Top 10 Heritage Images of 2012
Ericka Andersen /
Instagram sold for $1 billion in April, remarkable news for a company that wasn’t even around two years earlier. Meanwhile, sites like Pinterest and Tumblr blossomed. What do they have in common? Images.
From pop culture to political campaigns, images helped define 2012. Heritage embarked on a campaign of its own to communicate our message using these shareable photos and graphics. Below are 10 of the most popular.
1. As President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney gathered on October 22 for the presidential debate on foreign policy, Heritage reminded readers of this quote from former President John F. Kennedy: “Domestic policy can only defeat us. Foreign policy can kill us.”
2. After President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney debated spending cuts for PBS and Big Bird during the first presidential debate, Heritage released this graphic to put things in perspective. It was published on October 10.
3. Former President Ronald Reagan’s words still ring true today: “If you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” Heritage published this graphic on October 4.
4. Following a disappointing election for conservatives, many looked to Reagan’s advice for inspiration: “Don’t give up your ideals … recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there who want what you want … a shining city on a hill.” This was published shortly after Election Day on November 9.
5. Rounding out our Reagan quotes, Heritage featured this graphic on November 8: “We have to find tough, bright, young men and women who are sick and tired of cliches and the pomposity and the mind-numbing economic idiocy of the liberals in Washington.”
6. A new movie about former President Abraham Lincoln prompted many Americans to take a closer look at our 16th President. Here’s a quote Heritage featured on November 19: “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
7. When the Iron Dome missile defense system saved hundreds of lives in Israel this year, Heritage recognized its importance. It also helped reveal to Americans why our own missile defense system is crucial to our protection as well. It was published on November 20.
8. As the nation braced for the fiscal cliff and another debt limit debate, Heritage reminded readers of then-Senator Barack Obama’s words in 2006: “America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.” It was published on December 5.
9. When teachers in Michigan skipped school to attend pro-union protests, 26,000 children were forced to miss school. This happened in a state where eighth graders in Detroit have a 7 percent literacy rate. It was published on December 13.
10. This classic quote from former Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) should serve as a reminder to conservatives who appear so willing to compromise their principles: “Compromise, hell!…If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?” It was published on December 16.
