Laffer Associates Game On [Updated 7/6/2016] In fact, the whole group of us received virtually no support from the Republican Party or the Party’s elders. It wasn’t until Reagan had finally defeated George Bush, along with John Connally, Howard Baker, Phil Crane, Bob Dole and John Anderson in the primary race, that there was any attempt to be conciliatory to Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign by the Republican powers that were. Even Barry Goldwater, whose career owed so much to Ronald Reagan, was cool at best to a Reagan presidency. | remember one post-Bush-defeat meeting of our committee when we had already secured the nomination and George Herbert Walker Bush sat next to me and lightly apologized for referring to me as the “Voo-Doo Economist.” In truth, | had sort of enjoyed the handle, and told H.W. Bush that | was delighted he finally had come to join us because | needed some fellow Yalies to up the quality of our group. He laughed. Things had been so vitriolic and bad during the primary campaign that a number of Republicans couldn’t in clear conscience support Ronald Reagan at all and others could only support him in name only. And one of the primary contestants, John Anderson, Republican Congressman from Illinois, was so offended by Ronald Reagan’s nomination that he decided to run as an independent in the general election, which he did. While, in hindsight, John Anderson’s decision may now seem like a non- event, it sure wasn’t seen as a frivolous gesture back then. Ronald Reagan looked like a sure loser with both a moderate Republican opponent and a sitting Democratic President, with all the privilege, prestige and power that the Office of the President holds. At the convention in Detroit City, | testified before the platform committee on what | thought Reaganomics would be—which was lots of fun. But, the real drama occurred when it came time to select Ronald Reagan’s running mate. Showing no signs of remorse or respect for the primary voters, the Party’s