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April 13, 2021

Bill Clements, the first Republican Governor of Texas since Reconstruction

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Grand Old Partisan salutes Bill Clements, born in Dallas, April 13th 1917. He prospered in the oil business after graduating from Southern Methodist University. His offshore drilling company would become the world’s largest. He was an army engineer during WWII.

Clements supported Richard Nixon for the GOP’s 1968 nomination. The new President named him Deputy Secretary of Defense. In 1978, he was elected Governor, the first time for a Republican since Reconstruction. Losing for re-election, he came back four years later for another term.

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In retirement, Clements chaired SMU’s board of governors. He donated $100 million to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Here is a Video Version of this article on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WqEt3BqpCLk

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Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.

Each day, Michael Zak's grandoldpartisan YouTube channel and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than sixteen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states so far.

He also wrote the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar.

Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.

Buy the book at Amazon

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See www.youtube.com/q?v=IzxKCiXc5Qc for a brief video of a Texas Republican praising Back to Basics for the Republican Party.

"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!"

"Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP."

"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."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before."

and

"one of the best books I ever read"

Posted at 07:39 AM |

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Substack link for Grand Old Partisan
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each day, a video celebrating Republican heroes and heroics
My father, of blessed memory, wrote a book now available on Kindle: Soldier Boy: a Memoir of Life and Death and Survival during WWII

Back to Basics for the Republican Party
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[email protected]

Each day, my Grand Old Partisan blog celebrates more than sixteen decades of Republican heroes and heroics.

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  • B7FA2752-8197-4339-9C20-D758081CDA76
    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 history
    Anyone 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.”
  • Click here for more book reviews.