Historian Bruce Bartlett, a former domestic policy adviser to
President Ronald Reagan, sat down with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on
Wednesday to discuss the national debt.

Bartlett said it was a myth that tax cuts are the key to prosperity,
noting that Reagan raised the capital gains rate. He was also
skeptical that Congress would be able to solve the current budget
crisis.

“I think at this point, there’s nothing that can pass the House of
Representatives,” he said.

“I think a good chunk of the Republican caucus is either stupid,
crazy, ignorant or craven cowards, who are desperately afraid of the
tea party people, and rightly so.”