Ron Paul versus Rick Perry: Who is Ronald Reagan's true heir?
Ron Paul and Rick Perry are scrapping over who鈥檚 the true heir of Ronald Reagan, in case you haven鈥檛 heard. Think that subject will come up in Wednesday night鈥檚 debate at the Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.? We think there鈥檚 a good chance it will.
Representative Paul started this tussle with an attack ad aimed at Texas Governor Perry. Perry鈥檚 the front-runner now, so he鈥檚 going to have to get used to the other hopefuls coming after him.
Anyway, the Paul ad is called 鈥�.鈥� It starts with the blunt words, 鈥淭he establishment called him extreme and unelectable. They said he was the wrong man for the job.鈥�
The narrator is talking about Mr. Reagan there 鈥� but yes, we know, that鈥檚 what all the pundits are saying about Paul today. The ad goes on to say that Paul was attracted to Reagan鈥檚 message of smaller government and lower taxes and that he was one of only four congressmen to endorse him for president.
Then comes the scary music, so you know the punch is about to come. 鈥淎fter Reagan, Al Gore ran for president ... pushing his liberal values,鈥� says the ad, 鈥渁nd Al Gore found a cheerleader in Texas named Rick Perry.鈥�
(It鈥檚 true that Perry ran a Gore presidential effort in Texas. That was before he switched parties and became a Republican.)
鈥淣辞飞 America must decide who to trust: Al Gore鈥檚 Texas cheerleader or the one who stood with Reagan,鈥� the Paul ad concludes.
Perry responded to Paul鈥檚 linking him with Mr. Gore with a news release titled, 鈥�.鈥�
This release points out the inconvenient truth that Paul resigned from the GOP in 1987 over frustration with then-President Reagan鈥檚 policies.
鈥淭here is no credibility left for the Republican Party as a force to reduce the size of government,鈥� Paul wrote in 1987.
What鈥檚 our reaction? First of all, the Paul ad plays a little fast and loose with timing. When it mentions that Paul was one of four congressmen to back Reagan鈥檚 presidential effort, it does not say that the effort in question was an earlier Reagan try, in 1976. Lots of GOP members were behind him in 1980. Nor does the ad mention that Perry ran Sen. Al Gore鈥檚 Texas campaign for president in 1988, as opposed to Vice President Gore鈥檚 presidential effort in 2000.
That said, we think the Perry camp has more to answer for. On Perry鈥檚 campaign website, they provide a link to Paul鈥檚 1987 resignation letter, and Perry aides either did not read that letter or are counting on the fact that few other people will.
Because Paul resigned from the GOP 鈥� and we remember this incident 鈥� because the party under Reagan was unsuccessful in reducing the size of government. As the letter notes, between 1981 and 1987, the national debt doubled. Government spending grew by 10.4 percent annually. Tax revenues increased 59 percent during the period 鈥� and not because of economic growth.
鈥淭he new revenues are due to four giant Republican tax increases since 1981,鈥� .
So you could argue that Paul resigned from the party because he was consistent in his beliefs 鈥� not because he didn鈥檛 like Reagan.
If asked to choose between Ron Paul and Rick Perry, what would Reagan do? We think that鈥檚 an interesting question for you to discuss amongst yourselves.
