Has Obama Buried Reagan?

Wall Street Journal ^ | 3-05-09 | Daniel Henninger

[smoothsailing]

MARCH 5, 2009

Has Obama Buried Reagan?

The GOP is faltering in its defense of Republican ideals.

By DANIEL HENNINGER

The Democratic idea bank of Robert & Robert says it's safe to unload on Ronald Reagan.

Robert Reich: "It is the boldest budget we have seen since the Reagan administration, and drives a nail in the coffin of Reaganomics. We can basically say goodbye to the philosophy espoused by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher."

Robert Shrum: "Obama is not only unwinding Reagan's policies, he is offering a Rooseveltian paradigm that justifies government pragmatically."

Hmmm. Let us consider an alternative universe.

The stock market has been in a free-fall (with a bounce off a ledge yesterday), dismantling the saved wealth of millions of individual Americans who must feel they are living through the exploding rubble of some Hollywood disaster movie.

In reaction, Republicans, true to form, set sail for a deserted island to ponder a dispute between Rush Limbaugh and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. At issue: Who's captain of the GOP Titanic.

Americans are ready for a message of economic growth, but who will deliver it? Someone said, "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste." Why are the Republicans wasting it?

If the Democrats are willing to bet the entire U.S. economy on a 1931 theory known as the Keynesian multiplier, surely Republicans can excavate and relearn the core idea handed down to them by Ronald Reagan. That idea was known as economic growth.

Freed to choose between these two competing ideas, I'm guessing many voters would go for growth. All that's needed is just one Republican who can explain this idea halfway as well as Ronald Reagan.

Arguably at no time in their lives have more Americans been this sharply focused on the economy...

[2ndDivisionVet]

Wow!! The perennial loser and the dwarf weigh in!!

[smoothsailing]

LOL!

[shineon]

George buried Reagan and I buried Paul.

[Oberon]

The GOP is faltering in its defense of Republican ideals.

That's because whatever else one may say about it, the Republican Party leads the world in not being the Democratic Party.

Practically speaking, this is the primary Republican ideal.

[RepublicanChick]

Robert Reich: “It is the boldest budget we have seen since the Reagan administration, and drives a nail in the coffin of Reaganomics. We can basically say goodbye to the philosophy espoused by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.”
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Yup, our country is on a downward spiral without the philosophy of Reagan, you ass!

I hate these idiotic liberals to no end. I thought I despised Clinton, but alas, the situation with Marxist Obama has absolutely no comparison to the other liar-in-chief, Hussein. Heresy, but I would gladly take Clinton over this cretin in office and destroyer of the US. FUBO!!!!!

Sorry for the rant, but I have had enough!!!!!

[roamer_1]

The Republicans won’t defend Reagan, nor have they in a long while. They have been practicing “Third Way” economics themselves, and denounce those who call them on it.

[Tony in Hawaii]

I’m picturing a ghostly finger tapping on Barack Obama’s shoulder and voice from beyond: “Well...”

[NoLibZone]

Even mentioning the undocumented worker; Barry Soerto and Reagan in the same story, displays lack on political and historical insight.

[detective]

Neither Obama, nor any of the pathetic Democrats in Washington today, are worthy to even shine the shoes of Ronald Reagan. As the Democrats destroy America they attack President Reagan. We are watching out of control government spending and the destruction of productive sector of the American economy. When Democrats destroy the legacy of Ronald Reagan they destroy America.

[Reagan Man]

Obama doesn’t have the power to bury Reaganism anymore then he has the power to bury conservatism or the GOP. Once people catch on to Obama’s extremist radical agenda things will change. Over 60 million America’s voted against Obama last November. A 4% switch in voting trends is all it would take to throw Obama out of office in the 2012 election.

So neither the Constituion or conservatism is dead. Give us a few good leaders who can articulate the conservative message and the liberal-Democrats will be out of power.

