Posted on 12/10/2010 8:55:42 AM PST by Sub-Driver
GOP Young Gun: 'Reagan Revolution' is over By Michael O'Brien - 12/10/10 10:47 AM ET
The "Reagan Revolution" that spurred a GOP renaissance in Washington is dead, one of the party's new faces said Friday.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the incoming chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the Republican "Young Guns," said that the movement sparked by President Reagan's election in 1980 fizzled out with Democrats' wins in the congressional elections of 2006.
"The Reagan Revolution ended in 2006 when Pelosi took the gavel — definitely in 2008," Ryan said in a video interview with The Wall Street Journal. "So a new era is beginning."
Republicans had long credited the resurgence of the party led by Reagan for their victories in the 1994 congressional elections, in which they won control of the House and Senate, as well as for the victory of George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election.
But Republicans have also sought to recast the party as the GOP of a new generation that has broken from past leaders and learned from its mistakes. That sentiment had in part animated the new crop of "Young Guns" — a trio of Ryan, incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and incoming House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — to promote themselves as new faces of the GOP.
The new Republicans coming to Washington, many of whom hail from a later generation than their predecessors, aren't interested in the kind of "small ball" that dominated political debate in the 1990s, Ryan said.
"No more school uniforms and prescription drugs — it's the big picture," he said. "And that's the kind of healthy conversation we've got to have in this country."
Historically concur, but that is precisely why we need to move beyond that now.
I think Ryan should have checked with the other “guns” before he made this comment!
“THIS -—> “Reagan Revolution 2.0—GEN X takes charge!!” <-— THIS.....”
Well, Traditional Catholics call the new generation of RC priests, “the John Paul II Generation”.
This new generation of conservative politicians takes it’s inspiration from RR, so why not call the new movement the Reagan Generation???
After Palin cuts government and taxes, gets America on solid economic ground, closes the borders to illegals, and begins to deal decisively with our friends (Israel) and our enemies, we'll see what the nay-sayers have to say.
When Reagan left office federal spending as a percentage of GDP was down 1% and non-defense related spending, welfare state and discretionary spending, was reduced 3.7% from the Carter years. Reagan accomplished that with strong support from real "Blue Dog" Democrats who joined Republicans in passing those spending reductions. The Dems are still pissed off about those cuts. Historic achievements in the age of Liberalism. A lot of what the Dems rejected in the 1980`s Reagan agenda was resurrected in the 1994 Contract With America.
Paul Ryan should embrace the Reagan agenda and not reject or ignore it.
We cannot continually look to the past. We must move forward with the reality that it will be a long time before we can undo the harm brought to our economy and our national security by the marxist in the white house and his cohorts in the msm.
It will not be reversed overnight but with Ryan as a new face of the republican party I feel much more confident.
Yank any and every chairmanship and committee appointment this lying phony jive turkey has, or hopes to ever get!
Well said.
Neophyte is right!
He did everything he could to do so I think. I don't know how you could be more conservative than Reagan unless you were a Nazi.
But the ground maybe softer now for more anti-government reform. Maybe now someone could come along and shut down most of the cabinet posts, the unconstitutional executive regulatory agencies, and the IRS and change to a 10% flat tax (preferably sales tax).
That would be a nice revolution.
Hear, hear!!! We must progress forward!
what just got typed???
"Progress"????
Does that label us "Progressives"???
I'm not sure what the alternative for conservatives is but I like what the Tea-Partiers are trying to do.
Forget the Reagan Revolution ... what we’re looking at now is the end of GHW’s “New World Order”.
Dude, it was over when George HW became President.
Actually I think it was over when Iran Contra hit the fan,
Nancy called in the astrologers, and Reagan began showing the first early signs of Alzheimers.
“Young gun,” Paul Davis Ryan, Jr. (born January 29, 1970) might want to check his holster.
President Reagan’s movement is alive and undergoing a revival in the form of Sarah Palin. It’s hardly President Reagan’s fault that RINOS went off the conservative reservation, but it’s up to these “young guns” to do their part to bring the Grand Old Party back to the glory of President Reagan. Sarah Palin is trying.
The progressives may have started the fire, but until they completely control the media and internet, now we know who the arsonists are.
From the ashes, this generation's "Reagans" will either do what Reagan couldn't do or it's truly over. The revolution is here. obama wasn't kidding when he said "We are the ones we've been waiting for."
Yes it was over with George. That “compassionate conservatism” was akin to reinstating the welfare society with a vengeance.
Zactly. Thus far, I remain unimpressed. Big talk, and I don't like this 'dissing of President Reagan. Hardly his fault that so-called conservatives went RINO. No discipline.
Let's see January, "young guns." I want to see straight shooters.
Excellent! I am very happy and pleased that you’re on this thread. I thought of you straight away.
Perfectly stated. Thanks very much! I should have read the comments before I posted.
Walk that walk before talking about President Reagan’s movement being over. That’s just not true. A RINO hiatus with democrat rule, for sure, -— but going back to Reagan is going back to Constitutional government and we have to go back even more than President Reagan could accomplish.
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