reagan was right there. he was doing the best to fight the establishment and he learned a lot of that during the ge days because in those days they had 100 factories around the country. it's not like today. he would go and talk to the blue-collar people, argue with them back and forth, and i believe -- reagan was a democrat, as steve said, he was a new deal democrat before a republican. the other guy i worked for more recently was a democrat who then became a republican. i was a democrat and became a republican. and i still to this day believe the best republicans are former democrats. >> larry, could i just mention that the battle for -- against the soviet union in all of its -- all of its attacks on the human soul and materially as well as in the heart, was facilitated because reagan's ability to work with the union movement, with labor. and labor solidarity. and -- but lane kirkland was extremely helpful. i think the fact that reagan had such credibility, that workers knew he was on their side and he unde

we continue our look back at the reagan administration with a conversation about president reagan's tax cuts and economic plan from forty years ago. featured speakers are arthur lapper. steve forbes and dmard meeds the third. >> thank you all for joining us today. my pleasure to welcome everybody to today's celebration of a 40 year anniversary of the reagan tax cuts. i'm director of the grover center for the heritage foundation. our team and i focus our research on issues related to taxing and spending. unfortunately i think there's been a little too much of both of those going on recently. but we're very excited to be hosting this event, this celebration. the economic recovery tax act positive change and tax policy, yes. but representing much more than that. it was a change in the mind set 1970s were a time of high inflation, high unemployment. low on opportunity. our nation's leaders rejected the idea of american greatness and thought the american dream was behind us. 30 years ago, the heritage foundation hosted the celebration for the 10th anniversary of the tax cuts. titled the impo

reagan believed reagan himself and that background. they were afraid of politics, reagan just pushed it aside. he wanted to do the right thing. that's extraordinary leadership position. >> i remember 82, so much pressure to exceed in this tax increase and thank god he didn't cancel. i think one of the things congress wanted to do was cancel, right? that would have been a disaster. we would not have gotten the full thrust of the tax debate. it took a lot of courage for reagan -- as i did pass a tax increase but thankfully much smaller and rate cuts. >> in the indexing and what they did and 86 was an incredible accomplishment. reagan comes in with 50% to get it down to 28%, he always thought about 15 and 28, how great would it be if we could go back? >> are stuck in the middle and he said i thought he was going to walk naked he was so excited because he said i did this column for newsweek and i think the early 70s to start an argument and reagan's right were three points higher than what i was trying to start and larry emphasized what yo

he was like reagan. reagan used to say, leave the politics to meet. he used to always say that about a lot of debates. and that was one of them. you do you have to do and i'll take the political heat. which i thought was fabulous. it was fabulous in a lot of other ways. my pal tony hinted that. as i said, tony has more reading to do on the economic side. [laughs] but that benefit and brilliance as a speech writer and creative and internal actual, what was regan thinking? what was he thinking? especially in'81 and'82, 20 dollar? >> i don't want to offend you but i'll begin with some numbers that should appeal to. you >> really? [laughs] >> we were facing 22% interest rates. and back to back double digit inflation 2 years in a row for the first time since world war i. we also are facing 18% increases in federal spending. ronald reagan came into office and said no, will stop. tip o'neill center in the big leagues now. we'll teach you if you. lessons he went on the air and everything changed. ronald reagan came up with the perfect label for him and brandi

ronald reagan. i would not have written that for anybody else. i can tell you that because i had worked for then vice president george h.w. bush. would never have written it for him. reagan alone and reagan alone would have insisted on delivering the speech, once he had seen it over other objections. george bush in every foreign policy speech, the first question he would always ask me when i drafted a foreign policy speech, has state approved of this? that was the first question. listen to this story, all three of you. jamie, next. stay with ronald reagan here for a moment. this is a story -- it was told to me by dick allen, your predecessor, ronald reagan's first national security advisor. 1977. reagan is a former governor. he has lost the republican presidential nomination to gerald ford. there's no inkling he will run for president. he is paying attention to world affairs. dick stops by his house and briefs him on world affairs. then reagan said, would you like to hear my theory of the cold war?

