“You think you’ve heard these same excuses before, you’re right. When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said, slow down, it’s too early. Let’s wait. Things aren’t bad enough. When women spoke up for the right to speak up, they wanted to vote, some insisted slow down, there will be a better day to do that. The day isn’t quite right. When this body was on the verge of guaranteeing equal civil rights to everyone, regardless of the color of their skin, some senators resorted to the same filibuster threats that we hear today.”

Here are a few links to the obvious.

The Politico: GOP erupts over Reid slavery, segregation remarks
Fox News: Reid Compares Opponents of Health Care Reform to Supporters of Slavery

The obvious angles have already been taken. The left agrees with him and the right is correctly notifying him that those that opposed these actions where actually Democrats. Most will write this off as finger pointing and posturing, which of course it is. There are opposition parties and they often oppose actions by the other party. Little of this opposition rises to the level of this debate and those mentioned by Harry Reid.   Below the obvious politics lies a more important point.

All of these arguments, including Health Care, are about freedom. Freedom to live out your life as God intended and as guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. In all cases, the opposition sided with freedom and the American people and the Democrats sided with government power and the infringement of freedom.  It is this point that needs to be made and why all Americans should watch this debate with great trepidation.   Unfortunately, it is this point that the politicians and the media fail to understand.  American freedom suffers another blow because of it.

Why is Newt trying to rewrite history, including his own?  Does he believe sucking up to the Liberal Republicans will ensure his nomination in 2012?   He could not be more wrong, and hopefully in both counts.   This does not come easy because Gingrich used to be one of our favorite Republicans.   His belief in American exceptionalism, his desire to educate at local universities, his desire for smaller government, have all taken a backseat to his seeming desire to be liked and be on TV.

What propelled Reagan and propelled the GOP into power in 1994 was LEADERSHIP.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Following the GOP where they tell you to go is not leadership. Trying to build a “big tent” by having no values is not leadership.   I do not advocate exclusionary policies, but leadership does mean taking a stand and letting the cards fall where they may.

Reagan did not bow to the Soviets to change ???tax policy to include others in the party.   He articulated his beliefs clearly and effectively and convinced other to follow his lead.   Reagan was probably more conservative then the population but he convinced them to trust his leadership and led us to success.   The contract with America was similar.   Not everyone agreed with every policy, but they agreed with the tenants of smaller government and appreciated the willingness of Republicans to write down there ideas and stick to them.   Republicans both leaders and followers were brought into power in a wave of public support.

Republicans have lost since, not because they became more conservative then Reagan (more on that to come).   They lost because they lost leaders that were able to articulate what they believe.  Many that remain are simply followers left to wander Washington DC alone, brought in with Reagan and/or “the Contract”.     Looking for leadership, and lacking it themselves, they latched on to pseudo-leaders in the Senate and House.    Then again a pseudo-leader in President Bush.   All of which have led them astray.

The Republican party is conservative.   The country is conservative.  Heck, the Democrats that defeated the Republicans in 2006 were conservative.   What the Republicans need is not liberal Republicans and a big tent.  What they need is leadership.

Let’s be honest, they point to Beck and Hannity.  You will hear them mention “Let’s watch together and 5:00 and 9:00 and see what we mean.”  That is 2 hours out of a 24 hour news cycle (Hannity is repeated so 3 hours).    Beck and Hannity have their points of view and are not news programs.  They are commentary and investigative journalism.  But that is not the whole of the network.

Let’s look at a few others the White House has insulted.

Neal Cavuto:

Prior to joining FNC, Cavuto anchored and hosted more than three hours of live programming daily for CNBC, including the network’s highest rated program, Market Wrap, as well as Power Lunch and Business Insiders. While at CNBC, he also served as a contributor to NBC’s Today Show as well as NBC News at Sunrise. His 20-plus years of financial reporting include a stint at PBS’ Nightly Business Report, where he was the New York bureau chief, as well as a stint at Investment Age Magazine.

Brian Wilson:

Prior to joining the FOX News Channel, Wilson was co-anchor of “FOX Morning News” on WTTG-TV, the FOX News affiliate in Washington, D.C. Wilson also served as the station’s Capitol Hill correspondent and covered the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings and the ethics investigations into then Speaker of the House Jim Wright. Additionally, he was the WTTG-TV Pentagon correspondent during the Persian Gulf War.

Wilson was elected in 2005 and in 1991 to serve as Vice Chairman of the 2500-member Capitol Hill Radio/TV Correspondent’s Association. In 1997, Wilson earned a Master’s degree with honors in print journalism from American University, where he also served as an adjunct professor in the School of Communications.

Brit Hume:

Before joining FOX News in 1996, Hume was with ABC News for 23 years, serving as chief White House correspondent from 1989 through 1996. During his tenure, he contributed to “World News Tonight With Peter Jennings,” “Nightline” and “This Week” as well as various specials for the news division. Hume joined ABC in 1973 as a consultant for the network’s documentary division and was named a Washington correspondent in 1976. He was later promoted to Capitol Hill correspondent and reported on Congress until 1988.

Earlier, Hume reported for United Press International, beginning his career as a newspaper reporter with The Hartford Times and the Baltimore Evening Sun.

He has received numerous honors and awards, including the 2003 Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from the National Press Foundation, and a 1991 Emmy Award for his coverage of the Gulf War. The author of two books, “Inside Story” and “Death and the Mines,” Hume was named “The Best in the Business” by the American Journalism Review for his extensive news coverage of the White House.

Chris Wallace:

Before joining FOX News, Wallace worked at ABC News for 15 years where he served as the senior correspondent for “Primetime Thursday” and as a substitute host for “Nightline.” During his tenure with ABC News, Wallace hosted multiple groundbreaking investigations and received numerous awards for his work, including the Dupont-Columbia Award-winning probe of the Associates, Ford Motor Company’s finance department that allegedly practiced predatory lending.

Prior to joining ABC News, Wallace was with NBC News where he served as the chief White House correspondent from 1982-1989. While at NBC, Wallace covered the 1980, 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns as well as the Democratic and Republican conventions in those years. Wallace also anchored “Meet The Press” from 1987-1988 and anchored the Sunday edition of “NBC Nightly News” from 1982-1984 and 1986-1987. Wallace joined NBC as a reporter with WNBC-TV in New York City in 1975.

Wallace has won every major broadcast news award for his reporting, including three Emmy Awards, the Dupont-Columbia Silver Baton and the Peabody Award.

Juan Williams:

Before coming to FOX, Williams spent 23 years at The Washington Post, where he served as an editorial writer, op-ed columnist and White House correspondent. From 2000-2001, Williams hosted National Public Radio’s (NPR) national call-in show “Talk of the Nation.” In that role, he traveled to cities across America for monthly radio town hall meetings before live audiences. Williams is currently a senior national correspondent for NPR.

The recipient of an Emmy Award for television documentary writing, Williams also won widespread critical acclaim for a series of documentaries including, “Politics:The New Black Power” and “A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom.” He is the author of the non-fiction bestseller, “Eyes on The Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965″ and “Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary.” Williams has also written numerous articles for national magazines including Fortune, The Atlantic Monthly, Ebony, GQ and The New Republic, in addition to appearing on numerous television programs including ABC’s “Nightline,” PBS’ “Washington Week in Review” and “Oprah.”

Sounds like some pretty strong journalistic credentials.   I guess they all became Republican lackeys when the joined Fox.   Very similar, but the opposite effect,

for George Stephanopoulos :

Prior to joining ABC News, Stephanopoulos served in the Clinton administration as the senior adviser to the president for policy and strategy. He is the author of “All Too Human,” a No. 1 New York Times best-seller on President Clinton’s first term and the 1992 and 1996 Clinton/Gore campaigns.

Stephanopoulos received his Master’s degree in theology from Balliol College, Oxford University, England, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University and graduated summa cum laude in political science.

maybe Paul Begala

Begala first entered the national political scene after the consulting firm he and fellow Democratic strategist James Carville started, Carville & Begala, helped President Bill Clinton get elected in 1992. Serving in the Clinton administration as counselor to the president, he was a close adviser to Clinton and helped define and defend the administration’s agenda, serving as a principal public spokesman.

Carville?

James Carville is a Democratic strategist who serves as a political contributor for CNN, appearing frequently on CNN’s The Situation Room as well as other programs on all CNN networks. Carville remains active in Democratic politics and is a party fundraiser.

no not quite… let’s go to the big show…Katie Couric

Couric completed a 15-year run as co-anchor of NBC News’ “Today” on May 31, 2006. While at NBC, Couric was also contributing anchor for “Dateline NBC.” She was a “Today” substitute co-anchor from February 1991 before taking over the job permanently two months later. Couric joined NBC News in 1989 as deputy Pentagon reporter before serving its first national correspondent in June 1990, which included two stints covering the Gulf War.

