That one-liner became a brutal reality once more masqueraded as a Citizen Politician II campaign with another faux paradigm shift. This occurred once more during a troubled time for a Democratic incumbent.
President Jimmy Carter was embroiled in an economy-wrenching oil embargo coupled with a devastating prestige loss for America due to an unsuccessful attempt to rescue hostages being held by the Ayatollah Khomeini regime in Iran.
Spencer rolled up his sleeves anew and sought to market Reagan as a moderate citizen politician who would change the face of Washington. When all the smoke cleared at the end of two presidential terms Reagan had tripled the national debt and traded arms for hostages with the same Khomeini regime in Iran with which he promised to "get tough."
It was the marketing that was innovative and repetitious. In reality Reagan in California and Washington, D.C. functioned as spokesperson and caretaker of a "trickle down economics" government that took credit for efficiency while profligacy was the painful, all too realistic result.
This repetitiously marketed faux limited government, friend of the taxpayer paradigm drummed into the consciousness of millions of Americans is now being reversed by Bararck Obama and the new administration.
(This article also appears on the Political Cortex and The Intelligent Community websites.)
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