Ronald Reagan listed the 1981 and 1986 tax laws as the two biggest economic policy achievements of his presidency, yet both were achieved by bipartisan majorities at a time of deep partisan division. This symposium, conducted under the auspices of the Jack Kemp Oral History Project, illuminated the recollections and reflections of those who were key to these landmark legislative initiatives. The inside story behind the enactment of these laws provide valuable lessons for today.

Morton Kondracke, director of the Jack Kemp Oral History Project, led the discussions. Russell L. Riley, co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program, served as host. The symposium took place on April 18, 2011.

Panel 1: Jack Kemp and the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981

Panelists:

• Bruce Bartlett, Kemp’s staff economist (1976–77) during development of Kemp-Roth I, who showed existence of the Laffer Curve in IRS statistics
• Hon. Bill Brock, former Tennessee senator and chairman of the RNC (1977–81), who made Kemp-Roth GOP policy beginning in the 1978 congressional elections
• Randy Teague, Kemp’s chief of staff when Kemp-Roth I was developed
• John Mueller, Kemp’s speechwriter and staff economist (1979–88), who added inflation indexing to Kemp-Roth II

Moderators:

• Morton Kondracke, director of the Jack Kemp Oral History Project
• Brian Domitrovic, author of Econoclast

Keynote Interview

Hon. Bill Bradley, former U.S. Senator (D-NJ), managing director of Allen & Company, and host of "American Voices"

Panel 2: Jack Kemp and the Tax Reform Act of 1986

Panelists:

• Hon. Robert Kasten, former senator from WI, co-sponsored Kemp-Kasten plan introduced in 1984, the Republican Party’s prototype for the 1986 tax reform
• John Mueller, drafted Kemp-Kasten plan
• Jeff Bell, Reagan aide (1974–76), served key roles in 1986 reform (as deputy chairman of Citizens for America, 1985–86) and 1988 Kemp presidential campaign
• Dave Hoppe, Kemp’s chief of staff (1985–88) when Kemp had to overcome resistance within GOP on tax reform
• Alan Reynolds, member of Laffer-Kemp circle and bank economist who later worked for Jude Wanniski at Polyconomics, Inc.

Moderators:

• Morton Kondracke, director of the Jack Kemp Oral History Project
• Alan Murray, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal