I think David Frum nails it here:
I wish somebody at the Reagan Library had said: "Ronald Reagan was a great leader and a great president because he addressed the problems of his time. But we have very different problems — and we need very different answers. Here are mine."
Reagan really did have different problems. A conflict with Iran. 18.2% inflation in Feb of 1980. A country that had lost faith in itself. 70%+ tax rates for the top bracket.
There are real problems in our country today. Future entitlement costs and current and planned deficits are out of control. We haven’t talked about how to deal with globalization or provide education for tomorrow’s world. As Michael Barone pointed out yesterday:
Consider two long-range issues that are not pressing matters this year but pose, or are said to pose, threats a generation or two away. One of them you don’t hear much about: Social Security. The other you hear about all the time: global warming. Yet this gets things upside down. We have an unusually precise knowledge of the problems Social Security will cause in the future.
As I pointed out about Fred Thompson’s widely-panned speech, he actually did address these. John McCain has in many ways.
This disconnect was discussed today on HotlineTV. They noted from their recent poll (PDF):
With regard to key issues facing the country, Hillary Clinton beats all other 2008 front-runners on the economy, healthcare, and the environment. On the issue of the War in Iraq and terrorism, voters are split between Clinton, Giuliani and McCain.
Shouldn’t this scare Republicans? Not about Clinton, but that the Democrats are well ahead on their issues and splitting with the GOP on their issues.
