People need do people need in the moment to get ahead. Ronald reagan could appeal to that person and could embody that because as he always said he was one of them. He grew up in a working class family. He achieved stardom in hollywood. Shaped fact is he was very much by his roots with two High School Dropouts as parents. And he never left that behind. Host talk about blue collar conserveatism. Guest its something that of the ts the focus shaped very of the average person the average voter in america is a college dropout. The average person is also somebody who is also somebody who did not even attend university. We tend to forget that here in washington where everyone has College Degrees and post graduate degrees and focused on the new economy. The fact is most americans are facing more competition than before. There are people who are just trying to get along with their lives. And blue collar republicanenism at the focal point and says sometimes they need a little help from government. Host henry olson talking about his book the working class republican. Ronald reagan and the return of blue collar conserveatism. Part of our series on authors. Talking about the future of the republican at the focal point and says sometimes they need pa the number are on the bottom of your screen. That can appeal across party lines. I grew up in michigan. I know it was fairly democratic. And then it went to Ronald Reagan. How did that work then and how does that work now . Guest thats when reagan was elected he was somebody who could appeal to nonrepublicans like no republican had for decades, with the exception of the war hero, dwight eisenhower. By focusing not on a principle, like helping business helps america or free markets over everything. Ronald reagan could talk to the democrat and the independent who wanted to get ahead in American Life and wanted somebody who was on their side. He got record margins among those people, they named them reagan democrats. Thats something that oddly enough happened with donald trump this past time, he was the first person to have a slarme appeal. Host i want to talk about how this plays out in modern times. You wrote in the new york times, guest what i mean by that is what americans want today is a government that protects them from unfair competition and helps them get ahead. Get the government out of the way. Does not respond to their every day needs. They need a new Education System that instead of putting everybody into college, focuses on vocational for people who college isnt the best choice. Gets ing trade deals that treated fairly. Recognizing people are faced tr. Recognizing people are faced with competition they werent faced with 30 years ago. Getting government isnt what they need and what they want. Host barbara. Good morning. Christmas. Ry i had a simple question. I was watching the signing of the tax bill last week. I noticed that at the after party that they had was i ody seemed to be dont know. I dont know if you call it allegiance pledges. They said thank you mr. President. Thank you for this, thank you for that. I hadnt seen that with any other president. Can you give me an explanation for that . Seems to president like appreciation and gratitude. His staff or other senators seem to recognize pats part of dealing with this president. Harry truman used to say the buck stops here and Ronald Reagan said theres no limit to what you can accomplish if you dont want to take the credit. This this president became successful on putting his name on famous buildings and he seems to think thats important. Thats part of thats part of working together and establishing a relationship on both sides of the aisle. And his staff and members of congress seem to recognize that he likes to receive credit publicly. Host the caller started talking about the tax bill. Piece you talk about a little bit before it was passed what you would wanted to see. About a little bit before it was what did you think about the tax bill that came out . Guest the tax bill that came out was much better than the one originally proposed. It cut taxes for many more people. The original proposal would have raised taxes for tens of millions. People will see tikes. But i still think it could time. It could have done more to stimulate employment. How to raise wages people will tikes. But i still think it could f who are faced with competition from overseas labor and how to focus the marginal dollar of a company that is getting these benefits p, on hiring people and raising wages. We need to do more direct focus on employment and wages to have blue collar conservative. Host right after you talk about one of the things next on agenda which is tirement entitlement reform. And putropose reform the fiscal burden on those who can afford it. Tell me more about this. Ut entitlement they talk about it as money problems, it costs too much and it is getting out of control. The fact is the big entitlements give People Security. They give People Security when they retire that they will be able to make enough, that they will be able to access a doctor they need it. And for people on disability they may be 55 but they need a income check. They need it. What we need to do is to make sure that for Social Security and medicare people who dont need taxpayer support dont get it. The person who has 2 million in their 401 k gets the same deal on med income check. Icare as far as taxpayer subsidy as the person who has nothing in their bank account. That doesnt strike me as fair. I dont think it strikes most americans as fair. And republicans would be well advised to start with that rather than trying to treat it as a cost problem. Treat it as a security and first. Host bob. Good morning. Aller what i want to say is that karl max is alive and well. I was a lifelong republican. Single, never had children. No mortgage. What is amazing is that all the nversation i didnt hear one of the 535 people in congress mention the people who are subsidized the most in this country, and that is me. People with no children and no mortgage. You make 50 grand pay the tax on 50 grand. Dont adjust income. When you adjust when you adjust