Endorsements

“We are the showcase of the future. And it is within our power to mold that future-this year and for decades to come. It can be as grand and as great as we make it.
No crisis is beyond the capacity of our people to solve; no challenge too great.”
-Ronald Reagan (January 5, 1974)

“I've always believed that a lot of the trouble in the world would disappear if we were talking to each other instead of about each other.”
-Ronald Reagan (April 11, 1984)

“We hear much of special interest groups. Our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and our factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we are sick—professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, ‘We the people,’ this breed called Americans.”
-Ronald Reagan (January 20, 1981)


In last night’s Republican debate the candidates were asked whether or not Ronald Reagan would endorse their candidacy. Mitt Romney said, “Absolutely,” citing his positions on Iraq, drilling in ANWR, taxes, lobbyists, et all. John McCain claimed the mantle, using his time to attack Mitt’s changes of positions over the years. Ron Paul said that he was the Reagan heir because of his support for the return of the gold standard.

This is Mike Huckabee’s response to the question:

“I think it would be incredibly presumptuous and even arrogant for me to try to suggest what Ronald Reagan would do, that he would endorse any of us against the others.
Let me just say this, I'm not going to pretend he would endorse me. I wish he would. I would love that, but I endorse him, and I'm going to tell you why.”

“It wasn't just his specific policies, but Ronald Reagan was something more than just a policy wonk. He was a man who loved this country, and he inspired this country to believe in itself again.”

“What made Ronald Reagan a great president was not just the intricacies of his policies, though they were good policies. It was that he loved America and saw it as a good nation and a great nation because of the greatness of its people.”

“And if we can recapture that, that's when we recapture the Reagan spirit. It's that spirit that has a can-do attitude about America's futures and that makes us love our country whether we're Democrats or Republicans. And that's what I believe Ronald Reagan did -- he brought this country back together and made us believe in ourselves.”

“And whether he believes in us, I hope we still believe in those things which made him a great leader and a great American.”

In the headlong rush to anoint themselves as Ronald Reagan's heirs, Mitt Romney, John McCain, and Ron Paul have demonstrated an alarming inability to see why so many Americans are longing for meaningful change and leadership in this election cycle.

Take a couple of minutes to watch the You Tube video at the beginning of this post. I think if you do you’ll see that only one man, Mike Huckabee, in this Republican primary truly understands the legacy and message of Ronald Reagan.