Ronald Reagan...

I suppose I'm not a good Conservative. I don't think Ronald Reagan was a full-blown Conservative.

In some ways, I'm not sure he was effective as a governing President.

GASP.

When I run for office, this blog is going to haunt me! My politically/academically trained daughter tells me a politician must avoid thoughts that can't be expressed in a few words or less. This is that kind of thought. So here goes!

Reagan did an incredible job shifting the political center. The Left had moved the perceived center a good deal to the left from Roosevelt to Carter.

Reagan WAS the GREAT COMMUNICATOR. His articulation of Supply Side Economics (aka Voodoo Economics) made it a de facto understanding in the American thought process. More revenue WAS brought in by cutting taxes and rewarding economic growth.

BUT Reagan accepted huge deficits. The Left was right about that. He did not use his bully pulpit to argue against Big Government. That has always seemed his lazy legacy.

Perhaps he did not think he could argue against Communism, argue to cut taxes AND argue to cut government. Actually cutting government is the touchiest of all of those. It's where you make liars of most any screaming Conservative.

And so Reagan ended up talking the talk but not much walking the walk, in this observer's opinion.

The consequence is we still have huge government. Clinton actually did more to cut entitlements than Reagan did.

D--