income thats social engineering. Its just that simple. So karl mample is alive and well. Republican i can no longer vote again. Graduated income tax, seven ifferent tax brackets. Ronald reagan always supported what you are saying. Reagan opposed in principle a graduated income tax. He favored a flat tax. He called it before they said the term he called it proportionate as opposed to graduated. He would have been what you are talking about. I believe thats what michigan has at least at the state level you are paying along with the system that you would like to have. The federal government probably should be moving in that direction but they didnt this time. Host Ronald Reagan always supported what you are saying. All right. Sed in grover from virginia. Im calling, it seems to me that trump [inaudible] including the children. Youre saying its been 150 million already in travel. Thats more than obama spent in 8 years. Thats all i have to say. Host go ahead. Guest 150 million is a lot of money and maybe it could be spent better. But in the context of a federal budget over 3 trillion and growing, theres still lots of money to be spent and lots of money is being spebt on lots of other programs including for children. I am hoping children can renew the Childrens Health Insurance Program permfantly when they come back if january. Host lets take a look back to 1979. Guest governor reagan. One problem that we face today can compare with the need to restore the health of the American Economy and the strength of the american dollar. Doubledigit inflation has robbed you and your family of the ability to plan, its detroid the confidence to buy, and threatens the very structure of family life itself as more and more wives are forced to work to meet the ever increasing cost of living. At the same time, the lack of real growth in the economy has introduced a justifiable fear in the minds of working men and women who are already overextended that soon there will be fewer jobs and no money to pay for even the necessities of life. And tragically, as the cost of living keeps going up, the standard of living which has been our great pride, keeps going down. The people have not created this disaster in our economy. The federal government has. It has overspent, overestimated, and overregulated. It has failed to deliver Services Within the revenue it should be allowed to raise from taxes. In the 34 years since the end of world war ii, it has spent 448 billion more than it has ollected in taxes. 448 billion of Printing Press money which has made er dollar you earn worth less and less. Host how applicable is that at then would be president Ronald Reagan said to today when it comes to the economy . Guest i think some is still very applicable. That was almost 40 years ago. The government has added a lot of regulations that didnt exist back then and they hinder a lot of industries. So on the question of deregulation a lot of that is still applicable. When he was speaking then the top tax rate was 70 , there were over 15 brackets even after the last bill taxes are lower for most people than 40 years ago. So i think the tax question has now been pretty much dealt with. But theres still regulation that needs to be dealt with in order to make a number of American Industries more competitive. Host gary, good morning. Caller hello. Good morning. Ow are we feeling today . Merry christmas. When Ronald Reagan came into ower i was 10. Systemically watched the quality of life go down under Ronald Reagan. If you recall, Ronald Reagan gave us a gift of homelessness. Dont you recall that . Also, Ronald Reagan also gave us iran contra. But the funny thing about it is that you guys talk deficits. Dont you recall he said that . Guest i recall everything that you said. No person is perfect. I dont think that Ronald Reagan caused homelessness. Homelessness was something coming u about in part because we were deinstitutionalizing our mental hospitals and people were put in Community Treatment centers but werent being rovided with oversight and makes. And too many ended up on our streets. But i do remember mitch snider and the homeless crew sadse. While other cities, particularly my home state of california have encouraged people to live the lifestyle of their choice. One thing to recognize the thing that is Ronald Reagan did do. Ronald reagan restored confidence after a decade of defeet. He restored an economy that hile it didnt touch everybody increased standard of living for the vast majority of people, set off a nearly 20year boom. And the communist empire fell one year after Ronald Reagans presidency. Host i want to read an excerpt from your book, the working class republican. Explain what is different about today that makes todays conservetives sitting ducks. Guest pretty much most conservatives argue as a matter of default that the people who need tax cuts are the job what they call job creators or entrepreneurs, the people in the top 1 the people who spend 70 hours a week building their businesses and theyre the people that need help. Everybody else comes second. I think you saw that in the tax bill where the focus was on corporations, the focus was on small everybody else comes busi and Everything Else came at the back end. And Ronald Reagan never did that. When he spoke about tax cuts he spoke about the working person. He tried to cut taxes for everybody. His 1986 tax reform which was the last big tax change before now Ronald Reagan emphasized making families more economiccal to raise an equalityly with cutting rates. Thats not something you saw republicans do during this debate at all. Host were talking with henry olson the senior fellow at the ethics and Public Policy center and also the author of the book the working class republican Ronald Reagan and the return of blue collar conserve tism. Talking about the future of the epublican party. Aller good morning. I would like to address this. You spoke earlier about character. Mark twain, Samuel Clemens said theyre liars. And there are the stats ticks. But lying is the propaganda thats been put out all the time by this stuff about Ronald Reagan. I lived through Ronald Reagan. Im 66 