Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Two Inspiring American Lives

While visiting an older friend who is someone who definitely ranks as a member of The Greatest Generation, I picked up the paperback version of the autobiography of Ronald Reagan - An American Life. It is the book that I gave him as a gift several years ago on Christmas Day. He always admired Ronald Reagan. Now, I have become very interested in reading it.

I noticed the similarity in the titles of Reagan's autobiography and Sarah Palin's recent best-selling book - Going Rogue - An American Life. They both deeply value their upbringing and the life they enjoy[ed] here in America. They both regard[ed] the United States of America as the greatest nation on the planet! They are proud of our heritage, our nation, our military strength, the hard working and dedicated people of this country; and they both express genuine Christian faith and a gratefulness to God for all that we enjoy here in America.

Despite the fact that I have only read the first 28 pages so far, I find myself longing for another great American - a Reagan Conservative who believes the same things about our country and people as Reagan did - to get voted into the presidency in 2012. Could Sarah Palin be the one to follow in Reagan's footsteps of greatness? I hope so! I find her background, policies, Conservative political positions, support for small business job creation, low taxes, ideas for fixing what's broken in our nation, demonstrated fiscal restraint while Governor of Alaska, support for our brave military, determination on the War on Terror, and her love for America and family to be quite refreshing from what we are now enduring from this current terrible administration.

Two reviews at the Reagan book link above say it well:


9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ronaldus Magnus in his own words., February 16, 2007
By Rocco B. Rubino "Rocco R." (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: An American Life: The Autobiography (Hardcover)
My first vote in a presidential election was for Ronald Wilson Reagan. I was a freshman in college and quickly coming to grips with my political philosophy and world view, when this idealistic, bright ray of sunshine declared it was "morning in America." Having remembered all to well the horrors of Watergate, the tepid Ford presidency, and the...well...you fill in your own pejorative for Jimmy Carter's presidency, Mr. Reagan, for me at least, was a breath of fresh air.

If you are looking for pure history of the Reagan years, the works of Lou Cannon and Richard Reeves will provide more objective views; i.e. the type of stuff political junkies like myself love to chew on. However, if you are looking for a first person account of a uniquely American story, this memoir will both uplift and inspire.

This book is quintessential Reagan. Missing is the self-adulatory, self-promoting tripe you read in autobiographies. Also, although he was bitterly opposed by "The Establishment," the literati, Hollywood, socialists, communists and the like, there is not an ounce of rancor to be found.

An American Life, despite the fact that it is 700+ pages, is a quick and fairly easy read. In order to obtain a full view of his presidency, I not only recommend this work, and the aforementioned volumes, but also the book that is the compilation of his letters. Far from being the "amiable dunce," you'll discover that "Dutch" was a unique and complex man and we are a better country for having him a part of the body politic for as long as we did.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest President of the 20th Century, June 11, 2004
By Brad C Haines (Rensselaer, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An American Life (Paperback)
This is the definitive book by and about a truly great leader, and a great man. Ronald Reagan came to office at a time when America desperately need a man of his strength and character. After a decade of downturn - particularly the Carter malaise years, Reagan renewed our faith in ourselves and our nation. Today's conservatives - especially our so-called "leaders" - need to read this book.
Ronald Wilson Reagan - Ronaldus Magnus - will be missed, and we may never see his like again.


I sincerely hope that the last part of the last sentence of the second reviewer is not true! Reagan is missed by a majority of Americans (except those in the first reviewer categories of ""The Establishment," the literati, Hollywood, socialists, communists and the like,") but I do see evidence of "his likes again" in Sarah Palin. Heck! We already know that they both share extreme and rabid hatred being hurled at them from the same enemies list above [just add ObamaBorg Bots to the list against Palin]!

It was interesting to find out that Reagan learned to read at the young age of 5. His mother would read story books to him each night and run her finger under the words of the story as she spoke them. Reagan surmises that he just picked up reading very earlyin his life because of that. He also became adept at memorizing what he had read quite quickly and easily. I think that such an ability, plus his perpetual optimism about America's heritage and greatness helped make him the encouraging type of orator that he was during all 8 years as president and beyond.

In the beginning of Chapter 2, Reagan writes:


I grew up observing how the love and common sense of purpose that unites families is one of the most powerful glues on earth and that it can help them overcome the greatest of adversities. I learned that hard work is an essential part of life--that by and large, you don't get something for nothing--and that America was a place that offered unlimited opportunity to those who did work hard. I learned to admire risk takers and entrepreneurs, be they farmers, or small merchants, who went to work and took risks to build something for themselves and their children, pushing at the boundaries of their lives to make them better.

I have always wondered at this American marvel, the great energy of the human soul that drives people to better themselves and improve the fortunes of their families and communities. Indeed, I know of no greater force on earth.

I think growing up in a small town is a good foundation for anyone who decides to enter politics. You get to know people as individuals, not as blocs or members of special interest groups. You discover that, despite their differences, most people have a lot in common: Every individual is unique, but we all want freedom and liberty, peace, love and security, a good home, and a chance to worship God in our own way; we all want the chance to get ahead and make our children's lives better than our own. We all want the chance to work at a job of our own choosing and to be fairly rewarded for it and the opportunity to control our own destiny.

The dreams of people may differ, but everyone wants their dreams to come true. Not everybody aspires to be a bank president or a nuclear scientist, but everybody wants to do something with one's life that will give him or her pride and a sense of accomplishment. And America, above all places, gives us the freedom to do that, the freedom to reach out and make our dreams come true.


There are a lot of similarities between the beliefs that Ronald Reagan had, and the beliefs that Sarah Palin currently shares with the American people. This brief blog post is by no means an exhaustive account of them all. However, what I think has propelled Sarah Palin into the hearts and minds of the majority of Americans is that similar vision that Reagan had as to what direction is right for our country. I'm certainly not alone in comparing the two. Take a look at this "A Toast to Sarah Palin" magnet that has the images of Palin and Reagan on it!

I was glad to hear on Fox News Sunday that Ms. Palin has not ruled out a run for the White House in 2012. She hasn't committed to a decision yet (which I think is wise), and her reasons for deciding to run 9if she does) are very admirable. She has stated that if the country and her family wants her to run, thn that would be a huge part of the criteria that she would use to weigh her decision.

She would be a leader who wants to serve this nation...not to be served. She has already demonstrated this through what she did while governor of Alaska. And she has iron-clad grit! She didn't earn the nick-name "Sarahcuda" for nothing you know!

Despite the Media of Mass Deception's attempt to destroy her - she grows stronger and more loved by the normal, America-loving patriots of the TEA Party movement which is growing every single day. No matter what the haters throw at her, she will not be moved away from her goals to be outspoken about changing the direction of the current Marxist/tyrannical form of government that Obama & cohorts & clueless Congress have conspired and planned to inflict upon our beloved nation!

Thank you Sarah! No matter what you decide to do about the 2012 presidential race, we have confidence in you and know that you only want what is best for America! We support you all the way - in whatever direction God leads you to pursue now and in the future!

7 comments:

John said...

Sarah Palin is no Ronald Reagan...not even close. Even though he was a lame duck for most of his last term, he stuck it out. Ronald Reagan would never have quite.

Christinewjc said...

John,

You probably meant to write "quit."

You are misinformed. If you would read Palin's book, you would find out the real reasons why she left the governorship early. She put her state first - not her future ambitions in politics. That is admirable.

ObaMAO doesn't put We The People first. He only cares about himself, power, progressivism, money and rewarding his communist cronies. His extreme narcissism would not ever allow him to put our nation before himself.

Unknown said...

I read in history that a lot of people thought that Churchill was something of a "dim bulb." They might have been right. I honestly don't know. But taking a look back at what he did, I do believe that he was the right person for the time. Supposedly our current Commander in Chief is brilliant, and yet at every turn I'm reminded of Forest Gump's admonition "Stupid is as stupid does."

Is Sarah Palin the right person in 2012? I honestly don't know that either. The left certainly seems to think so. Otherwise they wouldn't be tripping all over each other trying to bury her.

Christinewjc said...

Why is it that intellectuals don't make good leaders? Could it be that they are so full of themselves that they aren't equipped with the right stuff to lead?

I liked Palin's answer when asked if she would run in 2012. She said something like, 'If America wanted her to and if her family agreed.' I also know that she would take God's will for her life into consideration through prayer.

The left is misreading what America thinks (he's terrible) and feels (he's a disaster) at this point in ObamaFRAUD's Residency.

They also think that Palin is "too stupid" to ever win. Looks like they are ignoring her genuine popularity because of what she believes and does in her life. The left is also not capable of interpreting what the results reveal in the VA and N.J. governor's races, and now the MA Senate race!

Kevin said...

Hi Christine,
You ask "Why is it that intellectuals don't make good leaders?" I'm not sure how to take that question in regards to our past president and Sarah Palin. I assume you mean they aren't intellectuals (I would agree with you there). I would prefer a smart president to any other kind of president.
And of course Palin is going to say her quit her job for her state. How did it help Alaska that she quit? I suppose if I put it that way maybe she was right--Alaska is better off without her (in my opinion).

Christinewjc said...

What I meant by "intellectuals" is that those with only "book knowledge" - and no private sector job creation knowledge or experience, usually make the worst leaders.

I recently received the following from my husband via email. It shows how utterly ignorant Obama is about choosing Cabinet members:

Here’s something to ponder







Cabinet Members

On a recent Glenn Beck Show, he had a graph that illustrated the percentage of each past president's cabinet who had worked in the private business sector prior to their appointment to the cabinet. You know what the private business sector is ... a real life business, not a government job.

Here are the percentages discussed by Mr. Beck:

T. Roosevelt ........ 38%
Taft ..................... 40%
Wilson ................. 52%
Harding ................ 49%
Coolidge ............... 48%
Hoover ................ 42%
F. Roosevelt ........ 50%
Truman ................ 50%
Eisenhower .......... 57%
Kennedy ............... 30%
Johnson ................47%
Nixon .................... 53%
Ford .................... 42%
Carter ................. 32%
Reagan ................ 56%
GH Bush .............. 51%
Clinton .................. 39%
GW Bush ............. 55%

And the winner of the Chicken Dinner is ..............

Obama ................ 8% !!!

How can the president of a major nation and society - the one with the most successful economic system in world history - stand and talk about business when he's never worked for one? Or about jobs when he has never really had one? And neither has 92% of his senior staff and closest advisers! They've spent most of their time in academia, government and/or non-profit jobs .... or as "community organizers" ... when they should have been in an employment line.--

Christinewjc said...

Kevin wrote: "How did it help Alaska that she quit? I suppose if I put it that way maybe she was right--Alaska is better off without her (in my opinion)."

It helped Alaska to get on with the business of governing, instead of her staff being distracted by all of the frivolous lawsuits on bogus ethics violations and complaints (all of which have been dismissed) which were hurled at her by the Obama Bot machine. She trusted her Lieutenant Governor to finish out the term because he had the same ideals, future projects and goals laid out for the state. Instead of collecting a paycheck on the taxpayer's dime, she chose to turn the governorship over to her LG. I think that was very admirable.

You can cheap-shot at her all you want...just like that idiot Gibbs. It only makes both of you look ridiculous...really!

The Dems are so scared of Palin it's comical to watch! If she wasn't such a threat to them, why pick on her?

While governor, she didn't let the crooks in government in Alaska continue their criminal ways. Some are wearing orange jumpsuit in jail right now! She exposed the corruption and weeded out the criminals. She will do the same thing as president if she goes for the nomination. Obama and his cohorts better watch out!