Name This Presidential Candidate

Although criticized for his behavior during the McCarthy-led witch hunts, candidate X aroused admiration at home and abroad for his unwavering faith in American democracy. A wealthy, strongly pro-business candidate, X was chosen President after besting his rival in televised campaign debates in which he promised to end the nation's economic slump and pursue a more aggressive line with Moscow once elected. A career-long anti-Communist, X implemented an aggressively anti-Communist foreign policy, warning often of the U.S.S.R.'s monolithic and ruthless conspiracy to take over the world. He was obsessed with the need to overthrow the government of _________ in Latin America, which he denounced as a Soviet proxy. To avoid the spread of such Communist states he strongly backed military dictatorships throughout Latin America. He supplied U.S. military advisers to __________, and enthusiastically supported their efforts to destroy popular organizations and terrorize the population into submission. To mobilize budgetary support for his military adventurism, President X warned the public and the Congress that the Soviet Union had a huge advantage in _________, which could only be successfully defended against via a massive increase in the Pentagon budget. On domestic policy, X advised budgetary restraint on social programs and a tax cut for business, which he argued would stimulate economic growth and ultimately benefit all Americans.


Who is it?



It's Ronald Reagan . . . . and John Kennedy. JFK was obsessed with overthrowing Cuba, Reagan with Nicaragua. Kennedy carried out brutal counterinsurgency operations in Vietnam, Reagan in El Salvador. Kennedy said the U.S. was way behind Moscow in intercontinental ballistic missiles, Reagan said the same vis-a-vis a missile defense shield, i.e., Star Wars. Both Reagan and Kennedy believed in trickle down mythology, advocating tax cuts to big business as a way to enrich everyone.

In short, a liberal icon and a conservative icon carried out nearly identical policies based on nearly identical ideological justifications.

Memo to voters: Ruling elites win every election before any votes are cast.