years old. Ronald reagan cut taxes and raised it seven years after that. You should play Allen Simpson to this guy. I a senator from utah believe. And every time this guy comes with grover nortax nor quistperpwuts this myth. Do you remember read my lips when george h. W. Bush had to come in and say he wouldnt cut taxes and then he cut them again six months later . Its nonsense. Pply side economics is economics. Bush said that when reagan proposed it. Its nonsense. When you take a basic economics course in college they would tell you that demand creates an economy and flows it. Its the same stuff. We went in to debt under Ronald Reagan. Bigtime. Host lets give henry olson a chance to respond. I believe that candidate bush said he would not raise taxes. Guest thats right. President reagan cut tax rates by 30 25 across the board. He cut tax rates again in 1986. I believe the tike of tax hike primarily fell on corporations. Deficit spending went up in large part because first of an unexpected bad recession then subsequently Congress Never app proved many of the domestic pending that the president had approved. I think had they done so things might have been very different. The president in his letters and his autobiography opeds the possibility of a compromise. If spending cuts had been approved, but the democrats were never willing to cut nonessential domestic spending. Order to meet the president regretfully deficits were the approved. Think had result of that but it is going to take both sides to move not one side, in order to solve that problem. Host done from arkansas. Don. Good morning. Guest Merry Christmas. Caller we were talking a little earlier about the whether we trusted our elected officials or not. Let me ask. Suppose a hypothetical question. Suppose as a country that is and has a in debt huge budget deficit, should that country actually cut taxes . Guest what we need to do, i think, is deal with our budgetry situation on both sides of the equation. Cutting tax rates and making us competitive with the rest of the world in Corporate Taxes is justifiable. A world with global multinational most of our large competitors have much lower Corporate Tax rates. That is absolutely necessary. I think we have to take a look at the spending side of the equation. Do we really need to be spending 4 billion a year on Crop Insurance, where we subsidize wealthy farmers to buy Crop Insurance and then we subsidize private Insurance Companies to sell them the same policies. Does that make sense . I think a lot of things we can look at that dont touch the thing that is most americans value. Like Retirement Security and security in your health care. That can really work to reduce the deficit. And it takes both sides. It takes democrats and republicans to give. Host lets go back in time once more and take a look at what Ronald Reagan said about the role of government. I believe this nation hungers for a spiritual revival. Hungers to once again see honor placed above political expediency, to see government once again the protecter of our liberties, not the distributer of gifts and privilege. Governments should uphold and not undermine those institutions upon which civilization is founded, religion, education, and above all family. Government cannot be clergyman, teacher, and parent. Our servant beholden to us. We who are privileged to be americans have had a rendevous with destiny since the moment in 1630 when john win throp off the coast of massachusetts told the little band of pilgrims we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us so that if we shall deal falsely with our god in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us we shall be made a story and a by word throughout the world. A troubled and afflicted pleading oks to us, for us to keep our rendevous with destiny. But we will uphold the principles of selfreliance, selfdizz republican, morality, and above all responsibility that we individual will become that shining city on a hill. Host one of ronald that we will become reagans more famplese addresses. Do you think republicans still have that sight in mind . Guest i think they do. I wish that they would focus on some of the things Ronald Reagan focused on. The emphasis on family is something marco rubio focused on. And often found a Republican Party that was putting the interests of business ahead of interests of family. I think Ronald Reagan had the balance as i would like as a republican i would like to recover that balance. Host new york. Interests of good morning. Caller good morning. Happy christmas. My question may be a bit almost unfair to some, at the federal level. Although the Republican Party itself, i wonder why is it so splintered . Why do we allow so many Fringe Groups to call themselves still within the same party such as libertarian . Ere is a libertarian in this nation. You have radicals, religious Fringe Groups those with hobby lobby who are willing to funnel lobbing off the hands of christians heads of christians. My question goes to current here and now at the federal level. Why do they seem to be circling their way to protect those who conspired with the kremlin . Impeach both impeach both president and the Vice President , we would still have a republican third in line. We would still have the white house. Why are they protecting these eople . My question. Happy snass and groovy new year. My question. Happy snass and groovy new year. Guest i think theyre waiting to see what the investigation knows. I dont think theres proof of an impeachable offense. We have impeached twice but never impeached and convicted a president. When nixon resigned, it required really direct ed of culpability. Nd theres not in a yet with President Trump or pence. I think we should trust in the judgment of the investigators to see what they can uncover. Then i think Public Opinion if theres clear and present proof will have its will on the representatives. But right now theyre doing their duty to say wait until the evidence comes out and not take extreme measures on the basis of mere suspicion. Host what about the point about how the Republican Party s so many different factions