[Tex Pete]

[Cobra64]

Things won’t change. They can’t. These bills have been signed. Thirty-two new government agencies have been set up. It’s rare that anything ever gets reversed in government.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Wasn’t Reich baking cookies inside a hollow oak tree during the Reagan administration? I’m surprised he had the time to read the paper back then, knowing what a hard taskmaster the head elf is...

[Gator113]

Reagan lives. His spirit, example and teachings lives within the hearts and minds of the millions that loved him.

President Reagan was a giant in my eyes, still is—even in death, and there is nothing those traitors in DC can do to change that, nothing.

[DoughtyOne]

The Democratic idea bank?  I'm sure Mrs. Cohew's third grade class would quibble with being titled in this manner, but whatever...

Robert Reich would obviously think writing a $7,000.00 check when he only had a balance of $13.72, was a bold budget move.  If there's any coffin having nails driven through it, it would be the coffin that contains the United States.  This bithering idiot... well nevermind.  The philosophy of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher will be around as long as theire are sticks and there is still mud to scribble with them in.  Robert Reich will be six feet under that mud, and people won't know and wouldn't care if they did.

Shrum is another mental midget.  Obama is unwinding the nation.  Of course Reagan and Roosevelt are a part of what he is unwinding.  As for paradigms, Obama's plans to spend more money in his administration than was spent since the nation's founding until he was inaugurated, is something the common man should think about.  Sadly Shrum and Reich never quite rose to that level.

I don't think Steele's criticism of Limbaugh was a good idea, but then that's so evident that we don't need to dwell on it.  Those waiting to see if Steele could rise to the occassion, have now seen he can certainly stoop to it.  You've got to ask yourself at some point, do all the Washington, D.C. Republicans have Caymen Island accounts, or are they subliminal enough to do this stuff by mistake, with no remuneration?

Yep, the DOW has now lost 30% since November the 4th, 2008.  It had lost close to 19% since January 19th, 2009, by Tuesday afternoon.  I joked on another thread, that a 37 point loss was now in danger of being termed an Obama Rally, things have become so bleak.

Yes, Obama policies have given most Conservatives plenty of room for criticism, and alternative suggestions.  The writer here laments the lack of Republicans capitalizing on this.  Some would think the writer's and my views are somewhat at odds, but then lets remember I'm refering to Conservatives and he's refering to Republicans.  If he takes note of the group I'm addressing, he'll see where he made his mistake.

Yes, it would be nice if one Republican could recite growth policy in the manner Ronald Reagan could.  Folks, what more do I have to say to make it clear what the problem is?  Why are voters rejecting Reagan pro growth policies?  Well, they aren't.  They haven't had to contemplate those policies since 1988.  Reagan's policies aren't dead.  Those who can stand up and recite them in public evidently are.

If the Republican party can't think of anything better  to talk about other Rush Limbaughs's "incindiary and ugly comments", AS IF, then it doesn't deserve to be a viable party any longer.

[Cobra64]

I forgot to add, how do we un do this?

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With this voter mentality...

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[sten]

yup... the dems want to crate the economy and they can blame republicans if they do it by june-aug time frame.

and offering any helpful advice would be counter productive. if they actually take it and it works, they will claim victory and we’ll have more liberals for a long time.

best strategy is to step back and let them hang themselves.

of course, if you can radically reduce the amount of taxes you pay, it will definitely impact 0bama’s socialist plans.

and since the 50% of the US paying only 3% taxes are mostly dems... and the top 10% earners paying 68% of the taxes are mostly republicans... the dems are DEPENDING on tax money from the republicans to fuel their efforts.

DO NOT AID THE ENEMY ... with your tax money/suggestions (if you can help it)

[ari-freedom]

Reagan was great but Contract with America was even better as we actually balanced the budget by cutting spending as well as taxes.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

“Robert Shrum: “Obama is not only unwinding Reagan's policies, he is offering a Rooseveltian paradigm that justifies government pragmatically.”

That is not mindless bafflegab!

Mindless bafflegab would make much more sense.