ronald reagan. i would not have written that for anybody else and i can tell you that because i had worked for then vice president george h.w. bush. would never have written it for him. reagan alone with his insistence on delivering the speech once he had seen it over other objections, george bush in every foreign policy speech, the first question he would always ask me when i drafted a foreign policy speech, has state approved of this? so listen to this story. all three of you but jamie next. we'll stay with ronald reagan for a moment. this is a story, i think quite a famous story told to me by dig allen who was your predecessor, ronald reagan's first national security adviser. the year is 1977. reagan is now a former governor and has just lost the republican presidential nomination to gerald ford. there is no inkling he is going to run for president. he is paying close attention to world affairs and dig allen stops by his house in pacific palisades and briefs him on world affairs. then reagan said

spent more time with him than any other american ronald reagan this is why reagan knew that from his countless hours hunt the settlement and phone calls, he is the sense that i can push them further to tear down that wall. and it wasn't going to cause a cold war to turn not so reagan had spent so much time with him, more than all the state department of the cia and the balance of pushing this guy but also expecting handouts i think that only look at gorbachev's role, a lot of which facilitated by reagan and the right balance of pressure and outrage that creates circumstances of 1989 for the german people to claim their own freedom. >> excuse me, i don't know how to do this in the zoom call that i would like to lean forward and kiss you on the forehead. >> i will hug you back braided. >> let me tell you about this long time ago, ten or 15 years ago now but one of the things that he did, the former leader of the great communist power was becoming a capitalist and he came to the united states. and mike reagan interviewed him and mike helped arrange me to go backstage and i can see gorba

ronald reagan.that's why regan knew that from his countless hours with gorbachev at the geneva summit, the reykjavik summit, letters, phone calls, he had a sense of this guy gorbachev. that i can push him further. i can put that demand into tear down that wall. and it wasn't going to cause a complete rupture in the entire relationship. it was going to cause the cold war to turn violent. so he had a sense from spending so much time gorbachev, more than all of the people at the state department rcep, of that balance of pushing this guy but also stretching a hand out. so, i think when you look at gorbachev's role in the peaceful ending of the cold war, a lot of it was facilitated by regan knowing him while. and that helped create the circumstances of november of 1989 for the german people to raise. up >> will, i don't know how to do this in a zoom call, but i'd like to lean forward and kiss right on the forehead. i'm worried about this for 34 years. >> i'll give you a hug back. >> of course, you're rig

staying with ronald reagan for a moment.his is a story told to me by your predecessor the first national security advisor the year is 1977 now reagan is a former governor he just lost the nomination to gerald ford. he is playing close it tension and take our breaks him on world affairs and reagan said would you like to hear mike. the cold war? he said of course, governor than ronald reagan did put this down in writing and quoting from him, this is reagan speaking some people think i'm simplistic but there is a difference between being simple and being simplistic might. about the cold war is that we went and they lose. how do you operationalize that? here is richard nixon and dÉtente and then warning against an ordinance fear of communism and then turned it upside down. now that i'm older field a little risky to me. >> i am a big fan of the approach obviously with radio free europe i think that moral clarity of reagan is incredibly essential upon hearing and ultimately they are fearful of their citizens. and when they realize

reagan was trying to stop that. he did not think this was a good idea because the soviets had nuclear superiority. as we know now the soviet union was a mess in just about everything else. the economy was in terrible shape. people had a horrible standard of living. but, they did have a pretty powerful nuclear force. that is one area where they had the advantage. and reagan didn't want them to have that advantage. so he was trying to stop the movement for a nuclear freeze. the reason i emphasize this. in the past when i had sent down examines and i asked about this speech, sometimes he would answer oh this speech was designed to advance president reagan's proposal for a nuclear freeze. which indicates people weren't quite clear on the concept. so he was fighting the idea of a nuclear freeze. and remember, it is 1983. the cold war is still on. in his speech you will notice he refers today cold war in the past tense. sometimes that happened in the 1980s. we now think of the cold war as the entire period between the end

