The debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, former presidents of the United States, took place in 1980 when Carter accused Reagan’s “Reagan-Kemp-Roth” proposal as the highly inflationary proposal ever presented in the history of the United States to the American public. This was the time in the United States when the country faced three major problems: high unemployment, issues in economic growth, and high inflation. President Reagan was mostly focused on cutting taxes and inflation while increasing military spending (CPD: October 28, 1980 Debate Transcript). On the other hand, President Carter argued about unemployment throughout the debate and focused on reducing oil usage and developing a new renewable energy resource for inflation management.
During the debate between both former US presidents, Carter presented data to demonstrate that the policies under his presidency were working effectively as the inflation rate in his leadership declined from 13.5% to 7% by the end of his leadership in 1980 (CPD: October 28, 1980 Debate Transcript). Reagan, however, refuted Carter’s claim and presented data in evidence that showed Carter’s administration was focusing only on the symptoms of inflation instead of addressing the root causes of inflation. He claimed that Carter’s poor policies about inflation management resulted in massive government spending and national debt. Despite criticism, it is noteworthy that Carter’s tighter policies for inflation management in the country reduced inflation to a great extent. On the contrary, Reagan’s administration aimed to stimulate the economy through cutting taxes, but he did not provide specific data or evidence to support his claim.
In a nutshell, Carter’s policies to reduce inflation by creating new jobs to cope with the issue of unemployment and increasing the nation’s productivity proved to be the compelling argument that decreased inflation rates significantly. President Reagan’s counterpoint to eliminate poverty and inflation through cutting taxes and spending on the military did not prove to be a success. Although the data presented by Reagan to address national debt and high government spending under Carter’s leadership was accurate, Reagan’s proposal to balance the budget and inflation rate was less successful and compelling than Jimmy Carter’s. Even though both presidents faced a lot of things and implemented a range of initiatives for inflation management and reducing unemployment in the country, President Carter’s policies did a lot better than President Reagan’s and envisioned a more active role for the government.
Works Cited
CPD: October 28, 1980 Debate Transcript. https://www.debates.org/voter-education/debate-transcripts/october-28-1980-debate-transcript/.
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