Couric has covered most of the major breaking news events over the past 15 years, including the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center; the Columbine tragedy in Colorado; six Olympic Games, including the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing; the funeral of Princess Diana; the Oklahoma City bombing; the Timothy McVeigh execution; the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings; and the end of millennium coverage, which she co-anchored with Tom Brokaw.

Couric received the George Foster Peabody Award for her March 2000 series on colon cancer, which also led to NBC News receiving the 2001 RTNDA-Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence. She also has won six Emmy Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award, a National Headliner Award, an Associated Press Award, a Matrix Award, two American Women in Radio and Television Gracie Awards, the Harvard University School of Public Health’s Julius B. Richmond Award and UNICEF’s Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award.

That is pretty close.. Today Show?…At least it was in the ball park.

The fact is Fox is asking the hard questions, the questions that we are all asking (or should be).   The rest of the media is still suffering from the Obama election and after-party hangover.

In either case, freedom of the press is protected speech and Obama is walking a line that even a well protected Liberal should not dare touch.

Just like Pepsi convinced Coke during the “New Generation” campaign, the GOP is now convinced that being a cheap copy of the other product is the best answer to compete.   They tried it with John McCain and they lost.   I would argue they tried it with “Compassionate Conservatism” and hurt their brand.  No one wants or needs two of the same product.    If I want a Pepsi, I would drink a Pepsi.   If I want a Democrat I will vote for a Democrat. What I want is a choice between different products.

Coke learned relatively quickly that they has made a huge mistake with New Coke.  Less than three months later Coke was re-released under the Classic label.   There were those internally (high ranking, as well) that were sure that New Coke was the right answer.    They did not give up their new product right away.   They believed the Pepsi marketing, the focus groups and what they polls were saying.   They believed that only a vocal minority really wanted the old Coke back.     But in the end and through the lens of history we know that New Coke became Coke II, faded away, and has been mostly forgotten and Coke Classic is once again the dominant force.

The GOP is following the same program. They tried to be the Democrats and lost. They talk about being even more inclusive to those alternative views and continue to move away from their original product. There are voice, loud voices within the Tea Parties, Talk Radio and the GOP itself that are screaming that the old product is being missed. That “tasting” more like a Democrat is not the right answer to a country that is craving the missing “flavor” of the GOP. Let me add myself to those voices.

I want Classic GOP.   The GOP before it chased away the Libertarians and embraced the Democrats.   The GOP when it really was for smaller government and constitutional limitations.   It may not attract a lot of hard-core Democrats.  It will attract a lot of Americans that have been largely forgotten in those polls.  And like Coke it will find that all of the marketing and polling cannot fully understand the underlying fever and energy that lies latent in the American people, just waiting for a reason to buy rise up.

It is time to stop worrying about picking up 3-4% by appealing the drinkers of the Democrat’s Kool-Aid and time to engage some of the 55% of the American voters that did not vote for either party.   Give them a product to believe in, an America to dream of and some on the other side might just listen as well.

I hope your were not completely serious. I do appreciate a Liberal that actual understands how they are viewed and is willing to put forth an argument that does not start with “Well, Bush…” You are dead-on correct that the cities are viewed as cesspools of humanity that are no longer based on the American dream [ but on holding people in depravity and dependence ..author's addition]. I only wished someone had the guts to back up their talking points with the fact that the Anti-American thoughts come from years of being squeezed about the neck by long-term Democrat control that continues to drive companies out of town and the value of the homes (dare I say the standard of living downward). That the dreams and goals of these Americans have been crushed under Liberal philosophies that fail year after year and have turned them into … dare I say… Bitter Americans clinging to their government handouts and class envy. Those are not the true American values and what was the American dream.

I do not believe that companies and free markets are foolproof. In fact I believe that they are driven by greed. But greed can be understood and directed. That is the role of government. The role of referee to watch over the game and make sure that each team plays by the rules. But when the referees work for the team you are playing, it is hard to keep the game fair. You now have a game where government bureaucrats set the rules of the game in their own favor. I put to you that Liberals (an you… regardless of affiliation) confuse Conservatives and Republicans with free market Libertarians. Yes, we are cut from the same cloth but Republicans believe in the limited role of government to assist the free market. To control and direct the free market and to then jump into and compete against the free market ,no, that takes Liberals.