Obama Praised Reagan, but for What? [Updated]

by D. Cupples | Ronald Reagan wasn't our worst president. Certainly, he did less damage to our nation than some other presidents have done.  On the other hand, we're still struggling with consequences from some of his policies (e.g., the taxing of seniors' social security benefits and bigger tax breaks for people who don't need them...).

Thus, I was surprised to read a few days ago that presidential candidate Barack Obama -- now painted as a "change" candidate -- offered praise for Reagan and Republicans over the past 15 years.  It wasn't surprising that Hillary Clinton and John Edwards took exception to Obama's remarks. The Associated Press reports:

"'Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it....'

"'I think it's fair to say that the Republicans were the party of ideas for a pretty long chunk of time there over the last 10 to 15 years in the sense that they were challenging conventional wisdom.' (Associated Press)

Yes, Reagan put us on a "fundamentally different path," and Republicans had some "ideas" -- and in some ways, we continue suffering from still being on that "path" and living with those "ideas." 

One example is our government's heavy reliance on private contractors, which President Reagan touted as an efficient way to go and most Republican politicians have supported ever since.

Even honest contractors tend to cost us taxpayers more for the same (or lesser) services than government employees do.  For example, a congressional conference committee reported that intelligence contractors' employees cost us taxpayers (on average) $250,000 per year -- while government employees cost about $126,500.

One homeland-security contractor charged us taxpayers $42 - $383 per hour for its employees: the equivalent of $84,000 -  $766,000 per year.  President Bush's salary is only $400,000.

Then there's contractor waste, fraud and abuse, which further drive up our costs.  For examples, see the posts linked below. 

Incidentally, it was under Bill Clinton in the1990s that the Justice Department started ramping up its efforts to investigate government contractors for fraud under the False Claims Act, a law passed under President Lincoln in response to widespread contractor fraud during the Civil War.

The effectiveness of our laws, of course, depends upon the effectiveness of those enforcing them.  Under the Bush Administration, enforcement of the False Claims Act hasn't seemed as diligent as it was under Clinton.

Update:

In a piece called "Debunking the Reagan Myth," economist Paul Krugman comments:

"Maybe Mr. Obama was, as his supporters insist, simply praising Reagan’s political skills. (I think he was trying to curry favor with a conservative editorial board, which did in fact endorse him.) But where in his remarks was the clear declaration that Reaganomics failed?

"For it did fail. The Reagan economy was a one-hit wonder. Yes, there was a boom in the mid-1980s, as the economy recovered from a severe recession. But while the rich got much richer, there was little sustained economic improvement for most Americans. By the late 1980s, middle-class incomes were barely higher than they had been a decade before — and the poverty rate had actually risen.

"When the inevitable recession arrived, people felt betrayed — a sense of betrayal that Mr. Clinton was able to ride into the White House." (NY Times)

Memeorandum has other bloggers'  reactions:  The Newshoggers, MyDD, The Huffington Post, Matthew Yglesias, Hullabaloo, Booman Tribune, Taylor Marsh, Cogitamus, The Sideshow, American Power, The Heretik, Prairie Weather, Make Them Accountable, Brilliant at Breakfast, Hold Fast, Middle Earth Journal and Economist's View

Other BN-Politics Posts:

* High Cost of Private Contractors

* FEMA: Poor Management or Corruption?

* Insurance Companies Get Away with Overbilling Medicare 

* Justice Dept. Official Turned Blind Eye to Contractor Fraud?

* Inspector General Blocked Investigations re: Waste & Fraud?

Comments

[Charles]

I can hear Obama now...

"Satan fundamentally changed the trajectory of humankind in a a way that Moses and Jesus Christ did not. He placed us on a fundamentally different path because people were ready for it....

I think it's fair to say that devils were the party of ideas for a period of time in the sense that they were challenging the conventional wisdom."

He does drive me crazy with statements like the one you highlighted.

[SandyCarlson]

The need to steer clear of the Clinton name when he's doling out praise has caused Obama to break out in stupidity on this one. A great lesson for Stupid Politics 101.

This made me gag. I needed that....

[D. Cupples]

Charles: that's too funny and too true.

Sandy: "break out in stupidity" is about as well as anyone has said it to date.