reagan was trying to stop that.n did not think this was a good idea because the soviets had nuclear superiority. as we know now, with the soviet union was aim mess and just about everything else. the economy was in terrible shape. people had a horrible standard of living. but, they did have a pretty powerful nuclear force. that's one area where they had the advantage. reagan didn't want this, he didn't want them to have that advantage. he was trying to stop the movement for a nuclear freeze. the reason i emphasize this, and when i had to sit down exams in the past and asked about the speech, somebody would enter, this speech was designed to defeat president reagan's proposal for a nuclear speech. that implements that people weren't clear on the concept. he was fighting the idea of a nuclear freeze. remember, it is 1983 -- the cold war is still on. in the speech, you will notice your first to the cold war in the past tense. sometimes that happens during the 1980s. they refer to the cold war specifically as a period i

powell puts it down and slides it to reagan. reagan looks at it and says the answer is no. we're not adding that paragraph. gorbachev explode and gets in reagan's face. the whole deal is about ready to fall apart. everybody files out of the room. the deal is done. he picks it up and it says, if you agree, you can never criticize them again. meaning you can never criticize the soviet union again if you put that paragraph in the deal. reagan saw that and trusted powell so much that he risked the whole nuclear deal and koe lynn powell influence not only with reagan but the bush's and a lot of people in washington was exponential. he's a good man. it's been a very quick hour spent with you. just wonderful. thank you for coming. thank you. i'm so happy to have read the book. >> thank you. i really appreciate it. thank you. get cspan on the go. watch the biggest political events live or on demand any time, anywhere on our new mobile video app. c-span now. listen to c-span radio and discover new podcasts all for free. download c-span now, today. >>> good evening. welcome to the ne

ronald reagan had a different view. he said, if we invested in our military, if we marshaled the power of our economy to the friend freedom and strength. the soviet union would collapse. while it would happen a few years after he left office, ronald reagan essentially set into motion an american posture that ended the cold war. we won it and the serbian union is on the ashes of history. i think that standing up to the soviet communism, and calling out the soviet union as the evil empire as he did, was a contribution that will be remembered for the ages. it echoes a bit for our time right now, i couldn't be more proud that under our administration we change the national consensus on china. people now know that the communist chinese party rep presses its own people, subjugate minorities, particularly muslim uyghurs and christians. it's a precious free speech and engages in the action that in terms of intellectual property, theft and trade abuses, that america had looked the other way on. we didn't. we took a strong stand

that is what president reagan did.ndrew: despite the rollout of covid vaccines, people are refusing to return to work and we have a record number of unfilled jobs. what are republicans doing at the federal, state and local levels to get people to fill those jobs and get this economy back on track question mark >> mother of august, there were 10 million job openings in the country. that was before 4 million people quit their jobs. something is afoot in the economy. you have your finger on it. there is an old saying in economics. what you subsidize you tax, -- we were subsidizing people being out of work. i want to be the first to tell you that the increase in on employment benefits that we authorized as part of our covid response nationally i believe was the right thing to do. in many way, that is what you have a government -- a government four. when you face large national crisis. i am incredible he proud of the generosity of the american people where we provided direct support to businesses and people unemployed. we d

you've made remarks about president ronald reagan tonight.administration, the administration supported routines guatemala and el salvador in iran, crucial information knowing full well would use chemical weapons and in nicaragua, if ministration was so egregious international court of justice for terrorism so my questionte is, why are you glorifying for an? [applause] >> i think i'd like to head to the library with youe and see f i could give you some different facts. [applause] but i want to be respectful of you for a thoughtful question, thoughtfully recited. when ronald reagan came into office, it was a time of great national challenge. i remember in those days, there is generally a thought the soviet union was on track to dominate the world. most of the intelligence in this country thought the soviet union was unstoppable. ronald reagan had a different view, he said if we invested in our military, if we essentially commercial the power of our economy to defend freedom and strengthen democracy the soviet union would collapse. while it woul

i started with reagan sound bites. the issues that reagan deal with that were big issues when we are dealing with the debt so it kind of all works out pretty well to say hi to my friends and i know i have friends in the audience. we are here to talk about grant. years ago you wrote your first book in the challenges you had with your son paul, remarkable but please tell me he's okay. >> he's doing great. that book is called special hearted journey of hope and courage. oh my gosh courage and love. i'm thinking grand and i'm thinking, anyway bottom line he is doing fantastic. he's had four open-heart surgeries and 10 angioplasties in this last one was in december and paul is now an inch taller than me. he's 6 feet tall. he is a golfer and a basketball player and he's doing fantastic so thank you very much. [applause] >> bret in your book you chose presidents to study that are oftentimes at an inflection point in their presidency. a moment in time in that particular president uniquely change the course of history. is that

