Grand Old Partisan reveres the Statue of Liberty. May 1982, Ronald Reagan tasked a businessman with leading an initiative to restore Lady Liberty to its original glory. Lee Iacocca oversaw the nation’s most successful public/private fundraising partnership. July 1986, festivities... Read more →
July 05, 2022
July 04, 2022
Rufus Dawes – Born on the Fourth of July
Grand Old Partisan salutes Rufus Dawes, born July 4th 1838. His great-grandfather, William Dawes, had ridden with Paul Revere to warn patriots that the British were coming. His son, Charles Dawes, was Calvin Coolidge’s vice president. Outbreak of civil war,... Read more →
July 03, 2022
President Trump at Mount Rushmore
Grand Old Partisan highlights President Donald Trump’s speech at Mount Rushmore, July 3rd 2000: "There could be no better place to celebrate America’s independence than beneath this magnificent, incredible, majestic mountain and monument to the greatest Americans who have ever... Read more →
July 02, 2022
lamenting the assassination of President James Garfield
Grand Old Partisan laments the death of a great president. July 2nd 1881, a crazed gunman shot James Garfield at a Washington, DC train station. The President had been walking arm-in-arm with the Secretary of State, James Blaine. He died... Read more →
July 01, 2022
Charles Farwell, industrious Illinois Senator
Grand Old Partisan honors Charles Farwell, born July 1st 1823. Age fifteen, he moved from New York to Illinois. The ambitious youth achieved success in surveying and banking and merchandising. He was "one of the principal builders of Chicago's business... Read more →
June 30, 2022
Republicans passed the Federal Meat Inspection Act
Grand Old Partisan appreciates the Republican efforts to improve public health. Unsanitary conditions in the food processing industry came to public attention during the Spanish-American War. Numerous soldiers died from eating spoiled meat. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, for instance, said he... Read more →
June 29, 2022
George Washington Hulick, faithful Union Army Officer and Ohio Republican Congressman
"always a powerful supporter of the Republican Party and its principles" Grand Old Partisan salutes George Washington Hulick, born near Cincinnati, June 29th 1833. He taught school, then studied law. Outbreak of civil war, he enlisted as captain in the... Read more →
June 28, 2022
Republicans established the Bureau of the Budget, now OMB
Grand Old Partisan appreciates Republican focus on fiscal responsibility. In 1921, the GOP-controlled 67th Congress passed the General Accounting Act and President Warren Harding signed it into law. This landmark legislation established a national budget system, with audits of government... Read more →
June 27, 2022
interview about the importance of Republican Party heritage
Grand Old Partisan highlights a recent discussion in which Michael Zak explains the importance of Republican Party heritage. To quote his book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our Party, the more the Democrats will worry about... Read more →
José Francisco Chaves – "one of the most eminent New Mexicans of his time"
Grand Old Partisan salutes José Francisco Chaves, born near Albuquerque, June 27th 1833. This was when the region was part of Mexico. He studied in St. Louis and at the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons. Returning home, his... Read more →
June 26, 2022
first Call for Convention of the Ohio GOP
Grand Old Partisan spotlights origin of the Ohio Republican Party. In 1854, Democrats passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This was a scheme to expand slavery into the western territories. Throughout the Buckeye State, 'friends of freedom' were outraged. June 26th, leaders... Read more →
June 25, 2022
Thomas Boyd, patriotic Illinois Republican Congressman
Grand Old Partisan salutes Thomas Boyd, born June 25th 1830. Outbreak of civil war, the young attorney enlisted as captain in the 17th Illinois Infantry. His regiment fought at Shiloh and Vicksburg. Boyd later won two terms in the state... Read more →
June 24, 2022
Douglas McKay, levelheaded Governor of Oregon and Secretary of the Interior
Grand Old Partisan salutes Douglas McKay, born June 24th 1893. His education, in agriculture, came from Oregon State College. He survived grievous wounds fighting during WWI. Back home, McKay sold insurance and managed a car dealership. He was a Salem... Read more →
June 23, 2022
Ronald Reagan awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom to the Founder of the United Negro College Fund
Grand Old Partisan admires our party’s commitment to equal opportunity for all. June 23rd 1987, Ronald Reagan awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the founder of the United Negro College Fund. Frederick Douglass Patterson was honored for a lifetime... Read more →
June 22, 2022
Interview with Michael Zak about the importance of Republican Party heritage
Duke Machado hosted a terrific interview, about how today’s Republicans would benefit from appreciating our heritage. Here is the: video link Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book:... Read more →
My father, of blessed memory, wrote a book now available on Kindle:
Soldier Boy: a Memoir of Life and Death and Survival during WWII
e-mail to Michael Zak
Back to Basics for the Republican Party
- "We need to promote Back to Basics for the Republican Party to every single proud Republican!!!!"
- "Every precinct committeeman, every candidate and every teacher with a Republican affiliation should read this book and pass it on to another."
- "Michael Zak takes a novel approach to the culture wars by boldly boasting the historical record of the Republican Party. Rather then sheepishly bow to the Democrat's ongoing myths (and frequently, outright lies) about the GOP, he brings the history and heroes of the Republican Party into the fray."
- “Why is it that we Republicans are so easily outmaneuvered by Democrats?
Why do Republicans so readily fight among themselves?
Why is it so difficult for Republicans to advance their policy agenda?
Here's why."
Back to Basics for the Republican Party - “The past is the cause of the present, and the present will be the cause of the future. All these are links in the endless chain stretching from the finite to the infinite.”
