Tale of the tape

To the editor:

My letter detailing how the last four Republican presidents (Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43 and Trump 45) have failed the American people, with few consequences at the ballot box due to GOP political skills, is his latest attempt. Nat Weiner writes “Blame “bad” Republicans — some long deceased — from decades past, style, social media, the Curse of the Bambino” to blunt my arguments (“Postmortem,” Letters, The Chief, Jan. 31).

Well, I wasn’t around when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, but I was here when 12 years of Reaganomics cratered the economy and Clinton repaired the damage. I also recall Bush 43 causing even more economic damage, leaving Obama to clean up the mess. And today’s voters should still remember the state of the American economy in 2020, when Trump became only the second president to leave office with fewer jobs than when he entered. 

Weiner cites three “core voter concerns per opinion polls: the border, inflation, Gaza” that sank Harris’ run. So what were Trump’s substantive policy proposals? The border — deportation. Yet, the Biden/Harris Administration deported over twice as many undocumented immigrants as did Trump 45 (4,677,540 vs 2,001,290). Inflation   — “drill baby, drill.” Again, Biden/Harris out-drilled Trump 45 by 1.2 million barrels per day, every day. Gaza — Trump offered no policy, only saying Israel must “finish the problem.” Zero policy, plenty of political spin.

What is beyond my understanding is how any Republican has won after Nixon (whom I also remember). Forty-four years of unchallenged supply-side, Republican economic policy has decimated the middle class, stagnated wages, deepened wealth inequality and ballooned U.S. debt from $998 billion to $36 trillion. That is the substance Republicans have delivered.  

But, they did it in style; telling workers it’s the “takers,” “welfare queens” and “illegals” causing your problems.

Joseph Cannisi