  • Watergate hearings (8)
  • weather (7)
  • West (1)
  • West Berlin (1)
  • West Virginia (3)
  • Westboro Baptist Church (1)
  • Westworld (1)
  • White House (2)
  • White Star Line (1)
  • Whitney Houston (1)
  • Wilbur Mills (1)
  • William Calley (1)
  • William Henry Harrison (1)
  • William Howard Taft (1)
  • William Manchester (1)
  • William Saxbe (1)
  • William Seward (1)
  • Willie Horton (1)
  • wimp factor (1)
  • Windham Hill (1)
  • Winston Churchill (1)
  • winter (2)
  • Winthrop Rockefeller (2)
  • Wisconsin (4)
  • withdrawal (1)
  • women (3)
  • women's liberation (1)
  • Woodrow Wilson (3)
  • Woodward and Bernstein (4)
  • World Series (1)
  • World Trade Center (1)
  • World War II (4)
  • writing (1)
  • written language (1)
  • Wyoming (1)
  • Yarnell's ice cream (1)
  • year in review (1)
  • youth vote (2)
  • Zapruder film (1)

Blog Archive

  • ►  2013 (65)
    • ►  September (8)
    • ►  August (9)
    • ►  July (15)
    • ►  June (10)
    • ►  May (7)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (6)
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ▼  2012 (100)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (4)
    • ►  October (8)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ▼  August (10)
      • The Shocking Death of Princess Diana
      • No False Notes
      • Man on the Moon
      • Nixon's Convention
      • The Best and the Worst in One Night
      • Does Ryan Put Wisconsin in Play?
      • Random Thoughts About Paul Ryan
      • The Arc of History
      • Job One
      • Farewell, Eleanor
    • ►  July (11)
    • ►  June (12)
    • ►  May (10)
    • ►  April (11)
    • ►  March (11)
    • ►  February (10)
    • ►  January (4)
  • ►  2011 (172)
    • ►  December (8)
    • ►  November (7)
    • ►  October (8)
    • ►  September (11)
    • ►  August (20)
    • ►  July (20)
    • ►  June (16)
    • ►  May (12)
    • ►  April (19)
    • ►  March (20)
    • ►  February (15)
    • ►  January (16)
  • ►  2010 (163)
    • ►  December (15)
    • ►  November (13)
    • ►  October (11)
    • ►  September (10)
    • ►  August (21)
    • ►  July (14)
    • ►  June (14)
    • ►  May (19)
    • ►  April (28)
    • ►  March (18)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile