On Hannity & Colmes last night Oliver North sought to portray Barack Obama as an "empty suit," at which point Democratic political strategist Bob Beckel erupted, "That's what they said about Ronald Reagan." Beckel went on to make the case that Obama's candidacy resembles the Reagan candidacy of 1980.
Is it possible that Barack Hussein Obama is the next Ronald Wilson Reagan? Well, Reagan too was a strong advocate for "change." When Reagan ran for office the economy was in a shambles. Inflation was in double digits, growth was stagnant, interest rates were high, and the stock market was barely higher than it was a decade earlier. Abroad, the Soviet bear had gobbled up 10 countries between 1974 and 1980. There were 100,000 Soviet troops in Afghanistan. In Iran, U.S. policy had helped topple the Shah and usher in the Ayatollah Khomeini. Hostages were being held by Islamic radicals. President Carter diagnosed Americans as suffering from a kind of national depression which he called "malaise." Clearly change was in order.
But Reagan was a man of large ideas. He positioned his career against the big idea of the twentieth century, namely collectivism. Reagan saw collectivism in a menacing Soviet empire abroad, and an expanding welfare state at home. When I first came to America the national ethos had been set by John F. Kennedy who told young people that if they were idealistic and caring, they should join the Peace Corps. To Kennedy it was the government servant who was the true noble American. Reagan disputed this. To him it was not the bureaucrat but the entrepreneur who was the embodiment of American idealism and greatness. Reagan sought to bring about a cultural shift in America in which parents would rather see their children become inventors and business owners rather than paper-pushers in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Reagan also had concrete ideas about how to bring about his grand aspirations. He sought to roll back the Soviet empire by deploying Pershing and Cruise missiles in Europe. He sought to deploy missile defenses to shoot down Soviet missiles and also to invite the Russians into a defensive arms race that he knew they couldn't win. He proposed bringing the top marginal tax rate down from 70 percent to 28 percent. He proposed a 30 percent across-the-board tax cut. He sought a restrictive monetary policy to wring inflation out of the economy, combined with tax cuts to unleash entrepreneurial initiative. He backed privatization of government activities that could be better performed by the private sector.
Let's leave aside Reagan's astounding accomplishments in actually getting his ideas implemented, and the great political and cultural revolution they produced. Let's just focus on the fact that Reagan had the vision and he had the specific policies to produce it. Where is Obama's vision for America that goes beyond "bringing us together"? How exactly does Obama propose to do this? What are his imaginative fiscal and monetary proposals? If Obama wants to get troops out of Iraq, what is his alternative strategy for winning the war against radical Islam? Does he have anything more to offer other than the vacuous "really going after Bin Laden"? To ask these questions is to answer them.
The conventional wisdom is that it would be harder for John McCain to beat Hillary Clinton than it would be for him to beat Barack Obama. From what we've seen of Obama so far, this is not so. But it may be useful for let Democrats think this. The party that by all reckoning should win the White House in November may yet snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 24)
46. Little Rock,
I have read one book, and am part way through the other. I do not have a problem with you not wanting Obama to be president as that is most certainly your choice. I do have a problem with false hoods about him, Hillary, or McCain. Lets just be truthful, and vote for the one we want. I personally think any one of the three would do a good job, but want to be done with what we have now which excludes McCain as he is to much into war. and agreeing with Bush. I would like to see Hillary as majority leader in the senate. and Obama as president.
Jerry Brown at 4:21PM on Mar 7th 2008
47. D'Souza says, "The conventional wisdom is that it would be harder for John McCain to beat Hillary Clinton than it would be for him to beat Barack Obama. From what we've seen of Obama so far, this is not so. But it may be useful for let Democrats think this. The party that by all reckoning should win the White House in November may yet snatch defeat from the jaws of victory."
Religious prophecy is not dead so long as we have the D'Souza's of the world coming squarely down on the side of 'whatever happens, happens!'
What do YOU say, Dinesh... Christian Science or Scientology?
not-pboyfloyd at 4:25PM on Mar 7th 2008
48. K- Staylor also has a defender named jack who likes to go into great detail about the sex lives of gay men.
Gwen at 4:27PM on Mar 7th 2008
49.
brian wrote: "and then there is the buzz word to end all buzz words-TOLERANCE!!! yes the liberal left is fond of that word"
brian, you spent the last week on another blog trying to convince everyone how you have the most tolerance than any other poster.
Now you are using that word as though it only has four letters and is offensive.
Too funny.
