I was informed yesterday morning that Nevada Democrat Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce invoked Ronald Reagan’s name in a “Nevada Newsmakers” interview this week by claiming that Reagan, when governor of California in 1967, broke the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and raised taxes.
One minor detail: The Taxpayer Protection Pledge wasn’t even “invented” until 1986. Nevertheless, I thought it interesting that a liberal Democrat like Pierce would try to use anti-tax champion Ronald Reagan to defend her support for raising taxes.
And then…
I received an email later in the afternoon from our friend Tom Jenney which included the following:
“The Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP Arizona) today criticized (Arizona Democrat) Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to raise state taxes by a billion dollars, saying that a recession is the worst time to take more money away from struggling families and businesses. In response to Brewer’s invocation of Ronald Reagan’s 1967 decision to raise taxes, when he was governor of California, Jenney responded, ‘Reagan didn’t raise taxes during a recession. Herbert Hoover did that. So did George H.W. Bush.’”
OK, Democrat Pierce trotting out the ‘67 Reagan tax hike was one thing. But that Democrat Brewer in neighboring Arizona pulling the same PR stunt? Sorry, I don’t believe in coincidences. Bet your bottom dollar the Democrats have distributed talking points to all of their people urging them to use the conservative icon as a shield against criticisms of tax hikes.
I’m guessing we’re gonna hear a lot more Democrats invoking the Gipper’s name and that ’67 tax hike over the next several weeks.
