25 Years of Reaganism (that includes the 90’s)
Kevin of Lean Left links to a very interesting article by Ezra Klein of the American Prospect.
In that article, Klein reveals that Reagan wasn’t nearly as conservative as the myth makes him out to be.
This is a guy who raised taxes six years in a row, sat down with the Soviet Union with no preconditions, passed a massive amnesty bill, wildly increased the size of the federal government, exploded the deficit, saved Social Security by instituting a large payroll tax, retreated from Beirut after a bombing, and expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit.
All of this is true. Reagan did not accomplish nearly as much as he would have liked. One obvious reason is that the legislative branch remained in the hands of the Democrats during both of his terms. But Reagan is much more important though for his leadership in a movement and the way he transformed fiscal and regulatory policy, laying the groundwork for future changes.
That brings me to my main point. Just as conservatism was not completely tried during the Reagan years, liberalism was most certainly not tried during the Clinton years. For the most part, the Clinton administration was a continuation of the Reagan revolution, not the end of it. In our last Democratic President’s defense though, government was just as divided in the 90’s as it was during the eighties.
If I were the Republican nominee and Mrs. Clinton was my opponent, I would make it a point to highlight the fact that a second Clinton administration will be nothing like the first. In fact, I might even compliment Bill for being such a pragmatist and a moderate, and then contrast his ideas with hers.