"Read my lips: no new taxes." These were the famous words former President George HW Bush uttered at the 1988 Republican National Convention, reflecting a prevailing conservative ideology favoring low taxes and smaller government. Bush's words were politically popular after years of tax cuts and economic growth under the Reagan administration, and they undoubtedly helped him win the 1988 election.
However, as the title of this blog post suggests, George HW Bush's lips may have said he was an ideological conservative in favor of low taxes, but his actions indicated that he was an ideological shirker. In 1990, the economy was receding and there were rising political pressures in Congress, leading to an amendment of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget Act that raised multiple taxes. While most Americans believed that some tax increases were necessary due to the state of the economy, there was a loss of trust in Bush that led to his 1992 election defeat.
While on the campaign trail, Bush tried to atone for his shirking by apologizing, but to no avail. Bill Clinton would become the next president of the United States, making Bush a one-term president. The case of George HW Bush exemplifies the consequences of ideological shirking. Shirkers don't just lie; they also lose.
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