started it with reagan soundbites. looking at the big issues that reagan dealt with, the big issues we are dealing with today. so it all works out. i want to say hi to my friends. and i know i have other friends in the audience. but let's talk grant. >> -- eight or nine years ago -- about your first book, about the real challenges you had with your son, paul. a remarkable book. please tell us he's okay. >> yes, he's great. that book is called "special heart" -- >> hope -- oh, my gosh, what is it? i'm thinking grants, i'm thinking -- anyway, bottom line -- paul is doing fantastic. his last open heart surgery was in december. and paul is now an inch taller than me. he wears a size 13 shoe. he is a golfer, a basketball player. so thank you. >> [applause] >> bret, it seems in your books, your choices of precedence presidents to study, you look for inflection points. a moment in time where that particular president nearly changed the course of history. is that how you go after your subjects? >> when we started this -- and y

the great society state, reagan even expanded medicaid. >> when reagan left office not having radicallyrmed america, conservatives became more ready for a story of betrayal. >> the right longed for a fighter, and reagan's successor, the elite, yale-educated george w. bush, did not fit the bill. conservatives felt betrayed one more time. now they found their new hero in the man who helped wreck bush's presidency, the fiery congressman newt gingrich. >> he wins control of congress with the message of rage and resentment and culture war and betrayal. >> we're going to change their world. they will do anything to stop us. >> gingrich pioneers the fight club mentality that would eventually consume the gop. >> gingrich understood that his voters didn't care about winning. they didn't care about winning policy fights. what they cared about was fighting. >> mr. gingrich will whisper in your right ear and i will whisper in your left ear. >> he kept coming close to doing deals with bill clinton and then he realized at the end no, no, care about the fight. >> boosting gingrich was powerful new all

he had his reagan successor. he had associations from reagan. he was a very awkward guy. >> people forget reagan's earlier record in all the stuff about his plans on congress. we are will cut spending, taxes, and never happened. people blame congress, along with this guy up there messing up the budget, ron reagan. reagan, you know, he had done it. i had seen it. >> one had the sense that bush was increasing isolation. and took a long time for the white house to wake up to the political dangers they had. >> squandered up to 92% approval rating? it went down to 30, or something. he got nothing for it. nothing on the domestic front, political front, it just evaporated. they didn't use it. another division did something i can remember. i think it was 92%. maybe not 92, but way up there. he had the world by the tail. this guy was it. congress was ready to respond. victory. they actually did something. there was very few casually, what about -- i don't know again, he had others they are sitting on their lead what you don't do. >> there was also ironic

don reagan. >> the ninety -- yeah don -- >> no. >> he wasn't at the white house yet. >> a yeah that's right. nick brady, secretary of treasury but basically it was bush going back on his word on the read -- >> the read my lips. yeah. >> and gingrich i think shot down the first deal and there was a second deal i heard described as worse than the first deal in terms of spending control. if there ever had been a time when you were entitle to say i told you so, that would have been it. >> yeah but instead fs trying to tell the white house. i was trying to work out something else that didn't look like a tax increase. and really about midnight though, i remember, and they were still talking to whoever it was at the white house. and said make a better deal here. i don't remember who it was but they kind of gave up. and bush said well he had no choice. democrats ran the place. and what are you going to do? i got to have the money. so it -- he's probably right too. there weren't going to give it to him wi

from reagan. i think it was very awkward. >> people always forget reagan's earlier record and all this stuff we're going to cut taxes, cut spending, well, never happened. reagan had that -- >> did you -- one has the sense that bush was increasingly isolated. out at the gulf war, that it took a long time for that white house to wake up to the political dangers they already had. >> even after 92% approval rating, and it went down to 30% or something, and he got nothing for it. nothing on the domestic front, political front, it just evaporated. they didn't use it. i think it was 92%, probably not accurate but it was way up there. and he had the world by the tail. this guy was legit and congress was ready to respond, you know, victory, we actually did something and finished it. again, you had sununu there and others and they're sort of sitting on their lead, which you don't do. also ironicically you could dial it back. the cold war was over and that united conservatives. there was a sense bush's histo

