The Irony of the Reagan Conservative

If you listen to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, or watch Fox News, you probably hear the seemingly endless worship of President Ronald Reagan.  There's been a trend of people calling themselves "Reagan Conservatives" and that this ideology must be the opposite of an "Obama Liberal."  But if you study political history, you might notice that there are some striking similarities between the two Presidents' political ideals.

The first similarity that comes to mind isn't necessarily a bad one.  Both Reagan and Obama show great oral skills in their speeches (but much of that credit should realistically go to the speech writers behind the scenes).  Reagan had a knack for saying exactly what the people wanted to hear, and Obama seems to possess the same talent.  The difference here is that Reagan preached conservatism while Obama's words are weaved together so loosely that you can easily interpret his speeches to mean what you want them to mean.

However, Reagan didn't exactly practice what he preached.  While he is famous for speaking publicly against government expansion, he did the exact opposite.  During Reagan's tenure, the government payroll grew by over 60,000 people.  In contrast, under the "big-government" Clinton Administration, the government payroll shrank by nearly 400,000.

Reagan spoke of reducing spending and balancing the budget.  However, he did neither.  While Jimmy Carter spend 27.9% of the national income in 1980, Reagan was spending 28.7% in 1988.  That was a 60% increase in government spending by Reagan by the time he left office.  Reagan's deficits nearly tripled those of Presidents who came before him.  The national debt shot from $700 billion to $3 trillion. 

Some "Reagan Conservatives" will blame Congress and say that they overrode his vetoes.  That is simply not the case.  Congress only overrode nine of Reagan's vetoes, and only one dealt with spending.  While he preached controlling spending, he supported out-of-control spending.

Reagan preached lower taxes, and yes, he did lower taxes dramatically in 1981.  Then he proceeded to raise taxes again in '82, '83, '84, and '86.  While even after the hikes they were still lower than before 1981, he still went against what he was saying himself at the time about not raising taxes while in office.  In addition, the 1983 tax hike directly funded Medicare and Social Security.

Some "Reagan Conservatives" say that Reagan was a supporter of the right to keep and bear arms.  If you look at history, though, that is simply not the case.  In fact, Reagan lines up pretty parallel on this issue with Obama.  Reagan supported and signed the "Firearm Owners' Protection Act."  One particular part of this act banned the private ownership and transfer of fully-automatic firearms that were registered after May 19, 1986.  Reagan even went on after his Presidency to urge Congress to pass the Brady bill.

What about Reagan on the abortion issue?  In 1967 as Governor of California, Reagan signed a bill that legalized abortions.  That's a lot different than what many claim as being a Reagan ideology.

Obama and the Democratic Party seem to be pushing for amnesty for illegal aliens.  The "Reagan Conservatives" are staunchly against it, yet Reagan granted amnesty to illegal aliens in 1986.  And he is still supposed to be the conservative god?

The issues above only represent a small amount of the similarities between Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan.  However, just realizing those few that I listed can make one want to look a little deeper and see how ironic it is to label oneself as a "Reagan Conservative".  While he spoke a good talk about being conservative, he was definitely far from it.  Those who call themselves "Reagan Conservatives" see words as having greater influence and impact than actual actions, but much of what Reagan actually did was opposite of his words.