that sometimes work at counter purposes . Guest i think the big problem with the Republican Party and factions is that there is not a unit of what they are aiming at. That ultimately theres some sort of agreement, something that they hold in common. I think with republican factions, theres a lot of disagreement about what government should do. That means that theyre fighting with each other. There are groups that may feel more at home in a third party movement. But the Republican Party will fight less when it agrees more and thats something that they ought to be working towards against. N fighting host i want to read another excerpt from your book. Host do you consider President Trump to be a true republican . Guest the president is the nominee of the Republican Party and the leader of the Republican Party. He has not been acting as we seeing a Republican Party leader acting as. He is not somebody who most Party Leaders try to field the philosophy their party can unite behind. They dont publicly criticize members of their own party for what most people would be considered to be sleeths. And that suggests a less serious degree of loyalty to the party as an institution than we have been used to seeing in the president s both republican and democrat, in the past. Host do you think people can change . For a long time the president was a registered democrat. Do you think thats an issue . Guest the president has been all over the map politically. He has been a registered democrat, reform party, republican, independent, back to rengstered republican. People in the broader country dont seem to be bothered by that. I dont think most republicans are bothered by that. I do think people would like to see a broad consistent philosophy that is inclusive rather than divisive that says not only are these the programs i want, not only do i think im the man to deliver but here is the interpretation of what it means to be american that you can be a part in. If the president would deliver that he would find much more support and find his Approval Ratings going up. Host john from washington. Good morning. Caller good morning. Mystified. When they asked the cio. Ident of the n. F. L. He said Ronald Reagan and jackie deserve each other. It wasnt long after that that the federal government took over the pension plan of the teams ster. So the union people that voted for trump this time dont realize theyre voting against themselves when republicans hate unions. Were down to 6 union left in this country and theyre still blaming all kinds of stuff on us. Bernie r matter sanders was saying about Social Security. Just remove the cap. Im up against the cap every year and they stop taking out Social Security. I would love to make it and pay Social Security up to half a million. Remove the cap it would remove 50 more years without touching any benefits. So its a simple fix. Who can most afford it . Those making that kind of money. So whats the problem . Thank you very much. Merry christmas. Merry christmas. I think a lot of union people would like to see a lot of union people who voted for President Trump, many where you are, in vancouver washington was a post of trump democrats people who voted for obama twice voted for mr. Trusm. I think they would like to see the big infrastructure program, thing like trade and immigration, that can reduce the competition and increase wages for average working people. Thats what they voted for, thats what they expect. I think the president will find many looking back at the democratic party. With respect to raising the cap, theres no country in the world that taxes payroll for cial security with no cap on limitation. Limitation on income. The cap is around 120,000. It can be raised. If we were to eliminate the cap marginal tax rate hike on everybody, which would put our highest marginal income tax rates above that, of most international competitors, raising the cap is one thing. Eliminating it would make us the only modern country in the world that taxes payroll for retirement with no income cap. Host lets talk about unions a little bit more. Union voters. How things have changed from reagan to now when you have someone, Ronald Reagan head of the union. Guest proud to talk about that. Host but policies not viewed as being very pro union. Explain how that is different or similar than today. Guest the president always believed that the private sector, a flowing private sector economy was best for union members. He was always upset that Union President s or leaders didnt understand what he was trying to do. I think he was given a bad rap for being antiunion. There were a lot of declines in Union Membership before president reagan took office. It was a problem of the declining industries that steel or Auto Companies were no longer competitive. And unions could have done better at that time. As the man said theres only about 6 or 7 of the private orkforce is unionized. I think what we need to do now rather than think about reunizing the private sector is invigorating the private sector. The industry that hires people who are likely to form unions, high income engineers high inc but people of low or moderate skills need protection or help so they can compete in a an environment. And those people need help with increasing their pay checks. Thats why i proposed the tax changes i did. Host walter calling on our republican line. Good morning. If ingtsdz i dont know youre kin to the many olsons in minnesota and nebraska. Some are friends of mine. I was a member of the young Republican Party. I feel that the key is having listened to mr. Reagan when he ran against jimmy carter was the issues of how do we stimulate the living wage jobs across america . And one thing that he surrounded himself with so many people i only worked in d. C. I actually rs but taught ethics at my level. But the issue is, of course, how can webero from peter to pay paul in i actually this reg . Subsidies is one of layout. If you are the olsons related to them from nebraska and minnesota, there is much layover out there. I lived in new mexico as well and there is quite a bit of blm land being used. Subsidy ks be taken and placed