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Last post 2 years ago by rfenst. 20 replies replies.
There was a better time of political unity and compromise. There can be again.
rfenst Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 06-23-2007
Posts: 39,096
There was a better time and there can be again.

Orlando Sentinel[/b]
There is a statue of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States and a Republican, in the Capitol Rotunda. This quotation is on its base:

“God has been good to America, especially during difficult times. At the time of the Civil War, he gave us Abraham Lincoln. And at the time of Watergate, he gave us Gerald Ford — the right man at the right time who was able to put our nation back together again.”

It is signed by former Speaker of the House “Tip” O’Neill, a Democrat.


Most of the time, these two men held different views on policy and politics, but they were genuine friends and treated each other with respect. Their relationship set the tone for the rest of us in the administration.

The president was criticized by his own party for putting quality public policy ahead of politics. The U.S. had suffered through the Arab oil embargo, so in late 1975 we sent the Congress a proposed comprehensive energy bill. It contained some very tough provisions to promote conservation and increased energy production.

The president asked me to visit with selected congressional leaders to encourage support for the proposal. After a long day on the Hill, I stopped at the White House and reported, “Mr. President we have managed to p--- off both the Republicans and the Democrats.” At that he smiled and said, “That means we have it exactly right.”


John Dingell of Michigan, another Democrat, was the toughest man in the House and my Oversight Committee chairman. At a hearing in late 1975, he worked me over with criticism more intense than usual. He announced that his investigators had discovered improper activity in one of our field offices. Then he went on to describe the violations in painful detail and he asked for my response.

The entire matter was a surprise to me, so I was tempted to explain my lack of knowledge and tell him I would look into the matter and get back to him. But after a thoughtful pause I said, “Mr. Chairman, it looks as though we really screwed up.”

Dingell did not expect that answer and was disappointed with my surrender. There was a long pause as he glared at me and asked, “Are you going to sit there and wrap yourself in the truth?”

There was a longer pause, he realized what he said and started to laugh and the rest of us joined him. That night we started a long and special friendship.

During the rest of the Ford term, we worked together to build a bipartisan energy policy.

There was occasional bitterness between Ford and the Congress, the worst coming after Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. The fiercest attacks came from Sen. Ted Kennedy, another Democrat, but even that was reversed. In May 2001, Ford was honored by the John F. Kennedy Library with their Profile in Courage award. Speaking at the event, Ted Kennedy said, “I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right.”

The foundation for that decent and civilized period was mutual respect and trust, even when there was significant disagreement on policy or politics.

There was a better time and there can be again.


Frank Zarb was the U.S. “energy czar” under President Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1977 and the chairman and CEO of the Nasdaq stock exchange from 1997 to 2001. He lives in Orlando.
DrafterX Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 10-18-2005
Posts: 98,506
I can't drive 55... Not talking
Brewha Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 01-25-2010
Posts: 12,143
DrafterX wrote:
I can't drive 55... Not talking

So now you DON”T want to make America great again???
RayR Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 07-20-2020
Posts: 8,793
This is like deja vu. I could have sworn this article was posted already.Think
MACS Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 02-26-2004
Posts: 79,584
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tkGEFhHM5I
Smooth light Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 06-26-2020
Posts: 3,598
I guess someone has two mines,, double posting again, get your sh*t together - PLEASE.
RayR Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 07-20-2020
Posts: 8,793
MACS wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tkGEFhHM5I


That was interesting to see how she showed the similarities between the leftist wokeys of Amerika and Islamists. Each represented the lunatic fringe of their respective cultish ideologies and now each wants to be normalized as the mainstream.

"Neither Islamists nor the Woke will engage in debate; both prefer indoctrination of the submissive and damnation of those who resist."
DrMaddVibe Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,301
The time for any compromise is over. That curtain closed.

People really need to see this for what it really is.

A sitting President willingly letting soldiers die while they followed his nitwit surrender plan, giving away military hardware that's already found it's way into Iran, turning over names to terrorists of Americans trapped in Afghanistan while stating to Americans (with the help of the presstitutes!) we don't know how many are even there so we can't rescue all of them, witnessing a transfer of bodies he killed while he has one hand over his heart (he's the Commander In Chief!) and the other with a watch he checks off every time a coffin passes him, now we know of a phone call with Creepy Joe and the runaway Afghan President where he's supposed to put a happy spin on how he's supposed to fight without air cover (which was removed in July!) and talk about a good perception to the American surrender all while his party is attempting to ram down spending bills for grandiose fantasy Green New Deal plans?


This is straight up Good vs Evil now.

You don't deal with the Devil.

The perception of our reality is that the democratic process produces American leaders whose first priority is our nation’s survival. The reality is that the democratic process produces some leaders for whom that is not a priority.

The perception of our reality is that no American President, no Secretary of State, no head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and no Secretary of Defense would deliberately hand military victory to an enemy that helped attack us on 9/11/2001. The reality is they just have.

Second, crisis overload freezes the mental grid. It is no accident that the heavy federal hand regarding COVID-19, the introduction into our public schools of hateful learning materials, the rise of crime, and the absence of shame are all happening at the same time, numbing one’s connection to true and right.

