Bruce Bartlett facts for kids

Bruce Reeves Bartlett (born October 11, 1951) is an American historian and author. He has worked as an adviser for important government leaders. For example, he advised Ronald Reagan on domestic policy. He also worked for the Treasury Department when George H. W. Bush was president.

Mr. Bartlett has written many books and articles. Some of his writings have criticized the economic policies of the George W. Bush administration. He believes these policies were different from traditional conservative ideas.

Bruce Bartlett's Early Life and Education

Bruce Bartlett was born on October 11, 1951, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His parents were Marjorie (Stern) and Frank Bartlett. He went to Rutgers University and earned a bachelor's degree in 1973. Later, he studied at Georgetown University, where he received a master's degree in 1976.

At Georgetown, he wrote his master's thesis about the Pearl Harbor attack. This work was later published as a book called Coverup: The Politics of Pearl Harbor, 1941–1946.

Bruce Bartlett's Political Career

In 1976, Bruce Bartlett started working for U.S. Congressman Ron Paul. After that, in 1977, he joined the staff of U.S. Congressman Jack Kemp as an economist. He focused a lot on tax issues. He helped create the Kemp-Roth tax bill. This bill became the basis for Ronald Reagan's tax cuts in 1981.

In 1981, Mr. Bartlett's book, Reaganomics: Supply-Side Economics in Action, was published. He also helped edit another book called The Supply-Side Solution.

Working for the Reagan Administration

In 1981, Bruce Bartlett became the deputy director of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. This committee was very active in supporting Ronald Reagan's economic plans. In 1983, he became the executive director of the committee.

Later, in 1985, he became a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation. There, he focused on tax policy and was involved in discussions about the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

Working for the George H. W. Bush Administration

In 1987, Bruce Bartlett worked as a senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Policy Development. In 1988, he moved to the Treasury Department. He served as the deputy assistant secretary for economic policy until the end of the George H. W. Bush administration.

After his government service, Mr. Bartlett worked at the Cato Institute for a short time in 1993. From 1993 to 2005, he was part of the National Center for Policy Analysis. This was a research group focused on free-market ideas. Since 1995, he has written columns for newspapers and magazines. His articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Los Angeles Times.

Bruce Bartlett's Political Views

Views on George W. Bush's Economic Policies

In 2005, Bruce Bartlett was let go from the National Center for Policy Analysis. This happened because he criticized President George W. Bush.

In 2006, he published a book called Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy. In this book, he criticized George W. Bush's economic policies. He argued that they moved away from traditional conservative ideas. He compared Bush to Richard M. Nixon, saying both presidents passed liberal programs to gain votes.

In his 2009 book, The New American Economy: The Failure of Reaganomics and a New Way Forward, Mr. Bartlett discussed Keynesian economic policies. He suggested that while "supply-side economics" was right for the 1970s and 1980s, it didn't fit current times. He later said that economist Paul Krugman had been very accurate in his economic analysis.

Views on the "Fair Tax" Proposal

In 2007, Bruce Bartlett wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal. He criticized the FairTax proposal, saying it was misleading and wouldn't simplify taxes. He pointed out what he saw as "accounting tricks" in its rate calculations. Supporters of the FairTax disagreed with his criticisms.

Bruce Bartlett's Personal Life

Bruce Bartlett and his wife, Nancy Christy, live in Great Falls, Virginia. He is a member of the American Economic Association.

Bruce Bartlett's Books

• The Keynesian Revolution Revisited, 1977.
• Cover-Up: The Politics of Pearl Harbor, 1941–1946, 1978.
• Reagonomics: Supply-side economics in action, 1981.
• The Supply Side Solution (with Timothy P. Roth), 1983.
• Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy, 2006.
• Wrong on Race: The Democratic Party's Buried Past, 2008.
• The New American Economy: The Failure of Reaganomics and a New Way Forward, 2009.
• The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform – Why We Need It and What It Will Take, 2012.
• The Truth Matters: A Citizen's Guide to Separating Facts from Lies and Stopping Fake News in Its Tracks, 2017.