GOP debate distilled into less than a minute
The GOP debate Wednesday at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., showcased the candidates and their views on a variety of topics, such as job creation, social security fixes, healthcare reform, immigration, homeland security and President Obama's performance in office. But two words were very popular during the sparring among the candidates, as the compressed YouTube video from BuzzFeed shows--taxes, as in no new taxes, and Reagan, as in the spirit of former president Ronald Reagan.
But as the Washington Post's Ezra Klein pointed out, Reagan, despite his conservative credentials, would not have done well if he were part of the Wednesday debate, especially on the issue of taxes:
The real Ronald Reagan was a conservative. There's no doubt about that. But he was also a pragmatist. After cutting taxes dramatically in 1981 only to see deficits rise dramatically, Reagan began rapidly raising taxes: In 1982, he signed into law a tax increase that wiped out a third of his tax cut. In 1983, he agreed to a gasoline tax for infrastructure investment and, in 1984, another $50 billion tax hike. All in all, between 1982 and 1984, he raised taxes four times to help tamp down deficits.
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