Now, they dismiss his distinguished Navy combat record to claim that he isn't a war hero. McCain's broad, and growing, national support is similar to that of our last two-term Republican president, Ronald Reagan. Let's not forget that whoever wins the Republican nomination this summer will have to capture significant numbers of non-Republican voters to ultimately prevail in November. A conservative war hero by the name of McCain. Were it not for the fact that this is the year of the presidential elections, this subject might better be left for historians.
Many factors influence one's choice of a candidate.
In the case of Reagan, his personal appeal may have provided a major advantage over his opponents. Apart from that, the candidates' economic programs are important criteria for many voters who look below the surface. This year, notwithstanding the enormous changes in the last 20 years, one candidate proposes a program that closely parallels that of Reagan, who won in 1980. We need the assumed income into the U.S. Treasury, year by year, estimated by Congress and by the president, and the actual receipts. Since the government has been using Social Security to mask its deficits, the percentage of the income from FICA taxes should be included.