Pundits and political phrasemakers have used the term Reagan Revolution for years as shorthand for the policy goals set early in the Administration. Last week, without significantly changing his objectives, Reagan decided to rename the cause. In his annual State of the Union address to Congress and the nation, in which he clearly hoped to set the agenda for his final term in elective office, Reagan hailed the dawning of a "second American Revolution of hope and opportunity." In rhetoric that was almost flamboyantly rhapsodic, the President described his vision as "a revolution carrying us to new heights of progress by pushing back frontiers of knowledge and space; a revolution of spirit that taps the soul of America, enabling us to summon greater strength than we've known."
Reagan's State of the Union message was in many ways a restatement of his second Inaugural Address, only delivered with more polish. The President in effect used the prime-time opportunity to give the hard sell to his major programs: tax reform without revenue increases, a continuation of the military buildup in tandem with arms-control talks and a determination to proceed with the controversial Star Wars antimissile defense. If there was any moderately fresh emphasis, it was on reaching out to minorities and the poor, albeit on the terms that the President has always advocated: that economic growth is the key to leaving no one behind. Said Reagan: "There must be no forgotten Americans."
The State of the Union address came during a week of extraordinary economic and political activity in Washington. On Monday the President sent to Congress his budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning next Oct. 1, and it was anything but cheery. In an effort to curb the deficit monster, Reagan asked for a total spending increase of just 1.5%, the lowest such rise in 21 years, which would force severe cutbacks or the outright cancellation of many domestic programs. The proposed slashes in spending sent out shock waves to states and cities across the nation, as Governors and mayors calculated the drastic effects on their budgets. Many members of Congress, including some Republicans, voiced indignation that the otherwise austere budget calls for a 13% increase in defense spending and vowed to force the Pentagon to share the fiscal burden.
The first concentrated uproar over budget-based sacrifices was not long in arriving. In testimony before a Senate committee, Budget Director David Stockman decried the rapid growth in agricultural subsidies, which would be severely reduced under Reagan's spending proposal, and military retirement costs, which would not. Spokesmen for the two constituencies expressed outrage at being singled out as budget busters, and Stockman's dismissal was demanded.