An American Renaissance; A Strategy for the 1980's

New York, NY: Berkley Books, October 1986. Berkley Special Markets Edition [stated]. Presumed first printing. Mass market paperback. Good. [10[, 179, [3] pages. Index. Some discoloration to pages Signed with sentiment by the author inside the front cover. Signature reads Best Wishes--Jack Kemp. Includes Acknowledgments and Index, as well as chapters on A Republican Revolution, A Rising Tide Lifts all Boats; Barriers to Opportunity; First Things First: The Tax Strategy; The Safety Net and Government Spending; Ending Inflation, Now; Plenty of Energy; Exporting the American Idea; Strategy for Defense; and an American Renaissance. Also includes an Index. This was called on the front cover "The Brilliant Young Congressman's Plan for a Return to Prosperity". This is a book was a selection of the Conservative Book Club. It's focus is on the American renaissance, and the revival--already under way--of a strong, prosperous, proud America. This is a book of optimism. Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 - May 2, 2009) was an American politician and a professional player in both American football and Canadian football. A member of the Republican Party from New York, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1989. He was the Republican Party's nominee for Vice President in the 1996 election, where he was the running mate of presidential nominee Bob Dole. Kemp had previously contended for the presidential nomination in the 1988 Republican primaries. Before entering politics, Kemp was a professional quarterback for 13 years. He played briefly in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL), but became a star in the American Football League (AFL). He served as captain of both the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills and earned the AFL Most Valuable Player award in 1965 after leading the Bills to a second consecutive championship. He played in the AFL for all 10 years of its existence, appeared in its All-Star game seven times, played in its championship game five times, and set many of the league's career passing records. Kemp also co-founded the AFL Players Association, for which he served five terms as president. During the early part of his football career, he served in the United States Army Reserve. As an economic conservative, Kemp advocated low taxes and supply-side policies during his political career. His positions spanned the social spectrum, ranging from his conservative opposition to abortion to his more libertarian stances advocating immigration reform. As a proponent of both Chicago school and supply-side economics, he is notable as an influence upon the Reagan agenda and the architect of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which is known as the Kemp-Roth tax cut. After his days in political office, Kemp remained active as a political advocate and commentator; he served on corporate and nonprofit organization boards. He also authored, co-authored, and edited several books. He promoted American football and advocated for retired professional football players. Kemp was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Barack Obama. Derived from a Kirkus review: Congressman Jack Kemp is remarkably generous to his opponents, critical of his allies, and unbelligerent about his opinions. The co-sponsor of legislation calling for a massive tax cut, Kemp argues that without additional incentives neither businessmen nor workers will provide the real economic ""growth"" which he sees as the key to the "American dream." While he concedes the necessity of having a "party of redistribution"--the Democrats--he insists that we must also have a "party of growth" and that the Republicans have abandoned this traditional role for a stance of imitation and obstruction. Kemp's prescription--eventually a 25 percent maximum income tax, no capital gains tax, and sharply reduced gift and estate taxes--is good for whatever ails you: inflation "would be stopped dead in its tracks," the dollar would be saved, unemployment would vanish, productivity would rise, and the quality of movies and television would improve. Kemp's notions derive credibility from his common-sense view that we overestimated American capabilities in the past and are underestimating them now. Kemp reports, for example, that the Kennedy tax cut (his chief precedent) resulted in the absorption of 1.3 million new workers between 1963 and 1968. True enough. Perhaps the Vietnam-War stimulus, plus the absorptive effect of the draft and rising college enrollment, should also be considered. The amiable ex-quarterback engages political issues with more flexibility and less stridency than many other conservatives, and so provides a strategy for developing new policies and for attracting new Republicans.