Presidential Quotes (16 of 16) :Ronald Reagan, the Actor President

Today, we conclude our series of Presidential Quotes with a quip from Ronald Reagan who was president of America from 1981 to 1989:

"Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose your's."

Presidential Quotes (15 of 16): Jimmy Carter

Yes, we would probably get more hits by arbitrarily mentioning Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty," who is apparently not related to the televangelist Pat Robertson or the fringe minister Johnny Robertson, from Martinsville, Va.

But, we are sticking with our game plan and quoting former Democratic president Jimmy Carter, whose term lasted from 1977 to 1981; Carter was also the governor of Georgia before becoming president.

He is the only president we've quoted so far in this series who is still alive, and he is the second oldest president behind George H.W. Bush:

"You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it better than you think you can."

http://www.cartercenter.org

http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org

Presidential Quotes (14 of 16): Gerald Ford

Today, we are quoting President Gerald Ford, who was president from 1974-77. Since he came to the vice presidency because of the resignation of Richard Nixon's first president Spiro Agnew, then to the oval office when Nixon resigned because of the Watergate scandal of 1973, Ford is the only American president who was not elected into office.

Ford's presidency and Nixon's scandals became fodder for the early years of "Saturday Night Live," which premiered in 1975. A young Chevy Chase, who turned 70 in October, frequently made fun of Ford, while his "SNL" co-stars Dan Aykroyd played Ford and John Belushi played Henry Kissinger in skits which were co-written by Al Franken, who is now a Democratic senator from Minnesota.

Here is Ford's quote: "I am acutely aware you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, so I ask you to confirm me with your prayers."

http://www.geraldfordmuseum.gov/

http://www.geraldfordfoundation.org

Presidential Quotes (13 of 16): Richard Nixon

Today, we quote our personal favorite Republican President, Richard Nixon (it should be pointed out that we are Democrats here). One can visit the Nixon Library Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif.

A poster of Nixon bowling in the Coen Borthers film "The Big Lebowski" has also become a part of pop culture. And, a Lebowski Fest will be taking place in Tampa, Fla., from Jan. 31-Feb.1, 2014.

But, before we quip Nixon, let's throw in one from Al Capone in the hopes that it will increase our hits from Belgium and Slovenia: "Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class."

Here is our quote from Nixon: "Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."


http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/

http://www.nixonfoundation.org/

http://www.lebowskifest.com

Presidential Quotes (12 of 16): Lyndon B. Johnson

Today, we quip President Lyndon B. Johnson who abruptly took over for John F. Kennedy after the first Catholic president was murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald (note: Oliver Stone begs to differ).

Johnson left a mixed legacy as he was heralded for Civil Rights, but blamed for the failure of the Vietnam War. LBJ is one of three modern-era presidents from Texas: the other two are George Bush and George W. Bush.

The LBJ LIbrary is in Austin, Tex., which is also the capital of Texas and where the University of Texas is.

Here is LBJ's quote:

"Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time."

http://www.lbjlibrary.org

Presdiential Quotes (11 of 16): John F. Kennedy

To answer your question, especially those of you who read this blog in Kazakhstan (we're not making that up!): "Yes, it was our intention to have this series of quotes from American presidents overlap with the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, which occurred on Nov. 22nd.

This is also the 20th anniversary of the release of Oliver Stone's controversial film about the Kennedy assassination "JFK." The year before, then-independent filmmaker Richard Linklater poked fun of Kennedy assassination  conspiracy theorists in a segment for his film "Slacker," filmed in Austin, Tex. JFK was killed in Dallas, Tex.

President Kennedy who hailed from Massachusetts is perennially ranked as the most popular 20th Century president, eclipsing both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

Ironically, he has even been praised by conservatives who generally opposed the Democratic Party, which all of the Kennedys (also Sens. Robert and Teddy) were a member of. Sen. Ted Kennedy, who died in 2009, was the last remaining Kennedy brother.

The right-wing spoof film "An American Carol," which generally got bad reviews, from the makers of "Airplane" actually included a positive representation of Kennedy, who was played by character actor Chriss Anglin.

Along with Robert Kennedy, JFK is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C. and the JFK Presidential Library is located in Boston, Mass.

Here is JFK's quote:

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolutions inevitable."

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org

http://www.jfklibrary.org

Presidential Quotes: Dwight D. Eisenhower

We are keeping it simple tonight, but we do want to tell blog-readers that we had the opportunity to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, last year, and it's a very neat place. The center also has Ike's childhood home and his grave. It should not be confused with the Eisenhower Public Library District, which is located a few states over in Harwood Heights, Illinois.

Here is Eisenhower's quote:

"Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy."

http://www.eisenhowerarchives.gov/