Abraham Lincoln - “The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing.”
Ronald Reagan
Speech Raves
- "Your words at the Lincoln Day dinner were truly inspiring. Thank you so much for your dedicated work and contributions to our Party."
- "Your book is outstanding, and it's nice to have the information come alive during your presentation. You are at once informative and motivating. We've got to get back to basics -- as you say."
- "Thank you for speaking at the luncheon. I've already received many favorable comments. You're absolutely right that the Republican leadership should know our party's history."
- "Thanks for all that you do for the Republican Party and our Nation."
- “Your speech was great and just what some of us depressed Republicans needed. The GOP has taken its eye off of the major issue: freedom v. socialism. You spoke to the core of that issue.”
- “Thank you so much for speaking at the state convention. We received wonderful feedback from everyone in attendance. Everyone was impressed with the depth and breadth of your knowledge, as well as your clear speaking style and sense of humor. You made an outstanding presentation, and we are deeply grateful to you for your efforts.”
- “You have a great vision and hope for the Party, and I think you are embarking on important work.”
- “Thank you so much for speaking at our event. You are offering a tremendous service not only to Republicans, but also to the United States and the world.”
grand_old_partisan@hotmail.com
I am offering the solution to a problem most Republicans don't know they have -- that they can be outmaneuvered and thrown on the defensive endlessly, on nearly any issue, because they accept as true Democrat lies about the Republican Party. To correct that misperception and to help the Republican Party get 'back to basics' is why I'm a man on a mission.
A few years ago, after one of my speeches, a man told me "Do you know what your problem is? You're too far ahead of your time!" My efforts to show Republicans how they would benefit from celebrating the heritage of our Grand Old Party have been arduous, but if this were easy someone else would have already done it.
Among my speech topics are Reconciling the Tea Party and the GOP; Barack Obama, the Worst President Ever; Socialism, the new Slavery; Appreciating the Heritage of our Grand Old Party; Returning to the Founding Principles of the United States; The Women’s Rights Achievements of our Grand Old Party; Abraham Lincoln, Republican; Frederick Douglass, Republican; Martin Luther King and the Republican Civil Rights Legacy.
event photos
- Michael Zak is a popular speaker to conservative organizations around the nation -- thirty states so far. His message is that Republicans would benefit tremendously from appreciating the heritage of our Grand Old Party.
Book Reviews
- "Your book is a national treasure.I'm always recommending it to people."
- "Thank you, Michael!!! Every person who calls himself a Republican, and every person who just wants to know the truth. should know your book!!!"
- "If you're a Republican and love history, this book by my friend Michael Zak is a must read. And if you happen to be looking for a Lincoln/Reagan Day dinner speaker, I highly recommend him."
- great information on our rich heritage"Get a copy of Michael Zak's book, Back to Basics for the Republican Party"
- "I recommend Back to Basics for the Republican Party to everyone who wants to be educated on the true history of the GOP and America!!!!
- Phenomenal historyAnyone who liked the Lincoln movie will love this book. This book is perhaps the best kept secret in all political and history books in America. It is something every politico should read. It puts things into historical perspective like few other books I've read. It challenges conventional through thorough documented history. This is a must read for any student of American history and political science. One regret is that I read the book more than a decade after it was published. It truly is something you feel you missed out on. It is also a book that leaves you wanting to learn more about certain individuals such as Thaddeus Stevens. It's an incredible body of work."
- "Thank you for writing your book. I am two chapters into it, and find it fascinating and motivating. This may be a very significant contribution to the rise of the GOP in the coming years."
- "I am a believer in pro-free market and pro-constitutional rights who recently purchased your book Back to Basics for the Republican Party and have not been able to put it down. It is simply amazing you composed a book in 2003 that hits home on the most serious of topics we face today. I completely agree that we must educate and focus on the original plan as laid out by the founders of our party if we are ever to move forward in a positive direction."
- Praise from Alaska"I purchased your book at our Juneau, Alaska Republican Women's Luncheon last month principally because the title intrigued me. I just finished it, reading the last chapter three times. I wanted to burn the wisdom presented into my brain. Thank you again for all your hard work to research and write your book. Thank you for all you are doing to educate Americans on the incredible truth of the founding of our great country.""Thank you for doing all the research to write this book. As a History/American Studies major, I THOUGHT I knew the difference between Republicans and Democrats, the roles of Lincoln and Stevens and Sumner and Reagan, and the history of our country from the revolutionary war through the civil war. Boy, was I soooo wrong."
- Read it and MEMORIZE it!"My copy is dog-eared with notes and underlined parts. “Back to Basics for the Republican Party has been tremendously helpful setting mis-educated Democrats straight on history!"
- It's a fantatic buy!“Back to Basics for the Republican Party is very informative and gives you an insight into the history of the party from the early days to the modern day presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. What the author has done is provide a balanced view, giving the reader a fascinating 150-year journey of the Republicans. This book is a REAL political page turner which will open minds to a wealth of knowledge and history which most are not even aware of.
- “Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan.”
- “This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!”
- “Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before.”
- "one of the best books I ever read"
- “Your book, Back to Basics for the Republican Party, is most timely during this 2010 pre-election period. It is a message that needs to be emphasized to all grassroots activists. From the precinct, county, district and national levels your respected views need to be heard and read on how to take back our country.”
- from the first page: “Democrats control most of the media, but they also write most of the history books, thereby controlling what even Republican activists think they know about our Party's glorious heritage.”