Bob Dole: Reagan couldn't make it in today's GOP

[_Kevin Graham]

The interesting thing about Reagan is he actually trusted people. For example, he allowed some taxes to be raised assuming the Democrats in Congress would keep their promise to cut spending.

LOL!

You're so full of crap. Reagan frequently requested more spending than what Congress was willing to appropriate to him. Reagan is the father of modern American debt. He literally tripled out debt in eight years. So stop trying to come up with these crackpot excuses as to why he increased taxes. We know why. His own economic advisers admitted that it had everything to do with trying to offset the massive deficits he was creating via the initial tax cuts. It had nothing to do with "trusting" the Democrats that they'd cut spending.

Jesus, where do you come up with this crap?

[_Droopy]

Fantastic, brazen disingenuity (and what is called "left-wing media bias). "Gridlock is precisely what the Founders foresaw as a major aspect of the functioning of the federal government, in a host of circumstances. Its only the Left that wants a vast, highly centralized, "active" government that spend most of its time making laws rather than governing.

The idea that there has been anything approaching "gridlock" over the past four years of essentially one-party rule shows utter disrespect for the intelligence of the author's readers.

On the one hand you say "Gridlock is precisely what the Founders foresaw as a major aspect of the functioning of the federal government, in a host of circumstances".

But in the very next paragraph you say: "The idea that there has been anything approaching "gridlock" over the past four years of essentially one-party rule shows utter disrespect for the intelligence of the author's readers."

So gridlock is major aspect of a functioning government, but to suggest that it is occurring is to disrespect the readers. Could you please elaborate?

Do you have a severe reading comprehension problem? Where did I say that "gridlock is major aspect of a functioning government"? That was part of the theory of the Founders regarding good government - the wheels would grind very slowly - and the concept of checks and balances would turn each branch of government against the other so a certain degree by creating different incentives and "turf" for each.

That has been destroyed, for the most part, which was the point I was making (duh....).

[_Droopy]

But we do know Reagan was an avid supporter of unions.

With strong caveats.

He also believed corporations should pay their fair share in taxes.

Whenever you see this phrase used by anyone, take your ball and go home, because you are up against boiling emotions and an empty head.

He also believed the wealthiest Americans should pay more in taxes then than they do now.

Which is why he supported the cutting of the top marginal rate from 70% to 28%, payroll tax cuts, a substantial capital gains tax cut, and took 12 million low income taxpayers of the federal tax rolls entirely.

Reagan was more a Socialist than Obama could ever hope to be.

Graham sees American presidents as emperors, with all-encompassing power. Save for a short period of his presidency, Reagan dealt with divided government and a relentlessly left-wing Democratic Party bent on his political destruction. The actual complexities and trade-offs inherent in the actual process of governing, including its political calculations and possibilities (politics is the "art of the possible" after all) are far beyond Kevin's tightly wound polemical field of vision. All he knows is his Father Coughlinesque baiting and bomb-throwing.

Move along...

[_MeDotOrg]

Fantastic, brazen disingenuity (and what is called "left-wing media bias). "Gridlock is precisely what the Founders foresaw as a major aspect of the functioning of the federal government, in a host of circumstances. Its only the Left that wants a vast, highly centralized, "active" government that spend most of its time making laws rather than governing.

The idea that there has been anything approaching "gridlock" over the past four years of essentially one-party rule shows utter disrespect for the intelligence of the author's readers.

On the one hand you say "Gridlock is precisely what the Founders foresaw as a major aspect of the functioning of the federal government, in a host of circumstances".

But in the very next paragraph you say: "The idea that there has been anything approaching "gridlock" over the past four years of essentially one-party rule shows utter disrespect for the intelligence of the author's readers."

So gridlock is major aspect of a functioning government, but to suggest that it is occurring is to disrespect the readers. Could you please elaborate?

Do you have a severe reading comprehension problem? Where did I say that "gridlock is major aspect of a functioning government"? That was part of the theory of the Founders regarding good government - the wheels would grind very slowly - and the concept of checks and balances would turn each branch of government against the other so a certain degree by creating different incentives and "turf" for each.

That has been destroyed, for the most part, which was the point I was making (duh....).

Merriam-Webster reports the first usage of the word gridlock in 1980, and given the Founding Father's limited time travel capabilities, I doubt it would be a word they would choose to describe any aspect of government.

But let us press on: Can you provide examples of your contention is that the concept of 'Gridlock' and 'checks and balances' ...'has been destroyed, for the most part'?

The Founding Fathers used the world filibuster little more than they used the word gridlock. Nevertheless, it is an inescapable and growing aspect of gridlock today.

Further, our Government spending is now determined by the process of sequestration, because Congress can't pass a budget. When Congress passes a budget that it knows will raise the deficit, it then refuses to cover its own check. The United States credit rating has suffered a hit, not because of the deficit, but because Congress refused to raise the deficit ceiling.

When the U.S. credit rating takes a hit and our Government operates under sequestration, I call that Gridlock, and no, I don't think its a healthy condition envisioned by the Founding Fathers.