First published 2006
Economist Bruce Bartlett arrived at the Bush White House as a true believer. He had helped Ronald Reagan revolutionize conservative economics and came ready to do the same for the new president. Bartlett even helped design Bush's signature tax cuts. But what he witnessed inside the administration shattered his faith. Bush claimed Reagan's mantle while governing in completely opposite ways. Where Reagan paired tax cuts with spending restraint, Bush slashed taxes while expanding government programs. The president created the largest new Medicare entitlement in decades and allowed federal spending to spiral out of control. Bartlett watched Bush use coercive tactics to force policies through Congress and employ a corrupted decision making process that ignored economic reality. The final break came with the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination. Now Bartlett exposes how Bush betrayed conservative principles and predicts the economic crisis these policies will create. He argues that Bush governs like a desperate politician buying votes rather than a principled leader, and warns that massive tax increases will soon be required to fix the damage.
Genres: biography, business, american, economics, 21st-century, government, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: disillusionment, insider-perspective, political-betrayal
Setting: Bush White House
Period: 21st Century
320 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday