Read My Lips

John J. Pitney Jr. is Roy P. Crocker Professor of American Politics at Claremont McKenna College. He is the author of many books, including After Reagan: Bush, Dukakis, and the 1988 Election, also from Kansas.

"If anyone is looking for the moment when the modern conservative movement was born, look no further than the moment when George H. W. Bush reversed his ‘read my lips’ campaign promise, agreed to a significant tax hike, and was vocally attacked not only by the opposition party, but by Republicans who felt a deep sense of betrayal. John Pitney brings the memory of a player in this drama, as well as the skill of a scholar, to his graceful telling of this important story. It should be read by anyone who needs to know why today’s politics are as personal, as vicious, and as polarized as they have become."—John Robert Greene, author of The Presidency of George H. W. Bush"Professor John J. Pitney, Jr., a widely respected presidential scholar, has written an outstanding insider-participant’s view of the causes and consequences of President George W. H. Bush’s politically momentous 1988 promise not to raise taxes (‘Read My Lips: No More Taxes’). Pitney’s in-depth analysis of the immediate political and budgetary policy ramifications of Bush’s decision and subsequent budget agreements as well as his evaluation of the long-term consequences for the current deficit and debt crisis in America is a major contribution to understanding 21st century American politics."—James A. Thurber, American University Distinguished Professor of Government Emeritus and Founder and Director Emeritus of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, and coeditor of Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations"With studied ‘detachment and perspective,’ professor and former director of the Republican National Committee’s research department, John Pitney, Jr., takes a gripping look at President George H.W. Bush’s 1990 decision to break his defining ‘no new taxes’ campaign pledge in order to secure a budget deal with Congress. Read My Lips sheds light not only on the far-reaching political and economic consequences of Bush’s fateful reversal but also the lessons they offer with the benefit of hindsight."—Mark K. Updegrove, Chairman and CEO of the LBJ Foundation and author of The Last Republicans: Inside the Extraordinary Relationship Between George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush"In Read My Lips, political scientist John J. Pitney Jr. methodically explores George H. W. Bush’s 1990 decision to abandon his ‘no new taxes’ pledge, including the circumstances surrounding the decision and the long-term consequences. As Pitney shows in this well-researched and clearly written volume, Bush was caught between strong long-term forces moving Republicans to a consistent anti-tax position, deep concerns about a growing federal deficit, and an emerging foreign policy crisis that limited his options. His decision and the subsequent election of 1992 have shaped budget politics and policy ever since."—Andrew E. Busch, University of Tennessee, and author of Ronald Reagan and the Firing of the Air Traffic Controllers"John Pitney’s nuanced account of Bush’s much lampooned violation of his no-new taxes pledge situates this presidential decision somewhere between the standard interpretations as an unmitigated disaster or a profile in courage. But Bush’s role in moving the nation to rare budget surpluses is both remarkable and relevant in an age when trillion-dollar deficits have become the norm. Bush understood that presidential leadership is as much about distributing pain as dispensing rewards, even when that pain is inflicted on his own party."—Russell L. Riley, University of Virginia’s Miller Center, and coeditor of Governing at Home: The White House and Domestic Policymaking"Through extensive research and astute analysis, Jack Pitney sheds new light on President George H.W. Bush’s fateful decision to break his ‘no new taxes’ pledge and its enduring impact on American politics and policymaking. With rich detail, Read My Lips clearly explicates the fiscal and political forces that led to the 1990 budget deal, the complicated negotiations and GOP infighting surrounding the bipartisan agreement, and Republicans’ enduring opposition to taxes. Pitney’s engaging account highlights the challenges of congressional budgeting in an increasingly partisan era, making this a must-read book for scholars, practitioners, and observers of Congress, the presidency, and budget policy."—Kathryn Pearson, Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota, and author of Party Discipline in the U.S. House of Representatives