In "The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution: 1980-1989," author Steven F. Hayward discusses a pivotal moment in tax and spending negotiations during Reagan's presidency. Democrats were willing to agree to more significant cuts in domestic spending if Reagan would reduce the income tax cuts by half in the third year. This proposition highlights the intense political negotiations and differing priorities between the parties during that period. Reagan, in response to the suggestion, used a vivid metaphor, emphasizing the limits of his willingness to compromise. His remark, “You can get me to crap a pineapple, but you can't get me to crap a cactus,” illustrates his firm stance against the proposed reductions, underscoring the ideological divide and the challenges of bipartisan agreement in fiscal policy.

In "The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution: 1980-1989," author Steven F. Hayward discusses a pivotal moment in tax and spending negotiations during Reagan's presidency. Democrats were willing to agree to more significant cuts in domestic spending if Reagan would reduce the income tax cuts by half in the third year. This proposition highlights the intense political negotiations and differing priorities between the parties during that period.

Reagan, in response to the suggestion, used a vivid metaphor, emphasizing the limits of his willingness to compromise. His remark, “You can get me to crap a pineapple, but you can't get me to crap a cactus,” illustrates his firm stance against the proposed reductions, underscoring the ideological divide and the challenges of bipartisan agreement in fiscal policy.