With the toastmaster’s language that was his trademark, he argued in 1976 that Republicans kept losing elections because Democrats forced them to “embrace the role of Scrooge,” while Democrats played the role of Santa Claus. “The first rule of successful politics,” he wrote, “is Never Shoot Santa Claus.” Democrats had claimed an identity as the party that generously offered benefits and security, leaving Republicans the responsibility of announcing which taxes they would raise to keep the budget balanced. Wanniski was alerting Republicans who stood behind the Reagan revolution that they could
...more
