He still gets pomp and circumstance: 21-gun salute for Reagan on his 106th birthday

NEWS AND OPINION:

There’s still much pomp and circumstance reserved for Ronald Reagan. To mark his 106th birthday on Monday, for example, the Federalist Society will stage a celebration that includes a public debate at a bar in downtown San Francisco. The topic: “Is President Donald Trump Reagan’s successor?” The group advises:

“RESOLVED, the election of Donald Trump is a resumption of the Reagan Revolution. Our debate will be in our ’Tavern Debate’ format. For those unfamiliar with this format, it requires (1) a tavern, (2) an interesting topic, (3) good humor, and (4) audience participation.”

Comparing the two presidents in recent weeks has preoccupied many news organizations, including PBS, Breitbart,com, Roll Call, Forbes, Real Clear Politics, Politico and many more. No wonder the Federalist Society is debating the matter. The topic is subject to interpretation, though much of the coverage suggests that while the two men share certain attributes and motivations, the eras are different, as is the makeup of Congress.

Meanwhile, heartland fans of the Gipper will be busy at Reagan’s birthplace in Tampico, Illinois, where the locals will gather for birthday cake. And at Reagan’s boyhood home in Dixon — about 30 miles to the northeast — the American Legion Honor Guard will fly U.S. flags above the modest two-story home, give them a proper triangular fold, then offer them to the public for $37 as a keepsake. It’s a fundraiser for the home, built in 1891 and in dire need of some repairs.

There are mighty big doings at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California — including a Marine Corps division band, a color guard, a brass quintet, a 21-gun salute, an official wreath-laying and the blessings of a chaplain. All ceremonies will be conducted by Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Killea, commander of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. There’s also a voice from the past: Veteran ABC newsman Sam Donaldson will deliver the keynote speech. He had many encounters with Mr. Reagan, including one famous question during a 1982 press conference.

“Mr. President, in talking about the continuing recession, you have blamed mistakes of the past. You blamed the Congress. Does any of the blame belong to you?” Mr. Donaldson demanded.

“Yes. For many years I was a Democrat,” the president shot back.

The big, bodacious library is also hosting a cheerful birthday lunch. On the menu: a green salad with oranges and candied pecans, roast chicken with tarragon, grilled heirloom tomatoes, roasted baby red potatoes, green beans almandine, carrot souffle and chocolate layer cake with vanilla ice cream.

’YOU HAVE TO GET OVER IT’

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly had a question for President Trump during an exclusive interview that aired Sunday on the network. “Do you ever say to yourself, ’I can’t believe I’m here? I cannot believe that I am the president of the United States, when I wasn’t a politician. I didn’t start out this way. That wasn’t my life goal.’ Does that ever come into your mind?”

Mr. Trump replied, “Well, I must tell you, the other day I walked into the main entrance of the White House, and I said to myself, ’This is sort of amazing.’ Or you walk into Air Force One. It’s like a surreal experience in a certain way. But you have to get over it, because there’s so much work to be done, whether it’s jobs or dealing with other nations that truly hate us. You have to get over it.”

A MODERN PHENOMENON

Milo Yiannopoulos — the outspoken gay conservative and Breitbart.com editor whose recent presence at the University of California, Berkeley sparked a riot — vows he will return to the school in a few months. But before he does that, Mr. Yiannopoulos has a book out March 14 titled “Dangerous.”

The publisher is Threshold Editions, the conservative imprint of Simon & Schuster, which is a testimony to the power of conservative readers. Threshold has had 47 New York Times best-sellers; 21 of them reached No. 1. Their stable of authors includes President Trump, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin and Michelle Malkin, among many.

Mr. Yiannopoulos, perhaps, may continue that winning tradition. His forthcoming book is now No. 1 at Amazon among all books, five weeks before it is even published, and despite the fact that activists, fellow authors and book purveyors opposing Mr. Yiannopoulos have called for a boycott of his publisher.

JUDGING THE JUDGE, SOME SYMPATHY FOR TRUMP

Americans’ first impressions of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch “tilt positive,” while 49 percent also say he should be confirmed, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

That’s roughly the same share that said so about Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. in 2005 and Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 shortly after their nominations were announced, says CNN polling director Jennifer Agiesta.

The survey also found that Republican leaders in Congress now have a 39 percent job approval rating, the highest number for them since CNN began asking about it in 2008. Democratic leaders hold a lower approval rating than Republicans; a third approve, marking the first time in nine years that their approval fell below their GOP rivals.

A plurality of the public appears to have a little sympathy for President Trump. The CNN poll also found that 42 percent of Americans now say the press is too critical of Mr. Trump, 22 percent say the press is not critical enough, and 36 percent say the coverage is “fair.”

THE GREENS ARE GROWLING

The party of Jill Stein appears pretty vexed with the new administration — and those who came before.

“We know that it’s been tough since Donald Trump was sworn into office. But for many families and communities across the country and around the world, life was not very good under Barack Obama, or George W. Bush before him or Bill Clinton before him. Do you see a pattern here?” the Green Party asks in a vigorous new public outreach that also celebrates their candidates who are running in state and local races, starting as early as next month.

“While it is understandable that people are upset by the policies put forth by the Trump administration, and they should be, the real target needs to be both plutocratic parties that have brought us to this point,” notes the party, which will stage a conference in Philadelphia at month’s end exploring “voting justice.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 36 percent of Americans say the news media is “too tough” on the Trump administration; 74 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 9 percent of Democrats agree.

• 31 percent overall say the level of toughness is “about right”; 17 percent of Republicans, 31 percent of independents and 40 percent of Democrats agree.

• 28 percent overall say the level is “not tough enough”; 6 percent of Republicans, 26 percent of independents and 49 percent of Democrats agree.

• 11 percent overall said the media was too tough on the Obama administration in 2009; 3 percent of Republicans, 10 percent of independents and 18 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A Gallup poll of 1,018 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 30-31, plus historic data.

• Murmurs and asides to jharper@washingtontimes.com