Perhaps the greatest thing about the GOProud/CPAC kerfuffle is that it makes manifest something we gay conservatives have long observed, that while we may not agree with our ideological confrères on all issues, they do welcome us into the movement.

As Greg at Rhymes with Right reminds us, the Gipper himself pioneered the notion of the Big Tent:

Ronald Reagan recognized the men and women of good will can differ on issues yet still remain friends and allies. Such differences are the basis for discussion, not excommunication from the greater conservative movement. And as I look at GOProud’s platform, i find them to fall within the mainstream of conservatism.

Read the whole thing.

No, media narratives notwithstanding, we are not viewed as party crashers. Real conservatives agree with the Gipper. If you’re with us on most issues, come join us in the fight for freedom.  Ronald Reagan would look at GOProud’s platform and welcome this fledging conservative organization into the movement he helped create.

Kinda wrecks the narrative:

HOPE: Sarah Palin Throws Support Behind GOProud Participation at CPAC.

Ed Morrissey sums its up:

Palin has quietly backed the end of DADT and expressed support for conservative gays and lesbians in the past. Speaking here with David Brody from the Christian Broadcast Network and excerpted by Breitbart TV, Palin doesn’t endorse GOProud but does defend their attendance at CPAC, and argues that the value of events such as CPAC is to debate the issues and provide as much information as possible to attendees

Not quite a ringing endorsement, but she does seem to subscribe to the view that the conservative movement should be open to all who embrace conservative ideas.  And note also that the accomplished former Alaska Governor is talking to someone from the Christian Broadcast Network which surely includes some viewers who would not welcome GOProud’s participation.  This lady is not pandering to her audience.

Make sure to check out Ed’s post for his poll on GOProud participation.

Had it on for a few minutes while I was puttering around the apartment.   Found the delivery so dull and his manner so self-righteous, I had to turn it off.  He seemed to be going through the motions, reading a prepared text rather than engaging his audience.

When I did watch it, he bemoaned the fact that businesses are shipping jobs overseas and praised those companies building new factories in the United States.  Maybe I missed it, but did he express any understanding of the role our own tax and regulatory policies play in the choices businesses make to “send jobs overseas”?  Did he propose reducing regulations which make it costly to hire new employees and to run a plant efficiently.

Let me know if I missed anything.

As soon as I find the transcript, I’ll link it, but did find this good critique (not of the speech but of the president’s similarly-themed Saturday radio address) in my first quick search.

UPDATE:  Michelle Malkin has more.

To remember the Gipper on the hundredth anniversary of his birth, I headed up earlier today to the Hollywood Walk of Fame where a blog reader joined me as we placed four red roses together with some American flags on his star.  Red is Nancy’s favorite color.

As we stood there and people passed, taking note of the flowers, they recalled that today was Ronald Wilson Reagan’s centennial.   Apparently, the news media, the heirs of those who disparaged this great man when he served as the nation’s chief executive, did their due diligence as this great day approached.

To many of us Reagan-lovers, today like a holiday.   And indeed it was, giving us another chance to commemorate the vision and accomplishments of this graceful and gallant great man.

Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way.

–Ronald Wilson Reagan, Republican National Convention, Houston, 1992

Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that, you know, Richard Nixon did not, and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. . . . He put us on a fundamentally different path, because the country was ready for it … he tapped into what people were already feeling, which is we want clarity, we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism, and entrepreneurship that had been missing.

Barack Obama, Jan. 14, 2008

An Iron Lady recalls a Great Communicator:

As we celebrate the greatest domestic policy president of the last century, we know that our words cannot improve on his own, so let’s give a listen to his defining speech, “A Time for Choosing,” where, in making the case for Barry Goldwater’s quixotic bid of the White House, he outlined a series of principles which would define his subsequent political career:

It’s time we asked ourselves if we still know the freedoms intended for us by the Founding Fathers. James Madison said, “We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self government.”

This idea? that government was beholden to the people, that it had no other source of power is still the newest, most unique idea in all the long history of man’s relation to man. This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.

As we celebrate  the centennial of a great man who was both graceful and gallant, I’ve been watching some of the memorial tributes offered on the DVD, Ronald Reagan: An American President, I had the chance to watch once again former Vice President Cheney’s tribute to the Gipper.

That fine man truly got the essence of the nation’s fortieth president:

“From my mother,” said President Reagan, “I learned the value of prayer. My mother told me that everything in life happened for a purpose. She said all things were part of God’s plan, even the most disheartening setbacks. And, in the end, everything worked out for the best.”

This was the Ronald Reagan who had faith, not just in his own gifts and his own future, but in the possibilities of every life. The cheerful spirit that carried him forward was more than a disposition; it was the optimism of a faithful soul who trusted in God’s purposes and knew those purposes to be right and true.

