won the Governorship of California in 1966. It was there he mastered the art of maintaining positive public perception. He made it apparent that he wanted limited government when in fact he was going along with an assertive state legislature that was working to expand public programs. Reagan made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1976 but made himself the frontrunner for the 1980 primaries. He successfully ousted CIA director George Bush, Senators Robert Dole, Howard Baker, and Representative John Anderson. He beat incumbent President Jimmy Carter by creating the image that Carter’s policies were dangerous. With the help of the hostage crisis in Iran, a weak economy burdened with high inflation and high unemployment, Carter’s lack of popularity, and Reagan’s own ability to look and sound fantastic in front of the camera, Ronald Reagan won the 1980 Presidential election by a ten-point margin (Lammers 99-101).Ronald Reagan’s 8-year reign on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue holds two very different public interpretations. Before analyzing what some call the best or worst president ever, an analysis of his economic policies must first be understood. Reagan’s economic policy was based on a theory called supply-side economics. The theory is that the economy will grow and unemployment will fall by promoting productivity and investment. Supply-side economists believe that tax rates directly affect how people use their money. If the taxes are lowered people will spend more in the economy and have the incentive to save. Similarly if a business is not penalized by high Morris 4taxes, they are more likely to invest the rollover money into their company, build new plants or factories, thus increasing their productivity and making new jobs. Supply-side economists felt this would generate enough revenue nationwide to decrease deficits even though taxes were still low. This theory is cre...
