A sad commentary on a party that professes to esteem Ronald Reagan

Steve Forbes, in his Fact and Comment column, struck a nerve in a good way when he wrote:

“For several years, a number of self-styled “populist” Republicans have been peddling policies they claim will help middle-class and lower-income Americans, while they diss “the rich” and show disdain for “the elites.” The kind of across-the-board tax cuts that wrought economic miracles for John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan? “Old-fashioned,” they sniff, sounding like progressives talking about the Constitution.

“One hears noises about Republicans raising income tax rates on the “superwealthy” as a way to win over Democrats and show voters that their hearts are with the middle class. “Silicon Valley liberals will love us,” they fantasize.

“All this is a sad commentary on a party that tells us it still admires Ronald Reagan.

“The Gipper would have gagged at such populist posturing. He understood–as too many Republicans these days do not–that voters want a growing economy and wages that grow right along with it. They couldn’t care less if Bill Gates does well; they just want to know that their own take-home pay is robustly moving up, that the U.S. is once again a vibrant land of opportunity.

“Republicans are fools to play the class-envy game. They will lose to the Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren types every time. Voters want results, not a GOP version of socialism lite. If the economy gets out of its decade-old rut in the coming months, people won’t give a hoot about the semi-Marxist carping from the media and the Democrats.”

It couldn’t be said better.  That’s why I’m leaving to Steve Forbes to say it.

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