Richard Gordon Darman (May 10, 1943 – January 25, 2008), known as Dick Darman, was an American economist and businessman who served under five U.S. presidents but is best remembered as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget during the administration of George H. W. Bush (1989-1993). Darman was regarded as provocative and intelligent by insiders in Washington, D.C., but he was criticized by some economists for being too focused on the...
more
Richard Gordon Darman (May 10, 1943 – January 25, 2008), known as Dick Darman, was an American economist and businessman who served under five U.S. presidents but is best remembered as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget during the administration of George H. W. Bush (1989-1993). Darman was regarded as provocative and intelligent by insiders in Washington, D.C., but he was criticized by some economists for being too focused on the budget deficit and was sometimes blamed for convincing Bush to renege on his promise of "Read my lips: No new taxes", which is widely believed to have contributed to Bush's defeat for a second term by Bill Clinton in the election of 1992. National Review the conservative magazine begun by William F. Buckley, Jr., called Darman's work at the time "the most catastrophic budget deal of all time," and Bush himself later said that the new taxes were the biggest mistake of his presidency. However, several nonpartisan analyses later determined that...
less
