Neocon--Not to get into an extended debate with you about this, but I guess I have two points to make: one, that Reagan predicted in the 1980 campaign that if he were elected President the federal budget would be balanced by 1984 (and he said this not knowing that the GOP would take the Senate)--not only was that NOT the case, but by 1984 the federal budget was wildly out of balance. Second, you might want to read the book written by William Greider about David Stockman (with Stockman's assistance); Stockman, as you may recall, was a former Republican congressman and Reagan's first OMB Director. The gist of the book was how shocked Stockman was when it became clear that Reagan didn't have a clue about what this supply-side theory would do to the economy--they were inventing it on the fly, and how disillusioned he became by the end of his stay in the Reagan Administration.
I'll admit, as I said, that the Democratic House played a role in the oppressive deficits that were run up in the 80's, but I've rarely if ever heard a word of criticism from any Republican about Reagan's role (and the GOP Senate's role) in the same.
I do agree that Reagan had other priorities--deregulation and tax reform, both of which passed with significant Democratic leadership (actually, they were both Democratic initiatives), but I DO give him credit for signing them into law. However, that said, it's unbalanced to not admit Reagan's (many, in my view) mistakes, of which one of the most egregious was his handling of the deficit/national debt. |
