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 7 of 24)
91. @ post #88, so you think any boob can be President of the U.S.
JefFlyingV at 10:16PM on Mar 7th 2008
92. floyd,
i am sorry, where was your decent question? is this a banner moment you asking me something decent!!!
brian at 10:18PM on Mar 7th 2008
93. ..any dancing fool?
not-pboyfloyd at 10:19PM on Mar 7th 2008
94. NPBFloyd, very quick and humorous response.
JefFlyingV at 10:22PM on Mar 7th 2008
95. Okay brian... once again..
. brian says he wants to, "bring decency back to the streets of america."
So, it is decency versus tolerance then is it brian?
What's the decent thing to do with gays, brian?
What's the decent thing to do with illegals, brian?
What's the decent thing to do with the abortion issue, brian?
What's the decent thing to do with atheists, brian?
not-pboyfloyd at 10:32PM on Mar 7th 2008
96. This guy worked for the man's administration in the 80's. So of course Mr. d'souza is gonna go and praise farty old Reagan as a freaking demi god who single handedly ended the cold war. Bull Shit!!!!
Lets hope we never suffer through another Reaganesque presidency that the Republicans yearn for where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Wait a sec, we have been for the past 8 freaking years.
Go sell crazy some place else Dinesh, we're all stocked up here!
America needs Obama!!!
veritas at 1:22PM on Mar 8th 2008
97. Hi Jeff...
..you'd almost imagine that Bush is 'saying', "Don't look at what Cheney is doing, I can do THIS, whoopsee!"
not-pboyfloyd at 10:35PM on Mar 7th 2008
98. I haven't had time to post but have been trying to keep up with reading. Just seeing what other peoples views are. Interesting to see what people have to say.
a born atheist at 10:40PM on Mar 7th 2008
99. brian, I would never suggest Bush was responsible for all the problems we face. Even senator McCain would agree that Bush IS responsible for SOME stuff.
Bush is responsible for Iraq. Bush is responsible for Iraq. Bush is responsible for Iraq...Did I mention Iraq?
The Iraq quagmire is Bush's baby. He 'won' the war but had no plans for the peace. How don't you see this? Or do you, and just deny it? Nah I know you don't belive Bush is not at fault here, you have said so yourself. It just baffles me that you still support him, knowing this.
mac at 10:45PM on Mar 7th 2008
100. floyd,
the decent thing to do with gays is to accept them. and the decent thing for them to do is stop demanding that they be treated as an exceptionalty with special protected rights.
illegals send them back and let them come over the right way
abortions, i am not in favor of the state paying for and legalizing abortion. its wrong. there is no justification for it period. 99.9%of all women use it as birth control. end of discussion with me on that
the decent thing to do with atheist is realize they are very marginalized. they have no influence or bearing on anything important or relevant in the big picture. they offer no hope no nothing. but they are people and they as well as anyone else deserve rights same as anyone.
floyd in a nutshell there is your answers. now i am sure you will try and pick each one to pieces, be my guest. copy if you will..
hey where is botts is he out looking for the comment about my wife? he is strangely absent. i hope he finds it. as i said i will never post here again if he can turn it up. too bad he is not willing to make the same wager.
brian at 10:45PM on Mar 7th 2008
101. Ronald Reagan?
Hey, can Obama act? I didnt think so.
Michelle at 10:50PM on Mar 7th 2008
102. mac,
and what do you credit clinton for? let me guess, nothing
brian at 10:50PM on Mar 7th 2008
103. Dont ask me about abortion, Pboy,
I might get in trouble again. So I will just sit here and calmly play with my teddy bears, Earny and Sushy.
Michelle at 10:51PM on Mar 7th 2008
104. abortions, i am not in favor of the state paying for and legalizing abortion. its wrong. there is no justification for it period. 99.9%of all women use it as birth control. end of discussion with me on that-brian
----
Surely you don't mean this brian. 99.9% of ALL women?
I know you said "end of discussion", but, please clarify this.
mac at 10:52PM on Mar 7th 2008
105. I don't like Clinton, brian. never did!
I think he was a better president than Bush, 1 or 2
mac at 10:56PM on Mar 7th 2008