He once said “There’s no question, I am an idealist,” which is another way of saying, “I am an American.”

We usually associate that quality with youth, and yet one of the most idealistic men ever to become president was also the oldest. He excelled in professions that have left many others jaded and self- satisfied, and yet somehow remained untouched by the worst influences of fame or power. (more…)

“I wasn’t a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn’t spring full-bloom from my brow — they came from the heart of a great nation.”

–Ronald Wilson Reagan

Like many fans of the greatest domestic policy president of the last century, I’ve been trying to find an appropriate way to remember/honor this great man on the centennial of his birth.

Many have written eloquently about his nature, his background, his political philosophy and his accomplishments.  Others are planning magnificent celebrations.  We here at GayPatriot are putting together a small event in Los Angeles.  E-mail me for details.

Yet, as I remember this marvelous man, two things stand one, first, his love for Nancy.  He was born good, but she made him great.  And the second thing perhaps stands out because of the times we’re in and the solutions his successor (in the White House) has proposed.  In contrast to the incumbent chief executive, Ronald Reagan knew in his heart that Americans didn’t need the heavy hand of the state to get them out of an economic mess.  Indeed, he believed that it was the heavy hand of the state which got them into that mess — and which was preventing them from finding a means of egress.

“Government,” he reminded us in his first inaugural address, ” is not the solution to the problem.  Government is the problem”:

Seems that the ideals which define the Tea Party parallel nearly perfectly those put forward so eloquently by the Great Communicator.

Ronald Reagan had great faith in his fellow Americans.  He didn’t believe in seeking solutions in Washington, D.C., but in the ingenuity of the American people, in factories in Ohio, farms in Iowa, labs in North Carolina and yes, even in garages in California.

The Gipper had confidence in the American ideal, belief in American exceptionalism and was convinced that America’s best days were ahead.  Oh, and, he had a deep and enduring love for Loyal Davis‘s little girl.

Seems that Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj doesn’t just talk the talk, he actually walks the walk.  He knows that the Great Communicator did more than just project an image of optimism and leadership, Ronald Reagan also promoted an idea, the idea of the American Revolution — freedom.

The Mongolian leader “was among the millions living under totalitarian rule“, having grown up in a Soviet client state and studied in then-Soviet-occupied Ukraine, “who were inspired by Mr. Reagan‘s anti-communist and pro-democracy views, whose outspoken criticism of Soviet communism”:

Today, Mongolia‘s president said he remains a staunch Reaganite when it comes to promoting democracy and free markets in this land of 2.7 million people sandwiched between undemocratic giants Russia and China.

Elected president in 2009 in what has become Central Asia’s most open democratic state, Mr. Elbegdorj said he once had a photo of Mr. Reagan and another Cold War freedom hero, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, hanging in his government office to remind him of Mr. Reagan‘s influence. . . .

“Now I think many people know that Mongolia is the most free-market economy and most liberal political system in the region,” Mr. Elbegdorj said. “Also, it actually showed the world [that] evolutionary things or big transitions can happen in Asian countries.” . . . .

“Some countries offer good wine and good cars to the world,” he said. “But America offers freedom — that is the most important thing Americans have.” Free nations produce good ideas and “the government’s role is to make those good ideas into action. This is my road,” Mr. Elbegdorj said.

Freedom, that’s the idea we honor when we celebrate Ronald Reagan.  Let’s hope the folks in the White House are paying attention.

This is a great piece.  When I was growing up, General Electric still stood for American values, ethics, and a pro-capitalist, individualist agenda.  The GE of my childhood was associated with Ronald Reagan, not Keith Olbermann.

In that spirit and to help celebrate Ronald Reagan’s 100th Birthday tomorrow, here is a great documentary put together by GE for the Reagan Centennial.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

As our long-time readers know, Dan and I are “Reagan Babies” — we grew up with Reagan as THE President of the United States.  I was physically born under LBJ, but I was ‘born-again as a conservative American’ under Ronald Reagan.

Sunday, February 6, 2011 is The Gipper’s 100th Birthday and there are major celebrations going on all over the nation and around the world.  The focus of the anniversary party is one of my favorite spots in the United States — The Reagan Library. 

Tonight, the party starts with a keynote address by Gov. Sarah Palin at the Reagan Library.  The speech will be shown on C-SPAN at 11PM Eastern Time.  And we will “simulcast” it right here.

Live Streaming by Ustream.TV

Come back tonight at 11PM Eastern and watch the speech.  Follow me on www.twitter.com/gaypatriot throughout this weekend … and next week at CPAC where there will also be Reagan100 festivities!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

This should be live-streaming at 7PM ET/4pm PT. Until then, click on the play button as there are Reagan vignettes on this UStream channel being played now.

