Customer Reviews

Revolution

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Anderson was present at the creation of the Reagan administration. He was one of the individuals who helped Reagan persuade others within government of the benefits associated with Reaganomics. He was one of the people who helped show how tax cuts work, and why doing them is good for all. This is supported with evidence, not ideology within the book. Anderson also does a good job a dissecting the problems inherent in Reagan's management style. The book also sheds some light into the personalities that inhabited the West Wing as well. This book is not a simple memoir in which the author explains only that which made him someone to be looked up to, rather it is a sober work in which one recounts the mistakes and good decisions he made.

Martin Anderson was the chief adviser on domestic and economic policy for Ronald Reagan, from the 1980 campaign through the first few pivotal years of his administration. In Revolution, Anderson gives an interesting inside look at the formulation of policy during the campaign, the critical transition period between election and inauguration, and the implementation of the Reagan policies.

Many of the myths surrounding Reaganomics are refuted with actual documentation from the era. For example, the idea that Reagan projected that tax revenues would immediately increase after his tax cuts is disproved using the actual budget projections that Reagan delivered to Congress. The myth that Reagan deliberately ran deficits to deter further spending is similarly punctured.

Anderson gives personal insight into how Reagan thought and worked, how he prepared for debates and spoke in public, and how he consulted policy advisers in the White House. Any reader will conclude the book with increased admiration for Reagan as a policy leader, not just as a public figure and communicator. For example, the idea of defense against ICBM attacks (the Strategic Defense Initiative) was a personal passion of Reagan's since the 1976 campaign. The reader will also have much greater knowledge of how the executive branch actually works.

However, the book is not hagiography. Anderson reveals the tragic flaw in Reagan's modus operandi. Every president must delegate extensively, and Reagan certainly did more than his share. As a result, those whom he trusted (notably William Casey) became rogue policy operatives, leading to the Iran-Contra scandal that paralyzed the administration for its final two years. The inside info on this operation is easily worth the price of the book.

For understanding the Reagan era, this book is indispensable.