Ronald Reagan

Mikulski was influential in this barrier-breaking VP pickWhile it is a faint memory now, there was speculation up until the early summer of 1984 that then-Rep. Barbara Mikulski would make a good running mate for the Democratic presidential nominee.

She was one of three women House members considered for the job, the others being Pat Schroeder of Colorado and the female frontrunner, Geraldine Ferraro of New York. Outside Congress, two minor office-holders who would go on to national prominence -- San Francisco Mayor Diane Feinstein and Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards -- were also considered.

I became a registered Republican in 2003. It was because I finally became disappointed with the Democrats over how they were behaving in Annapolis. The more I did research, the more disenchanted I became with the party. From the nitpicking and partisan bickering with Governor Robert Ehrlich (R) to their attempts to raise taxes (which they succeeded in this past November.) Then there was the fact that they took the black vote for granted. They would promise a number of things and not worry about delivering the goods when the time came.

I became a Republican because they were at the very least more honest about what they stood for. Oh, and that whole anti-slavery thing helped as well. The Republicans acknowledge that they were wrong to play racial politics, but the conservative base was honest about their stance on Affirmative Action. Not every person in a political party agrees with each other, but they have core values that unite them. Let me be clear, I DID NOT become Republican because of Ronald Reagan.

Congressman Steny H. HoyerToday's weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal has columnist Kimberly Strassel's wide-ranging interview of Rep. Steny Hoyer, in which the Majority Leader talks about the accomplishments and bipartisanship of the 110th Congress, the 2008 elections and Ronald Reagan's place among Democrats.

On maintaining the House majority in the 2008 elections, Hoyer predicts, "I think we'll pick up north of 10" new Democrats, believing, "Most of [the 41 elected in 2006] are in tough districts, that is say, swing districts, but all of them are in very good shape."

He feels John McCain is the strongest candidate the Republicans could have picked, as he "has appeal beyond his party," yet is ready to engage him on the Arizona Senator's hallmark issue of national security.

From Wilson to Clinton, Hoyer runs through the litany of Democratic presidents who led the country in wartime, noting, "Frankly, the only Republican who is in that group is essentially Ronald Reagan."

Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele at Sen. John McCain's speech this morning in Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS- Speaking today before a sparse crowd of media, staff, and supporters, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) recounted his days as a young student at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Acknowledging that his “four years at the Naval Academy were not notable for exemplary virtue or academic achievement but, rather, for the impressive catalogue of demerits I managed to accumulate,” McCain said Annapolis “holds a special place in my life.”

The state capital was where the senator’s military career began more than five decades ago; he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958.

It appears the late-deciders went for state Sen. Andy Harris over Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in the First Congressional District. That's par for the course, with the undecided breaking for the challenger.

U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in Annapolis today

ANNAPOLIS - Conservatives like William F. Buckley used to footnote Edmund Burke when explaining their particular political ideology, an evocation that was seldom incompatible with Barry Goldwater - as in "a Burkian, Goldwater conservative."

Post Ronald Reagan, and in the waning days of a Bush presidency that has frayed the nerves of many self-avowed conservatives, the Gipper has been the go-to guy for Republicans intent on aligning themselves with the conservative movement.

Michael Reagan, a conservative commentator and the son of the late President Ronald Reagan, will be in Maryland on January 7 to headline a fundraiser -- billed as a tribute to Ronald Reagan -- organized by Republican Delegates James King, Nic Kipke and Steve Schuh. Proceeds from the event will go to the Citizens for Better Government PAC. The group was formed to fund candidates for the '10 cycle.