Reagan and the Buffett Rule

04 October 2011 |permalink | email article

Progressives, as Talking Points Memo noted, are hoping that if Republicans won’t listen to President Obama, then maybe they’ll listen to President Reagan.

Turns out the Center for American Progress has unearthed video of Reagan making the case in 1985 for closing tax loopholes on the rich in strikingly similar terms to Obama, even leading an audience to cheer over the idea to tax millionaires at the same rate as bus drivers.

In theory, Reagan said, some of those loopholes were understandable, but in practice they sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying en percent of his salary and that’s crazy. Do you think the millionaire ought to pay more in taxes than the bus driver or less?

Stuart Spencer, a legendary Republican strategist who stood by Reagan’s side for virtually his entire career, starting with his first run for governor, recently said in an interview “when push came to shove, he did various things he didn’t like doing, because he knew it was in the best interests of the state or country at the time.”

Spencer dismissed the current vogue of Reagan revisionism. “A lot of those people running out there don’t really understand what he did. It’s just a matter of attaching themselves to a winner.” What’s clear is none of the Republican hopefuls at a recent presidential debate at the Reagan Library grasped his pragmatic style.

Obama: GOP Plays Defense

The White House on Monday stepped up its war of words over Republican unwillingness to move the president’s entire jobs bill. Obama, striking a more defiant FDR stance, suggested that the party opposite would dismantle his jobs bill, including infrastructure spending and retaining teachers at their own risk. On Monday Erik Cantor, the shadow Speaker, flatly rejected Obama’s request, another indication of how much the GOP values party over country.

Waiting for Christie

Expectation is the New Jersey governor will announce a decision probably by Thursday. Christie’s problem is he would have to build a national organization and raise tens of millions of dollars within weeks – while getting prepared for national and international issues. Was he really truthful in the past by insisting he wasn’t ready? 

Quotable

“It is beginning to look destructive. And I think if it goes on for more months as opposed to more days or weeks it’ll have a negative impact when our nominee has to stand against President Obama.” – Former Bush administration communications director Nicolle Wallace on “The Week.”

 

100