Dems and GOPs join hands in effort to honor Reagan’s centennial birthday

In less than a month President Ronald Reagan would have celebrated his
100th birthday and a tight-knit group, consisting of many Democrats, is
stepping up to try to throw the Republican “Gipper” the biggest
birthday bash ever.

At the helm of the group’s congressional and White House efforts is
Michele Woodward, a former staffer of Reagan’s who serves as the
executive director of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission, which
President Barack Obama formed 18 months ago.

{mosads}In the upper chamber Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
and Jim Webb (D-Va.) have been extremely instrumental in crafting the
events of the Feb. 6 centennial celebrations, said Woodward, adding that
they are in the process of drafting a “dear colleague” letter, which
will ask members to make floor statements in honor of Reagan on Feb. 3.

“The commission is really focused on how the Congress and the
federal departments and agencies can recognize the centennial,” said
Woodward. “The members of the commission have been so enthusiastic and
so on board and really working in a bipartisan way.”

Nancy Reagan personally asked Feinstein to be on the commission, according to the California Democrat’s office.

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) is planning to send a similar letter to his colleagues in the House, said Woodward.

Fellow commission member and the U.S. Archivist, David Ferriero, is
going to write a letter to every cabinet officer detailing what
resources and documents of Reagan’s presidency are available through the
Archives so that that each agency can facilitate their own display,
said Woodward.

The National Archives unveiled the first installment of a rotating
exhibit of Reagan documents last week, which include the 40th
president’s letters to Mikhail Gorbachev as well as his handwritten
notes for his famous “Evil Empire” speech. The Archives has also
designed an educational component dealing with Reagan’s presidency that
is being sent out to public schools throughout the country.

Though Obama formed the commission in 2009, it wasn’t until more
than a year later that the panel had its first official meeting. And
then in November it suffered a setback, as three of its initial members –
Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) and Reps. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) and Dennis
Moore (D-Kansas) – were defeated or retired in the election.  

But it hasn’t deterred Woodward.

“For me it’s been a labor of love,” she said. “I’m happy to help.”

In
late May the commission is planning a gala event that members of
Congress and Nancy Reagan will be invited to attend at the Ronald Reagan
building in D.C. And around that time, the panel is pushing to get a
joint session of Congress in which House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)
would recognize Reagan’s presidency and perhaps read one of his
speeches.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in California has taken
the lead on organizing many of the national events like the concert
being hosted by the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., which will
feature musical acts like the Beach Boys, Lee Greenwood, and the USC
marching band. The library is also planning to unveil a recent $15
million renovation.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is scheduled to headline a
birthday gala in honor of Reagan in Deer Grove, Ill., while Eureka
College is hosting a party in honor of their former student, which is
being booked as “the largest birthday party in Central Illinois” on
their website.

Reagan worked as an actor with Warner Bros. for 15 years, and as a
result the film company is planning to release a box set of eight of
his films, donating a portion of the profits to the
Foundation.

But for Grover Norquist, the president of the taxpayer group
Americans for Tax Reform, there is no such thing as over-celebrating
Reagan’s birthday.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” he said of the planned events.

“We’re thinking that maybe North or South Dakota being named after
Reagan is an appropriate way to look at things, because you don’t need
two Dakotas,” Norquist said.