1. Susan Dentzer et al., "A Budget for the Election," Newsweek, February 13, 1984 pp. 67-68. [BACK]

2. Juan Williams, "Reagan Defends Plan To Live With Deficit, Without Tax Increase," Washington Post, January 22, 1984, p. A4. [BACK]

3. T. R. Reid and Juan Williams, "Democrats Considering Veto Right," Washington Post, January 28, 1984, pp. A1, A8. [BACK]

4. Eloise Salholz, "Periscope," Newsweek, March 5, 1984, p. 19. [BACK]

5. Walter Shapiro et al., "The Deficit: Out of Control?" Newsweek, December 12, 1983, pp. 36-38. [BACK]

6. George J. Church, "Reagan Gets Ready," Time, January 23, 1984, pp. 10-11. [BACK]

7. Jane Seabury and Martha M. Hamilton, "'85 Budget To Include Tax Plan," Washington Post, December 13, 1983, pp. A1, A8. [BACK]

8. Stockman, Triumph of Politics, p. 374; other such quotes following are from this source. [BACK]

9. Ibid. [BACK]

10. Shapiro et al., "The Deficit: Out of Control?" [BACK]

11. On the Grace Commission, see Steve Kelman, "The Grace Commission: How Much Waste in Government?" The Public Interest, No. 78 (Winter 1985), pp. 62-82. Most experienced analysts concluded that the Grace Commission revealed that at least one group of private sector experts knew little about government. For Reagan on entitlements, see interview with Lou Cannon, David Hoffman, and Juan Williams, Washington Post, January 22, 1984, p. A9. [BACK]

12. T. R. Reid and Margaret Shapiro, "Reagan Hails Recovery, Pledges Peace Efforts: Wary Response By Democrats," Washington Post, January 26, 1984, pp. A1, A17. [BACK]

13. Dick Kirschten, "Blueprint for a Campaign," National Journal, February 4, 1984, pp. 215-18. [BACK]

14. Dentzer et al., "A Budget for the Election." [BACK]

15. Text of President Reagan's State of the Union address, Washington Post, January 26, 1984, pp. A16-17. [BACK]

16. Kirschten, "Blueprint for a Campaign." [BACK]

17. Helen Dewar, "Reagan Seeks Talks, Vetoes, Tax Changes In Attacking Deficits," Washington Post, January 26, 1984, p. A15; Kirschten, "Blueprint for a Campaign." [BACK]

18. Congressional Quarterly Almanac 1984, Vol. 40 (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc., 1985), p. 131 (hereafter CQA 1984). [BACK]

19. Stockman, Triumph of Politics, p. 375. [BACK]

20. Peter W. Bernstein, "David Stockman: No More Big Budget Cuts," Fortune, February 6, 1984, pp. 53-56. [BACK]

21. For the politics of the analysis, see Timothy B. Clark, "Stiff Tax Hikes Will be Key to Future Efforts to Close the Budget Deficit," National Journal, April 21, 1984, pp. 752-57. [BACK]

22. Susan Tifft, "Playing For Time," Time, February 13, 1984, pp. 10-13. [BACK]

23. CQA 1984, p. 131. [BACK]

24. See John M. Berry, "Bush Denies Staff Disarray Over Deficits," Washington Post, February 6, 1984, p. A1. [BACK]

25. Reid and Shapiro, "Reagan Hails Recovery, Pledges Peace Efforts." [BACK]

26. Reid and Williams, "Democrats Considering Veto Right." [BACK]

27. Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, "Some See Budget Gap Shrinking," Wall Street Journal, February 14, 1984, p. 56. [BACK]

28. CQA 1984, p. 149. [BACK]

29. David Hoffman, "Reagan, GOP Senators Converging on Budgets," Washington Post, March 10, 1984, p. A8. [BACK]

30. Helen Dewar, "New Deficit Measures Would Lose Revenue," Washington Post, March 15, 1984, pp. B1, B4. [BACK]

31. As always, there were technical questions. Some proponents of the plan claimed defense growth would be only 5.1 percent, using the FY84 budget resolution defense total as the baseline instead of actual appropriated spending. See "Glimmers of Hope on the Deficit," Business Week, April 2, 1984, pp. 26-27. [BACK]

32. Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, "GOP's Deficit Plan Faces Hurdles in the Senate but Is Likely to Win," Wall Street Journal, March 29, 1984, p. 2A. [BACK]

33. Martha M. Hamilton and Helen Dewar, "Cutting the Budget Not as Easy as It Sounds," Washington Post, February 28, 1984, p. A15. [BACK]

34. Helen Dewar, "Senate Democrats Propose Budget Deferring Income Tax Indexing," Washington Post, March 23, 1984, p. A3. [BACK]

35. CQA 1984, p. 156. [BACK]

36. Details can be found in CQA 1984, pp. 155-56. [BACK]

37. Richard E. Cohen and Timothy B. Clark, "Congress Is Trying to Convince the Voters It Is Really Worried About the Deficit," National Journal, April 21, 1984, pp. 758-62. [BACK]

38. Helen Dewar, "House Votes Plan to Reduce Deficit By $182 Billion," Washington Post, April 6, 1984, pp. A1, A9. [BACK]

39. CQA 1984, p. 156. [BACK]

40. See Dewar, "House Votes Plan to Reduce Deficit"; CQA 1984, pp. 155-56; Cohen and Clark, "Congress Is Trying to Convince the Voters." [BACK]

41. "What Bob Dole's Tax Bill Would Cost Business," Business Week, April 9, 1984, p. 29. [BACK]

42. Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, "Panel Completes Plan to Cut Deficit, Setting Stage for Debate on House Floor," Wall Street Journal, March 29, 1984, p. 2. [BACK]

43. Federal Budget Report, April 2, 1984 (a bimonthly report published by Pasha Publications Inc., Arlington, Virginia). [BACK]

44. Melinda Beck et al., "Deficit Politics: An Election-Year Frenzy," Newsweek, April 16, 1984, pp. 31-32. [BACK]

45. Cohen and Clark, "Congress Is Trying to Convince the Voters." [BACK]

46. Beck et al., "Deficit Politics." [BACK]

47. Cohen and Clark, "Congress Is Trying to Convince the Voters." [BACK]

48. Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kan.), Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Dela.), Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), and Max Baucus (D-Mont.), "Freeze Everything," Washington Post, April 27, 1984, p. A23. [BACK]

49. Cohen and Clark, "Congress Is Trying to Convince the Voters." [BACK]

50. Ibid. [BACK]

51. Ibid.; CQA 1984, pp. 156-57. [BACK]

52. Dale Tate, "Part of Deficit-Reduction Package Effort to Pass Spending Cuts Off to Torpid Start in Senate," Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, April 28, 1984, p. 951. [BACK]

53. Helen Dewar, "Senate Nears Showdown on Proposal to Freeze Federal Outlays for Year," Washington Post, May 2, 1984, p. A3. [BACK]

54. Dale Tate, "Two Alternatives Defeated: Senate Poised for Showdown on GOP Deficit-Cutting Plan," Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, May 5, 1984, p. 1005. [BACK]

55. CQA 1984, p. 152. [BACK]

56. "GOP Moderates Key to Deficit-Cutting Plan," Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, May 19, 1984, p. 1164. [BACK]

57. CQA 1984, p. 158. [BACK]

58. Ibid., p. 165. [BACK]

59. Martha M. Hamilton, "Conferees Continue Standoff on Spending Reductions," Washington Post, June 15, 1984, p. A5. [BACK]

60. Federal Budget Report, June 25, 1984. [BACK]

61. Hamilton, "Conferees Continue Standoff." [BACK]

62. George J. Church, "Slowing the Surge of Red Ink," Time, July 9, 1984, pp. 20-21. [BACK]

63. DEFRA details are from CQA 1984, pp. 145-47. In February 1985, CBO estimated the extra DEFRA revenues at $9 billion in FY85, $16 billion in FY86, $22 billion in FY87, rising to $30 billion in FY90. Congressional Budget Office, The Economic and Budget Outlook: Fiscal Years 1986-1990, A report to the Senate and House Committees on the Budget—Part 1, February 1985 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office), Table D-3, p. 154. [BACK]

64. Linda E. Demkovich, "For Poor and Elderly, Congress's Cuts In Health Budgets Have Silver Lining," National Journal, July 7, 1984, pp. 1309-11. [BACK]

65. This account is from ibid.; CQA 1984, pp. 147-49; Martha M. Hamilton, "Hill Conferees Agree to Trim $11 Billion," Washington Post, June 22, 1984, p. A3; Hamilton, "Conferees Strive for Accord on Taxes, Spending," Washington Post, June 23, 1984, p. A1; Hamilton, "Conferees Vote $61 Billion in Deficit Reductions," Washington Post, June 24, 1984, p. A1; and interviews. [BACK]

66. CQA 1984, p. 155. [BACK]

67. Helen Dewar, "Senator Stevens Says Administration Can Expect Defense Rise of 5%," Washington Post, August 4, 1984, p. A3. [BACK]

68. CQA 1984, pp. 158-60; Helen Dewar, "Accord Ends Hill Logjam on Defense Funds," Washington Post, September 21, 1984, pp. A1, A6. [BACK]

69. Helen Dewar, "House Vote Adds Crime Package to Spending Bill," Washington Post, September 26, 1984, pp. A1, A4. [BACK]

70. Helen Dewar, "Senate Votes to End Rights Debate," Washington Post, September 30, 1984, pp. A1, A14. [BACK]

71. See CQA 1984, p. 446; Helen Dewar, "Fractious Legislators Stall Action on Rights Spending Bills," Washington Post, September 22, 1984, p. A4; Dewar, "House Vote Adds Crime Package"; Dewar, "Senate Votes to End Rights Debate"; Helen Dewar and Margaret Shapiro, "Hill Votes Stopgap Funds Bill," Washington Post, October 2, 1984, pp. A1, A4; Helen Dewar, "Rights Bill is Shelved In Senate," Washington Post, October 3, 1984, pp. A1, A4; Helen Dewar, "Federal Shutdown Readied as Senate Works on Funding," Washington Post, October 4, 1984, pp. A1, A4. [BACK]

72. David Hoffman and Keith B. Richbury, "Government Shut Down By Reagan," Washington Post, October 5, 1984, pp. A1, A14. [BACK]

73. The big crime bill, supported by both Senator Thurmond and Senator Kennedy—which is another story—was not in dispute. [BACK]

74. Helen Dewar, "Deadlock Continues on the Hill," Washington Post, October 10, 1984, pp. A1, A12. [BACK]

75. Helen Dewar, "Conferees Approve '85 Funds," Washington Post, October 11, 1984, pp. A1, A4; Helen Dewar and Margaret Shapiro, "Congress Finishing Session," Washington Post, October 12, 1984, pp. A1, A4. [BACK]

76. See CQA 1984, pp. 421-25. [BACK]

77. CQA 1984, p. 167; Helen Dewar, "51 Senators Press Measure For Trial of Line-Item Veto," Washington Post, September 27, 1984, p. A6. [BACK]

78. Helen Dewar, "With Eyes on Deficits, GOP Starts New Drive To Amend Constitution," Washington Post, August 2, 1984, p. A3; Helen Dewar, "Balanced-Budget Proposal Suffers Pair of Setbacks," Washington Post, September 14, 1984, pp. A1, A7; Kevin Klose, "Michigan Lawmaker Stalls Budget-Amendment Drive," Washington Post, September 14, 1984, p. A7. [BACK]

79. David Hoffman and Ward Sinclair, "Reagan, On Eve of Midwest Trip, Unveils Farm Aid," Washington Post, September 19, 1984, pp. A1, A8. [BACK]