in areas like education. We need to raise the quality of Living Standards for our teachers. The foundation for our youth. Now, i am really more of a republicandemocrat. My grandfather was a great fan and would remind me of Franklin Delano roosevelt saved the world. But the modern day democrats speak more of boston and harvard. And all i know is that beats harvard than harvard beats prince ton. But i will leave it to you to discuss these things. Thank you very much. Zpwod bless everyone. Guest Merry Christmas. As far as the personal question there is one group of one place where beats harvard than harvard beats prince ton. Norwe that wasnt in the midwest. So im not related to midwestern olsons but my great grandfather was a ship builder. Im part of the norweigian community from bay ridge where they grew up. To long we moved out island. So im proud to be a new york norweigian. When you say republicandemocrat. Thats what Ronald Reagan was. He never left Franklin Roosevelt behind. He never left the promises of the new deal and their sense that the federal government is necessary needs to make sure that everyone has a decent opportunity and that you could regulate and tax in order to achieve that. Think thats exactly the ism ing class republican that we need. I think if the Republican Party were to move back it would find many, many more people to be open and also find much better economy for people whoism that we need. I think if the are working at the average and below average wage, people for whom college never was an opportunity and for whom they the the much as graduates as prince ton and harvard the opportunity to do the best they can. Host melvin, good morning. Caller good morning. Im always amazed to hear these people talk about Ronald Reagan. He man tripled the debt. Eft 250 billion in deficit. The largest loaner of money in the world. He made us the largest debter. He also, as the gentleman said as i was working in d. C. At the time. On the police department. He created the homeless when they emptied all the hospital out since taking care of the mentally ill and created all those problems that we have aling with people in the street at that time. Ronald reagan did that. He did all that. And he raised taxes 11 tim street at that time. Ronald reagan did that. Hees. 11. He ended up making george bush as Vice President. So im just amazed and the federal government he always talks about. He increased the federal government at that time to its largest number of employees in the history of the country. So i dont understand, the republicans try to make you believe that he was he did all this. En he was in iran contra ended up introducing drugs. Not him personally even though he had his issues. But they brought drugs in here in los angeles and Everything Else. Thats how they did cocaine and that introduced into this country. So im really amazed about how we keep talking about someone who has all these major issue with this country. And speaking as if this man was the greatest thing this country has ever had when he created the most problems for the country. Host lets give henry a chance to respond. Guest i think theres always wide partisan disagreement about president s who do a lot of things. That even today youll find republicans who cant stand the name Franklin Delano roosevelt and a lot of democrats who cant stand the name of Ronald Reagan. Lets focus on some of the things that did happen during reagans time. Employment grew dramatically. The average Median Income went up dramatically. Not every person in comb proved but lots of people did. Theres a reason he was reelected with 59 of the vote in 18984. Theres a reason his Vice President was elected. Even though the Vice President mr. Bush was recognized as perhaps a weak candidate and was behind in the poll force much of the race. Most of americans at the time felt that on balance Ronald Reagan has done a good job even if he hadnt done a perfect job. I think thats what we would like to remind people of who perhaps didnt li through those years like you and i did. Host just to last year when President Trump was on the campaign trail in michigan after giving his pop list message. There is one core question for you to consider. Do you want america to be ruled by the corrupt Political Class . Or do you want america to be ruled by you, the people . Thats what it is. By the people. The way it was supposed to have been for a long time. Weve lost track. And for michigan, we will bring back your automobile production and we will bring back your industry. Wait until you see what we do for michigan. Ive been talking about it for a long time. Crooked hillary has not talked about it, folks. She doesnt know where to begin. She talked about bringing industry back to new york state when she was a new york state senator. Let me tell you not only didnt back. Look at upstate new york. Its a disaster. It got worse. People fled. Companies fled. Its a disaster. The corrupt politicians and their special interests have ruled over this country for a very long time. Today is our independence day. [cheers and applause] today the american working class is going to strike back finally. Host henry, you wrote a an opinion piece in october that talked about a trump style being like reagans in a lot of ways but trumps active leadership style and combination of cop yullism is closer to reagans words than anything ryan or mcconnell from entered the mp 2016 races he ran as a tribune as the forgotten american. Talk about that. Is trump really the new reagan . Guest theres so many ways that he is different from reagan. You cant ignore entered the 2016 races that. Ronald reagan would never have turned to twitter and insulted enemies. Ronald reagan was excoriated and attacked by the press. I know trump defenders say not as bad as trump. He knew how to take criticism smile, roll off his back and used humor to deflect his critics. The president is not that person. T as we saw in smile, roll ofe talked about the forgotten american, he talked about putting the people back in charge, he talked about the average person not the business person or the entrepreneur, the job creater. Thats the sort of language that Ronald Reagan would use. And that energy that you see in the president s speech, that sort of energetic, i can do it leadership, thats also something that reagan used to do. In that way he is more like reagan than ryan or mcconnell but in some of the other ways i wish he would be more like reagan. Host robert from atlanta. Caller good morning. Hat was an interesting segue into what i was thinking. The title of this program is be the future of the Republican Party. But it be the future of the Republican Party. But it sounds like a love fest for Ronald Reagan. I would love to ask your guest, who strikes me as a decent fellow who i might be able to on, on a number of economic points hes raised. Whats he truly think sng by the way he works for a think tank with ethics and Public Policy. What does he think about a president who is obviously such a liar . It is indisputeable. Who attacks the f. B. I. , the judiciary, belittles immigrants. Who does things absolutely horrific. In particular, what absolutely made me sick was his first initial unscripted reaction who guest the Republican Party cannot be identified as the party of trump. The Republican Party needs to be its own institution. The president has said and done a number of things that i find shocking and dismaying. If that is who he is, he is somebody who will continue to cause problems for himself and for the party, because as we poll after poll that a vast majority of americans do not like him and a vast majority of americans seem to be turning against the Republican Party. I think largely because of the sorts of things that you just mentioned. As a republican, what i would like to do is also recognize some of the thing that is donald trump brought to the conversation, which is a concern for the average working person of america that for too parties le in both focus on Big Government or big business or big ideology as their solutions. Who felt are people parties left out and left behind. And donald trump for all of his faults helped bring them back into the conversation in some ways that Bernie Sanders did in the democratic party. I think both parties need to listen to those people. They need to reject the politics of division. And they need to focus on working for all people. To the extent the president has been doing and saying things that will go away from that i do not support those things. Host do you think that character plays an Important Role in selecting our politicians . Guest whether character plays an Important Role in selecting our politicians is an interesting question. I think what happened in 2016 is the people felt both candidates were compromised. Look at the polls, 18 of americans didnt like either candidate. They waited until the last their and kind of held nose and voted for the president. At the election the polls now suggest that people would prefer another alternative. And i think if the president hears that message hell understand that for a decisive number of americans, character rather than ideology is as important as actions and deeds. And that he will if he has the better angels of his nature, hich he has at times out strated like helping victims of hurricane harvey, his unity speech at 2 30 in the morning after mrs. Clinton called to concede, that President Trump could be somebody who unites americans. The President Trump who made the sorts of comments that out victims of hurricane harvey, his the last caller talked about is somebody who will find that him on s will judge character and will not give him the support that he wants. Host charl an on our independent line. Aller good morning. What i would like to do is i too think Ronald Reagan was a foresight d he had and he raised the Social Security tax and so that he ended up because he had the foresight to know that baby boomers were coming through, he made it solvent. Props for got the it. But actually it was Ronald Reagan that did it. And if you will remember, al gore ran on putting Social Security into a lock box. But then we got president bush to come along and use the money to fight two wars and give the tax break to the rich. My question is, is that with the republicans talk about anting to do away with or take the Social Security, why not put a dime, nickle, dollar every week into it . Wouldnt that make it solvent . Guest i think what Ronald Reagan did with Social Security states c, a magnificent manship. They worked out a deal that saved Social Security for 35 years. Nearing the end of it was not intended to last for a century. It was intended to last into this decade. We are at the expected end of the lifespan and i think americans want a Social Security program that gives them what they deserve, which is Retirement Income, secure income in their nearing the end retirement. Ded to last for a republican and a democrat did what reagan and oneal did which is come together and work for the interests of the company and crafted a similar deal, would find people in America Rising in applause. Both sides have to give. You cant have no benefits cuts because people are living longer and people have more Retirement Income than they did 35 years ago. But you cant have no tax hikes or changes either. Find people who did what Ronald Reagan and tip oneal, you will find people rising in applause. About the talking future of the Republican Party. You write in the book about a new Republican Party. Explain what this new Republican Party looks like and who would be the leader of it . Ronald reagan talked about that. He had a speech in 19 77 called the new Republican Party at a time in 19 77 only 20 of americans said they were republicans and Ronald Reagan t about they just less than a third in the house of representatives. A lot of people thought the party was going away. Said no were going to ake it a majority party. But the way was by making room for the working people in america, the cops, the farmers, the factory person. I think if you were talking today about the woman who is a cash shir and a waitress person. Ive never been to a medical office where there is a man in the front office. This is a classic pink collar job. I think if