Barney Frank Isn’t Retiring Yet. Well, it would be a good thing for the United State Congress — and public discourse — if this unhappy man set off for Miami Beach and away from the television cameras. But, his self-righteousness and hypocrisy are just too easy to mock.  So, maybe we shouldn’t regret that we’ll have Barney to kick around some more.

And, Barney, let me remind you something Glenn noted, “The mockery has only just begun.”

Look, I appreciate all the efforts Republicans are making to trim some fat off the federal budget.  And in normal times, I would commend them.  Indeed, today, I laud their efforts, but I’m beginning to wonder if they fail to appreciate the task at hand.

You see, the federal government has a deficit of well over one trillion dollars, well, actually closer to 1.5 trillion .   And one of the leading Republican budget hawks, the fetching chairman of the House Budget Committee has proposed cutting the federal budget by $74 billion.  But, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have none of that, calling the Wisconsin Republican’s plan “unworkable” and “more draconian than we originally anticipated”.  Um, Harry, doncha think trillion-dollar deficits are kind of, you know, um, well, “unworkable.”

“If they think,” Glenn Reynolds quips, “that cutting a mere $74 billion out of the bloated federal budget is ‘draconian,’ they’re really out of touch with reality.”

One legislator show does seem in touch with reality, at least in matters budgetary, is Senator Rand Paul (R-KY).  Taking a “bowie knife to the federal budget,” that first-termer has proposed slicing $500 billion from the federal budget.  (Via Instapundit.)

Now, I don’t agree with all the cuts Senator Paul would make, but at least he’s putting forward the truly draconian level of cuts the federal government must make to put its fiscal house in order.  What Harry Reid calls draconian is really just scraping at the edges.

And the Kentucky Republican’s draconian cuts would only reduce the deficit by one-third its current amount.

UPDATE:   Good news.  Paul Ryan’s proposed $74 billion cuts (which Harry Reid calls “draconian”) are only just the beginning:

From Ryan’s perspective, however, the cuts are only the beginning. “This is just a down-payment by Republicans to get spending under control,” he said in a statement. “House Republicans will continue to tackle the country’s fiscal problems by advancing spending cuts and spending reforms, and by charting a new course with a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year.”

Via Instapundit.

The New York Times offers another reason Obamacare is bad for America:

The Obama administration is examining whether the new health care law can be used to require insurance plans to offer contraceptives and other family planning services to women free of charge.

This requirement grow out of an amendment slipped into the legislation “by Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland, requiring officials to pay special attention to the ‘unique health needs of women.’”  But, the real issue is not the merits (or demerits) of offering contraceptive care, but the requirement that insurance plans offer them.

Shouldn’t private companies be allowed the freedom to decide which benefits they offer while consumers choose the policies which offers the benefits they seek?  But, not under the regime created by Obamacare.  If a company doesn’t want to offer contraception, well, too bad, the government will be taking their freedom away.

Under the plan, the administration is examining, the federal government could thus require Catholics (and others who oppose contraception on religious grounds) to offer plans which pay for services they oppose on moral grounds, causing many to drop health care coverage altogether.

If private insurers (and by extension private employers buying policies from said insurers) want to cover contraception, that should be their choice, but the state should not require them to do so.  And now, the Obama administration is weighing regulations making that choice for them (and depriving others of the choice not to cover contraception).

Another reason to repeal this statist legislation speedily.

The more the public learns about the bill Democrats passed last March, the less we like what’s in it.

NB:  Tweaked the post to improve the flow and clarify a point.

Seems I should have stayed in DC, looks like GOProud’s CPAC party with Andrew Breitbart is going to be one heckuva blow out:

“The Big Party will celebrate GOProud and the growth of a conservative movement that is focused on getting the government out of people’s lives,” said Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director of GOProud. “We are thrilled to have Andrew Breitbart join us in putting together what will be the party of the CPAC weekend.”

“This party will highlight the story the main stream media has missed in the weeks leading up to CPAC, namely that the vast majority of the conservative movement is united and welcomes GOProud and any other conservative into the fold,” said Andrew Breitbart, a member of GOProud’s Advisory Council. “The truth is that it is liberals in America who are bent on dividing people, on forcing people into ideological boxes based merely on their race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.”

The invitation only event will be headlined by Grammy Award nominated singer/songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins, and will be held from 9 PM to Midnight at the 18th Street Lounge in Washington, D.C. The event sponsors include Paul E. Singer, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Poker Players Alliance, Institute for Liberty, and Bank of Kev Productions.

Emphasis added.  Yup, folks despite the odd behavior of the Heritage Foundation and the media focus on the handful of groups boycotting the conservative confab, most leading American conservatives have no problem working alongside their gay confrères.