(On the Commons) — People took note when Ronald Reagan, a presidential candidate in 1980, asked “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” That question got people’s attention and is still often quoted today. Some say, it’s this question which won Reagan the presidency.
Now with election season fast approaching, it may be time to consider some new questions. I raise this issue because of concerns I have about Reagan’s question and people’s response to it. What bothers me about this question is the focus on “you” in the individual versus collective sense. Reagan could have asked, “Are we better off now than we were four years ago?” – but he didn’t.
Many people seem to think and vote primarily in relation to how an issue, event, trend, or proposed policy impacts them individually. Reagan’s version of the question is in line with this type of thinking, and it resonated with many people in the US.
