One of my Conservative heroes, Jack Kemp, died yesterday. Kemp was a Republican congressman from 1971 to 1989, and played an important role in the Reagan years. He was in George H W Bush's cabinet as Housing Secretary and was Bob Dole's running mate in 1996, having unsuccessfully run for President in 1988. He was a powerful advocate of a low tax, supply side economic policy and was rather unusual for a politician in that he had been a professional footballer (American style!) before entering politics. He became known as a "bleeding heart conservative" in part because he believed in Big Tent Republicanism.Kemp first rose to national prominence in 1981 as the co-author of the Kemp-Roth Tax Cuts, based on the Laffer Curve theory. George Bush called it "Voodoo economics".
Jack Kemp died yesterday, at the age of 73, following a four month battle with cancer.
More on the Huffington Post, American Spectator, The Corner, LA Times.
7 comments:
Technically it was voodoo economics because Reagan said he could cut the deficit and simultaneously reduce taxes. But the dollar was and still is the world's reserve currency, so they can get away with it
"Voodoo economics" works well!
What does not work well is "Defeatist Economics" which Labour have embarked upon!
Where is the British Jack Kemp when we need one to champion lower taxes and creating incentives to create real wealth generating economic growth?
Labour have presided over the biggest Bubble and redistrubution via punative taxation there has ever been. It has not been redistrubuted to the Poor but Labour's claient state in the Public sector, Labour Businessmen and heavily Unionised industry.
The UK needs someone like Jack Kamp to advocate a new taxation system that will enable a real economic future instead of the short-term housing bubble and equity release model and all the fair weather industry it creates.
as made famous in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'..
'Save Ferris !'
We still aren't getting your take on Barack Obama, Mr Dale.
In fact there is a deafening silence, given that our politics is more to the left than the Americans, so David Cameron's new model Tory Party should align very well with the centrist liberal values of Barack Obama which are taking over the world at the mo..
BHO is very pragmatic and not a loony lefty, so why not give your take on his politics ? I mean it is not as if you are endorsing Dan Hannan's 'slash the NHS message' which is so appealing to the neo conservative talks shows in the USA..
How closely have you followed Kemp? It seems unlikely anyone could serve at HUD and emerge unsullied.
BHO is very pragmatic and not a loony leftyMaybe not by UK standards . .
He was a bleeding heart libertarian.
This letter by Kemp to his grandchildren about the November Election is very moving.
http://www.kemppartners.com/about-jack-kemp/column/a-letter-to-my-grandchildren/
"When President-elect Obama quoted Abraham Lincoln on the night of his election, he was acknowledging the transcendent qualities of vision and leadership that are always present, but often overlooked and neglected by pettiness, partisanship and petulance. As president, I believe Barack Obama can help lift us out of a narrow view of America into the ultimate vision of an America where, if you're born to be a mezzo-soprano or a master carpenter, nothing stands in your way of realizing your God-given potential.
Both Obama in his Chicago speech, and McCain in his marvelous concession speech, rose to this historic occasion by celebrating the things that unite us irrespective of our political party, our race or our socio-economic background.
My advice for you all is to understand that unity for our nation doesn't require uniformity or unanimity; it does require putting the good of our people ahead of what's good for mere political or personal advantage."
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