Ronald Reagan were talking today he would have added those people as well. Not just making room for them but putting them in the leadership position. Thats what reagan said the new Republican Party ought to be and what it can still be. Its not what it is. Its what it needs to be if it wants to be a majority party. Who would be the leader . People like senator tom cotton, nikki haley, marco rubio have talked in a way that suggests they might understand this. But i would say its the other way around. But the person who embodies that is the person who becomes the leader. Because its the demand from the people that creates the leader, not the supply persuading the people. Somebody meets the demand, they become the leader. I think the person who understands thats where republicans and independents want to go is the next leader. Host theres names you mentioned. Tom cotton, nikki haley, marco group. Thats a diverse much more diverse despite that autopsy report that took place in 2012 election. Do you think the Republican Party has a diversity issue . Much more diverse despite that host of course. I write about this in the book. A lot of the people in the Republican Party like to talk about gaps. They talk about the racial gap or the gender gap. They have an empathy gap that when the Republican Party shows that they are willing to use government in a limited but effective way, to help people overcome barriers in their life so they can get on with fulfilling their part of the dream, they will do away with all of these gaps and they will find that they will be more diverse. They will find that women will find them more attractive, drea away with all of these gaps and they will minorities. I should have mentioned senator tim scott from South Carolina as well. The reason they have a diversity problem is because they have an empathy problem. Deal with the root cause and you will get do away with the simple thomas of that disease. Caller how are you . Merry christmas. Happy holidays i should say. Guest Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Guest im a registered republican. I was a bernie supporter that abstained from voting. Im wondering how the people, people like me we work multiple jobs. Climate change is a thing. How does the party pull back that they dont believe in science and did you believing and tripling doub doubling own. It doesnt it doesnt appeal to people under 40. How would the party pull back from that . Guest i think what the needs to do is embrace a spirit of diversity and embrace the spirit of inclusiveness. If youre talking about evangelical, evangelicals are about a quarter of america. Right now, theyre afraid. A lot of them are afraid that things have changed so much and so quickly that theyre not going to have a place in American Life. I dont think anyone should put the demand of any needs to do i group on a pedestal and enforce those agendas. A theological agenda. But all americans deserve the right to liberty and the right to worship as they please. I think a Republican Party that focused on that aspect, the one that says youre americans, too, but recognizes the vast diverse opinion and allows for that to be expressed is a party that can appeal to both evangelicals and nonevangelical business making room for all in the party. Host calling from in on our democratic line. Good morning. Caller good morning. Im calling about reagan. You said reagan is for the working man. I remember when he fired the 35,000 Traffic Controllers. I remember when he cut the Interest Rate. We used to be able to deduct the Interest Rate on cars and credit cards. This is against the working man. He increased the deficit by 5. 6 but i tell you, i respect him as a decent man, a statesman. Not like the president we have right now who called mexicans rapists. I wonder if any other group, if he substitute to norweigian, how would you feel about that . Reagan, even though he was a wasnt working for them, for the working man, ill wait and hear your answer. Guest Ronald Reagan was a decent man and i said it earlier i wasnt working for them, for wish our current president would emulate Ronald Reagan in that respect. I think thats what americans crave. When the president does that, people begin to look at him more favorably. Somebody who is very concerned with ratings as he says, i wish ratings. Ook at those the reason the president fired the Traffic Controllers is they were breaking the law. One of the few unions that endorsed him, contributed to his campaign. But it was against the law for federal employees to strike. He warned them not to do it. They did it. He said come back to work. Im going to enforce the law. They wouldnt do it. They thought he would buckle and he felt he needed to enforce the law, that he would e seen as week as week. Would be seen that had ramifications, if you recall. Somebody who is put trade sanctions on japan to working class wages and jobs at a time when was our main trading competitor. Harley davidson looked like it of competition because of japanese competition. See a Harley Davidson motorcycle, thank worked eagan, he protecting american jobs and he it in ud and wrote about his autobiography. He did help most working class people in the united states. Ost you write in your book, you believe that reagans some misread o. P. Have president reagans brand of conservatism. You an excerpt, you said conservatives and republicans them a reagan had given cut ecutter formula, taxing, promote traditional maintain a strong defense, rather than a deep and to always use government to express their values. The current that Republican Party has lost its core philosophy . Yes, i do. I think there are a number of republicans who havent lost that, but i think all too auch you find a Republican Party that that ues to adopt cookiecutter formula and i republicans why a years to go back 85 the great depression, never been people said ore there were republicans. They win elections when they say so bad or risky we vote for republicans, but in their heart, they arent all republicans and democrats. Why . Because of that problem. And overcame it and he did share those values, but the one that inues