Bush '88 says new taxes as last resort, not first resort. (no trap of "read my lips")

And he goes on to say, the Democrats are the party who looks first to a tax increase; we aren't.

So, it's still a strong statement. Just a speech writer who went at it in a somewhat different fashion.

Plus, I think this was Reagan's position in '84 and would provide continuity. Now, you might be thinking, well, Bush wanted to differentiate himself from Reagan. But, the economic growth of the '80s was one of Reagan's most popular aspects. So, Bush might want to choose continuity in this area and to differentiate himself in other areas.
 
Reagan raised taxes, of course, and contrary to mythology, didn't have any qualms about it.

Bush saying this in 1988 would have made him vulnerable to a more effective Dukakis campaign. Since we're dealing with Dukakis though, it's likely to have no real effect.

In 1992? Bush still runs into the problem of "not being Reagan" for Republicans, which he can't do anything about. For Democrats, they've got a candidate who can actually campaign. And the economy is still precarious.
 
I remember in either '88 or '92, Bush speaking in front of a construction site saying, you might think you're going after the rich, but you end up hurting these guys.

That's Bush at his absolute best. Now, Democrats believe in economic growth, too. But Bush is effectively playing off stereotypes that the Democrats are the tax-and-spend party.

So, in general, I don't think Bush needs to try so hard. People just have to get used to the idea that President Reagan is up there in years and is now retiring, besides being term-limited anyway!
 
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Bush (well, ghosted by Peggy Noonan) wasn't laying out a platform for government. He was trying to woo the faithful. Throwing some rhetorical red meat. Taxes as last resort? Hell, that's as good as saying 'Ayyup, putting tax rises on the table.' Saying that at the RNC, you think?
 
With the interesting Republican primary in 1988 with Bush, Dole, Pierre "Pete" DuPont, Pat Robinson, Al Haig, and maybe one or two others,

Yes, it was a primary and a race, but I think Bush won rather handily,

so, a couple of areas of tension,

were the hardcore-ers already enough of a factor that Bush had to try this hard? and/or another way to avoid the trap, for Bush did put himself in a trap
 
Here's a news article about Reagan vs. Mondale in 1984:

REAGAN CONCEDES POSSILBLE TAX RISE AS A 'LAST RESORT'
NEW YORK TIMES, STEVEN R. WEISMAN, Aug. 13, 1984.

http://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/13/us/reagan-concedes-possilble-tax-rise-as-a-last-resort.html

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In a question-and-answer exchange between the President and Larry Speakes, the White House spokesman, Mr. Reagan was asked if he was ''ruling out'' tax increases aside from those on personal incomes. The President replied, according to a transcript: ''I will do everything I can to avoid raising taxes on the American people. I will try to reduce the deficit by continuing strong economic growth and reducing Federal spending.''

Asked whether he could ''absolutely rule out the possibility of any tax increase,'' Mr. Reagan said to Mr. Speakes: ''A President of the United States should never say never, but a tax increase has always been for me a last resort.''
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Besides this clumsy part where he's having his own acting press secretary interview him, I think President Reagan addressed the issue pretty well.

And before we say, Bush wasn't Reagan and didn't have the street cred Reagan had and letting this become a self-fulfilling prophecy . . .

Couldn't Bush just have emphasized the growing American economy,

or some other way he could have handled the situation differently?
 
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