Third, self-loathing inoculates against self-preservation. Government agencies and large corporations now mandate that employees be indoctrinated to hate themselves and the American society in which they live. Children in public schools are being taught to self-loathe. Down the memory hole goes authentic history and accumulated knowledge. The hoped-for conclusion is that we deserve to lose.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/09/psychological_paralysis_in_the_battle_for_america.html
RayR Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 07-20-2020
Posts: 8,793
"This is straight up Good vs Evil now.

You don't deal with the Devil."


You're sounding like me. Frank won't be happy, he cringes at any mention that the left is evil.

All approval ratings of the leftist President have tanked down to the low 40's, even the Lying Scum Media can't hide it. Biden Remorse Syndrome is spreading. The “F*ck Biden’ chant is spreading.

It’s Spreading: “F*ck Joe Biden” Chants Break Out Across the Country (VIDEO)
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/09/spreading-fck-joe-biden-chants-break-across-country-video/

“F*ck Biden!” Rap Tops 800.000 Views: “This Man is an Idiot!”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/09/****-biden-rap-tops-800-000-views-man-idiot/

The DNC and the White House are in panic mode.

bgz Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
In all his oldness... and his... oldness...

He's still better than the big orange idiot.

Wasn't big orange the one that cut the deal? He is the deal maker right?

That happens though, leave a mess for the next guy... that's a thing... surely a thing from a narcissistic diktator like Trump.

Anyway... I'm just having a hard time getting mad when DMV and RayRay are crying.
RayR Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 07-20-2020
Posts: 8,793
Biden Remorse Syndrome still hasn't taken you over Ben?
You're blaming the Orange Man for Biden's disasters?
Didn't you know Biden said, “I am president of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me.”?
But you like Biden and the Lying Scum Media still try to pass the buck to Trump?
I can blame Trump for a lot of things, but not for FUBAR Biden's numerous failures.
bgz Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
So you're saying Biden's sh*t storm is worse than Trump's?

That's funny.
HockeyDad Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 09-20-2000
Posts: 46,063
bgz wrote:
So you're saying Biden's sh*t storm is worse than Trump's?

That's funny.


Yes, Biden is worse. Most of the world would also already agree with that.
RayR Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 07-20-2020
Posts: 8,793
Ben giggles and says Trump's sh*t storm was worse, even though he can't define it in words I bet.
In relative terms, Biden's progtard sh*t storm agenda is just getting started, only partially into the first year of his 4 year term and he's already far outdone Trump's 4 year sh*t storm.
Just imagine the tragedies that can be accomplished yet in this progtard regime even if Biden doesn't personally survive.his full term.

rfenst Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 06-23-2007
Posts: 39,096
bgz wrote:
In all his oldness... and his... oldness... He's still better than the big orange idiot.

Agreed.
Smooth light Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 06-26-2020
Posts: 3,598
Joey B. changed Trump's plan, plain and simple. The only way to deal with terrorist is with a sledgehammer like killing fly's, who cares if we miss, they will get the message. Eventually there'll be no place too hide...got you sucker.


My, My, the 🦜🦜 are still delusional........agreed
RayR Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 07-20-2020
Posts: 8,793
Smooth light wrote:

My, My, the 🦜🦜 are still delusional........agreed


The delusional flock together and squawk together. 🦜🦜
They need nothing but their self-deceptions to comfort them.

"The majority of men prefer delusion to truth. It soothes. It is easy to grasp. Above all, it fits more snugly than the truth into a universe of false appearances-of complex and irrational phenomena, defectively grasped." — H.L. Mencken
rfenst Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 06-23-2007
Posts: 39,096
RayR wrote:
The delusional flock together and squawk together. 🦜🦜
They need nothing but their self-deceptions to comfort them.

"The majority of men prefer delusion to truth. It soothes. It is easy to grasp. Above all, it fits more snugly than the truth into a universe of false appearances-of complex and irrational phenomena, defectively grasped." — H.L. Mencken

Hey, if I am delusional to the truth and need to be soothed and info has to be simplified for me, I'll still take what I got. I live the American dream of having pulled myself up by my bootstraps, had a great career and I love my friends and family. My young adult kids are each on their "right" tracks/trajectories and my wife is madly in love with me, as I am with her. If you see me another way, you don't know me.
RayR Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 07-20-2020
Posts: 8,793
rfenst wrote:
Hey, if I am delusional to the truth and need to be soothed and info has to be simplified for me, I'll still take what I got. I live the American dream of having pulled myself up by my bootstraps, had a great career and I love my friends and family. My young adult kids are each on their "right" tracks/trajectories and my wife is madly in love with me, as I am with her. If you see me another way, you don't know me.


That's all wonderful and stuff, but what does that have to do with yourself and Ben's delusions about his oldness Biden and the horrors of progressive governance in general?
This isn't all about you.
rfenst Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 06-23-2007
Posts: 39,096
RayR wrote:
That's all wonderful and stuff, but what does that have to do with yourself and Ben's delusions about his oldness Biden and the horrors of progressive governance in general?
This isn't all about you.

Of course it isn't ALL about me. It has to do with society and politics in this country. My point was that you can make it work for you too if you seek a better life and have the right attitude about the impact of politics on our lives. It can work. You could be happy too.

As to Ben, I will let him speak for himself, but I'll bet he has made a good life for himself and his family too, even with his liberal views.
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