to be adopts cookiecutter reagan, not ullreagan and until it adopts full reagan it will be fighting uphill and will be having to democrats and republicans and that is going to be a problem for the Republican Democratic eps the party alive. Ost that title for the next book. Guest full length. Host mark from corning, new morning. D caller good morning. First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone, and hope you are going to have a blessed day. I wanted to make a statement Republican Party and it looks to me as though it is eaded in the correct direction under leadership of donald j. Trump and i wanted to make a about the caller from georgia, who was talking about making falsified statements. Barack say that would be obama and also id like to say is the one whoma should have been impeached for unconstitutional things like the daca program. May, i wanted to close reagan made a ld very great statement, the statement he made was a country is a country that is no e under and there truer words ever spoken on this earth. Lord, praise god and thank you so much, jesus. Folks, thank ay, you. Guest thank you for those comments. Impeachment is something that should be done in the most for me cases, particularly offices, the president , i dont was that president obama level of impeachable offensives. He may have done things with daca, the courts rightly held up guilty nt think he was of impeachable offensives and i dont think the president has to found anywhere close being guilty of impeachable offensives. He may be found offensive offensives in terms of some statements, but as far as impeachment from office, that is constitutional risis, we should only do when someone is obviously guilty of something of serious importance man wasnt think either in that situation. Ost robert from wister, massachusetts, hi there. Caller good morning. When to start out with Ronald Reagan was governor of category, remember he had his went to ech, he and delphia, mississippi, brothers got killed. Lets get this straight. Down to s, they went the when you talk about young people down south, this is started, ald reagan from down south, evangelical politicians and your taxes. Why giving money to people doing us no good. Donald trump, he need psychological test. Naval base and have his brain checked, his body checked and everything checked, bad man is not hes a man for america. Hes a danger to our society and all, we need to teach sympathy class in grammar school. Thank you. Guest well, the president did not start n his career down south, he started in california. Political movement didnt start until the late left after he had already governorship. He governed in the legislature, worked axes in 1967, he with them in bipartisan way to a orm welfare, he was governor who understood how to rive agenda and how to work on consensus and i think that simplified his presidency and think would hing i be wise to emulate in washington today. Republican line michigan. Azoo, caller good morning. Host go ahead. Youre on. Politicians are not the problem. The people that vote for them re the problem and that includes me, and everybody else. Ll you have to do is listen to majority of the people that call in, they either have it ompletely wrong, from both parties, absolutely have no idea and why ey vote for they voted for the person. Theyre just a few things that and very few. One of them is abortion. Schools, things like that, Pay Attention to the lie, bothns, they both sides lie. One side lies as bad as the other and when they are not lying, they are telling half truths. We voted in, we wanted change, obama. D in nobody a lot of people didnt like obama. Wanted change again. We voted in trump. Likes trump. Americans dont want change, mealy mouth politicians and we have a problem. Guest i think the caller points out something that is really important truth, ultimately, we, the eople, decide where country goes. We are undecided and we leaders to do ct anything except reflect indecision and were engaged in National Conversation as to what sort of change we want to go in. It is difficult and risky. Ultimately, i think were going to prevail, American People are people. D smart we will eventually get to where e need to go and we will recover. Host john calling from cocomo, independent line. John, just a few seconds left. You get the last question. Go ahead. Caller weve got the democrats i believe ublicans, peaceful party. Guest donald trump is somebody ho id say he basically launched a hostile takeover of the Republican Party, hes philosophy in his and temperament and this gets back to one of the questions kimberly asked earlier, if i thought the president was a republican. He wasnt a republican, he was both dy who took on the parties and if we had a different system, he probably as an ave run independent. A lot to be said there. Somebody, when he has value and the command of the American People, it is when he s the peoples president and i do wish in his public commentary and in his public demeanor, he be more inclusive, i think he would find more people would want to follow him. Host all right, henry olsen, senior fellow at Public Policy center, author of working class republican, Ronald Reagan and he return of bluecollar conservatism, cspans washington journal, live every day. All this week at 8 00 a. M. We are hosting key authors. Coming up this morning, ken starr. He will join us from philadelphia. Also we will take up early look at election 2018. Journal, washington joined the discussion. Cspans studentcam. The tweets say it all. Video editing and spicing for constitutional documentaries. The script showed us how it is done. Hardhittingasked questions about Immigration Reform and the dream act. We are asking students to choose a provision of the u. S. Constitution and creative video illustrating why it is important. Our competition is open to all middle school and high school students, grade six through 12. 100,000 in cash price cash prizes will be rewarding. The deadline is january 18. Get contest details on our website. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed byhe
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