you've made remarks about president ronald reagan denied.the reagan administration supported genocidal regimes in guatemala and el salvador. in iran, he gave crucial information to saddam hussein knowing full well he would use chemical weapons against iran and in nicaragua the reagan aradministration atrocities were so egregious he was condemned by the court of justice for terrorism so my question is why are you glorifying this man? [applause] i think i'd like to head to the library with you and see if i can give you some different facts. [applause] i want to be respectful for a thoughtful question but when ronald reagan came into office, it was a time of great national challenge. i remember in those days there was generally the thought that the soviet union was on track to dominate the world. most of the intelligence in this country thought that the soviet union was unstoppable both ronald reagan had a different view and said if we invested in our military and essentially marshaled the power of our economy to defend freedom and to strengthe

. >> the 90 budget deal had to have been -- >> donald reagan? >> 90 -- year. donald reagan -- no, no. >> he wasn't meant the white house yet. >> nick brady, secretary of the treasury. it was bush going back on his word on the read my lips, gingrich shot down the first deal and there was a second deal which i heard described as worse than the first deal in terms of spending. if there ever had been a time you were entitled to say i told you so that would have been it. >> i was trying to tell the white house i was working with tom foley trying to work out something else, looks like a tax increase and it was about midnight as i remember and still talking to someone at the white house, we can make a better deal here. i don't remember what it was but bush said he had no choice, democrats ran the place and what are you going to do, got to have the money. he got it right too. never going to give it to him without a tax increase. but thought he never should have said that. read my lips. >> host: what are the challenges in passing the apa? >> guest: we had a lot of conv

i said pete can you please talk to us about what president reagan did? years left in the term and with the customary eloquence pete walked us through and walked us through the video earlier with the arm services committee and walked us through it and at the whole time when we got done with the meetings these are former senior officials and former senators and members of congress and they sat around to say hello and talk to him and all i could think about watching that was if his vocal cords were not given out in 1996 them what a president they could've had with pete wilson as president of the united states. [applause] so if you are up for another run in two.five years so even the brand-new first year congressman and then they got certificates and diplomas and momentous from back home and to see some pretty impressive roles in washington at the highest levels but there's one thing that always stuck with me a plaque that was hanging in the senators office and had a marine corps cover and the civilians that covered me with a drill sergeant hat. and then the

reagan. >> the reagans put together a star-studded dinner.ike clint eastwood, john travolta, neil diamond, every socialite that nancy reagan knew. >> john, are you going to dance with the princess tonight? >> if she'd like me to. >> the high point of the evening was nancy reagan orchestrating "saturday night fever" star john travolta to ask diana to dance. >> i think diana thrived in these moments where the spotlight shone so brightly on her. >> diana wasn't fazed at all. she loved to dance. here she was dancing with john travolta, one of the most celebrated dancers in the world at that time. she just came alive. >> it showed diana's star power was really equal to that of a major hollywood star. >> screaming for the princess wherever she went. >> thousands gathered along pennsylvania avenue to catch a glimpse of the motorcade bringing the visitors to the national gallery of art. >> charles agreed to have a press conference to talk about the exhibit that he was opening, and all they wanted to talk about was diana. >> to the core of the issue f

, that they were a more pure version of ronald reagan than their competitors in a primary. of that is going to happen all over again in 2024, but it will be about trump. some of them will be subtle about it and promise the trump agenda without his behavior. some will be very overt about it and say i'm going to give you the best of trump with the best of trump because there is no worst. it will all revolve around this conservative populist agenda that trump ran on and that he governed on, and i don't think there is going to be a reset, even with christie if he runs for president and he gets far in that primary. we will keep an eye on him, but he is not going to try and promise a return to reagan aaron policy -- reagan era policy agendas. -- policies on trade in particular, but i think you will see them all try and say that all of those policy things that trump did, i'm going to give you. i don't think christie will be different. host: david drucker is our guest with his new book, "in trump's shadow: the battle for 2024 & the future of the gop." for democrats, the line is (20