FL Chick at 4:29PM on Mar 7th 2008
50. I have said no falsehoods about B.H.Obama. I have seen him fail to place his hand over his heart while others did playing the anthem, I have hear M. Obama say she can FINALLY be proud to be an American, I have heard B.H. Obama say a HRC vote was WRONG. NOT, well thought out, not using poor judgement but WRONG. Thats disrespectful to soldiers in anyone's book. I vote for the most qualified, not the most chrismatic, hollywood types and will not be bullied by diversionary tactics used in this blog.
Little Rock 2008 at 4:37PM on Mar 7th 2008
51. And, Mr. Brown, thats only one of many questionable statements made by Mr. B.H. Obama and inconsistencies. Read some of his books.
Little Rock 2008 at 5:01PM on Mar 7th 2008
52. Here's Landover's take on Obama... give them a break, it's hard to parody Christianity!
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/2008/february/obama.html
Floyd at 4:39PM on Mar 7th 2008
53. Mr. Hays.... you must have been busy lately... with no time for posting. This applies to certain others as well who seem to be too busy working ... boo-hoo for me.
Anyway, where is Biola U? I have never heard of it.
Shannie at 4:41PM on Mar 7th 2008
54. brian is like those old snapped jesus freaks
that flowed from the drug addled '60s.
A real "true believer".
Please don't feed the delusional one as trying to
teach him anything will only be met with resistence,
and it only encourages him to continue his
mindless diatribe.
If we all ignore him,he'll go away,
BOB JOHNSON at 4:46PM on Mar 7th 2008
55. #48
Little Rock. Please explain to me how condemning Hillary's vote to go to war is "disrespectful to soldiers?" It seems that the issue of going to war should be taken seriously with much consideration on placing resources and human life at risk. What does one's vote to go to war or not to go to war have to do with respecting our soldiers?
Is it possible that voting to go to war with little post-war planning is actually more disrespectful to our soldiers? Our military has a huge stake in any forceful action that this country decides to take. I don't think (and I certainly hope it's not the case) that our soldiers feel disrespected if our government decides not to put them into harm's way.
Please clarify.
Occ Man at 4:58PM on Mar 7th 2008
56. Little Rock,
You stated that Obama did not hold his hand over his heart on the pledge, not the national anthem in your first post. Saying that Obama did not support the soldiers because he stated Hillary's vote for using force in Iraq was wrong is a BIG stretch, and he has repeatedly said he is for the armed forces. I also noted you sidestepped the issue of G W Bush saying he would make us proud of our country again, implying we were not proud of our country. I do appreciate Obama's wife saying what she said about being proud of her country, and make no excuses about that. It does seem to me that instead of saying why you want Hillary to be president instead of running Obama down to be a negative position.
Jerry Brown at 5:02PM on Mar 7th 2008
57. OccMan, if the comment was made with thought and intelligence such as your statement was. I would have no problem with the statement. If you will re-read my blog you would see that was my point. A blanket saying a vote was WRONG, not a decision, but a vote was wrong is disrespectful to those whose lives have been affected by such voting. Given the climate several months ago, given the conditions.
Please tell me how he can advocate bloodshed while writing his book but on the stump, speaks totally different.
Little Rock 2008 at 6:04PM on Mar 7th 2008
58. Little Rock,
Having served in the USARMY, I can tell you it is NOT customary to hold ones hand over ones heart when the national anthem is being played. Unless you are wearing a uniform, then you salute. Do you know how to salute PROPERLY? If not don't salute!
One is to put ones hand over ones heart when reciting the pledge of allegiance.
mac at 5:25PM on Mar 7th 2008
59. #55
Little Rock. I'm seriously having problems parsing out your statement. I'm not seeing much difference between a vote and a decision in the context of the vote to authorize Bush to use force in Iraq. I don't think we ever should have gone to Iraq. I believe it was a mistake and in that sense "wrong." I supported ousting Saddam Hussein, but not the why, how, and when that we did it.
Does that mean that I disrespect the soldiers whose lives have been affected by the decision to use military force in Iraq? I really don't think so. Sorry, but I'm having a hard time connecting these two things. The point that I'm questioning is a policy issue, not a patriotic issue, or a "respect the military issue."
I haven't read Obama's book, so I can't comment on the last part of your comment.
Occ Man at 5:30PM on Mar 7th 2008
60. Thank God Obama is no Ronald Reagan. I don't think the country could stand to have wages frozen for 8 years while inflation soars. That's Ronald Reagan's claim to fame.
Reagan was nothing more than a B rated actor who got in the white house and was still nothing more than a B rated actor. He had no idea what he was talking about. He just read the script.
http://www.magnumshops.org
Josh at 5:55PM on Mar 7th 2008