Grand Old Partisan observes that the ongoing Democrat Corruption is nothing new. Slavery Party minions have been robbing taxpayers since way back when. Tammany Hall was a political organization founded by Aaron Burr. It eventually became headquarters of the New... Read more →
August 19, 2022
August 18, 2022
Lewis Tillman, anti-Confederate Tennessean and Republican Congressman
"a man of great breadth of intellect, of positive character, and of deep convictions" Grand Old Partisan honors Lewis Tillman, born near Nashville, August 18th 1816. While farming his land, the eminent Whig was elected circuit court clerk and rose... Read more →
August 17, 2022
Orindatus Simon Bolivar Wall
Grand Old Partisan salutes Orindatus Simon Bolivar Wall, born to a slave in North Carolina, August 17th 1825. Emancipated by his plantation owner father, he relocated to Ohio and became a shoemaker. In 1858, "OSB" helped a runaway slave to... Read more →
August 16, 2022
Samuel Peters, patriotic Kansas Republican Congressman
Grand Old Partisan salutes Samuel Peters, born August 16th 1842. During the Civil War, he served as captain in the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His regiment fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and Atlanta. Peace restored, Peters studied law at the... Read more →
August 15, 2022
Samuel Young, the first Army Chief of Staff
Grand Old Partisan salutes Samuel Young, born January 9th 1840. His formal education came at Washington & Jefferson College, near Pittsburgh. During the Civil War, he was rose to the rank of colonel. Peace restored, he remained in the army.... Read more →
August 14, 2022
President Ronald Reagan proclaiming National Navaho Code Talkers Day
Grand Old Partisan salutes the Navaho Code Talkers. By proclamation of President Ronald Reagan, August 14th became National Navaho Code Talkers Day. These courageous men had rendered invaluable service to the U.S. Marines during WWII, using their native language as... Read more →
August 13, 2022
Lucy Stone, visionary Republican civil rights activist
Grand Old Partisan honors Lucy Stone, born in Massachusetts, August 13th 1818. Graduation from Oberlin made her one of the first women to earn a college degree. In 1848, William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips hired her as orator for... Read more →
August 12, 2022
Stephen Royce, the first Republican Governor of Vermont
Grand Old Partisan honors Stephen Royce, born August 12th 1787. Law studies followed teaching school. Public service began with three terms in the Vermont house and two years as county attorney. He was delegate at a state constitutional convention. In... Read more →
August 11, 2022
campaign buttons, first used by the William McKinley presidential campaign in 1896
Grand Old Partisan spotlights a mighty Republican innovation. The political campaign button debuted in 1896, for the William McKinley presidential campaign. It was patented on August 11th. Before then, people had supported candidates by wearing ribbons and such, but as... Read more →
August 10, 2022
John Campbell, the first Governor of Wyoming Territory
Grand Old Partisan salutes John Campbell, born August 10th 1835. His career began editing a Cleveland newspaper. He attended a women’s rights convention. During the Civil War, he was a staff officer. Peace restored, the competent colonel helped set up... Read more →
August 09, 2022
the anti-slavery Free Soil Party, precursor to the GOP
Grand Old Partisan highlights the Free Soil Party. This anti-slavery organization led to formation of the GOP. The 1848 presidential election featured a pro-slavery Democrat running against a slave-holding Whig. Conscientious citizens sought an alternative. August 9th, twenty thousand people... Read more →
August 08, 2022
Benjamin Franklin Jones, industrious Chairman of the Republican National Committee
Grand Old Partisan honors Benjamin Franklin Jones, born near Pittsburgh, August 8th 1824. Industriousness raised him from clerk to partner of a river barge company. He and business associates purchased an iron foundry and expanded it into an important steel... Read more →
August 07, 2022
Samuel Merrill, heroic Republican Governor of Iowa
Grand Old Partisan salutes Samuel Merrill, born in Maine, August 7th 1822. He taught school in Maryland but, appalled by the slavery he encountered there, soon returned home. In 1854, the abolitionist was elected state representative. In 1856, Merrill moved... Read more →
August 06, 2022
DeForest Richards, early Republican Governor of Wyoming
Grand Old Partisan honors DeForest Richards, born in New Hampshire, August 6th 1846. Soon after the Civil War, he relocated to Alabama and opened a tannery. There, the young Republican was elected state representative and then county sheriff. In 1885,... 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.”