Republicans are stuck in a Reagan time warp

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Republicans are stuck in a Reagan time warp

by confuzzled dude Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:46 pm

Olsen and Wehner are, in fact, deeply respectful toward Reagan, whom they describe as the greatest Republican since Lincoln. They warn, however, that “the constant invocation of Reagan’s name to bolster arguments for present-day policies (and present-day politicians) actually hinders our understanding of the substance of Reagan’s legacy — and undermines the Republican Party’s ability to make a case for itself in the here-and-now.”

For decades, Democratic policies and politicians grew pale and scrawny in the shadow of Franklin Roosevelt. It took Bill Clinton to modernize the Democratic appeal — providing government, at least in theory, with a catalytic, rather than supervisory, role. It is Republicans who now struggle in the shade of presidential greatness, even when they win congressional elections.

Olsen and Wehner point to two serious risks in seeking “a posthumous seal of approval” from Reagan. First, there is the consistent temptation of all idolatry — to craft a figure in our own image. Those who claim Reagan as the first and purest tea party leader find support not in history but in mythology.

The authors diagnose a second risk of Republican claims to be the vicar of Reagan. This strategy is employed as a conversation-stopper: Reagan said it; I believe it; that settles it. But this produces a Republican policy debate encased in amber. “Some of his epigones,” argue Olsen and Wehner, “today appear caught in a time warp, acting as if every year is 1980. Reagan, while conservative to the bone, would never have allowed himself to become captive to the past.” Reagan inherited a nation with high inflation and a 70 percent top marginal tax rate. Our nation has wage stagnation and a gap in skills and human capital that is hardening into a rigid class system

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-gerson-republicans-need-to-escape-a-reagan-time-warp/2014/11/03/06ebb574-638b-11e4-836c-83bc4f26eb67_story.html?hpid=z2

-> Who will Jeb Bush invoke, His dad, brother or Reagan? In any event, they should take a second look at their ideas on healthcare, tax benefits to corporations and minimum wages to not look dated.

confuzzled dude: Posts : 10205
Join date : 2011-05-08