Diary Entry - 12/11/1985
Key Facts
President Reagan receives a menorah from a group of Rabbis.
The President and the First Lady host a Christmas Party for members of the press.
A mail bomb, later linked to the Unabomber, kills Sacramento computer store owner Hugh Scrutton.
Several Rabbis of the Lubavitch came in to present me with a silver “Menora” the Hebrew symbol of Hanukah. They have a giant one lighted in Lafayette Park. Then a Budget review meeting—wait til our Cabinet members see what we have for them—there will be blood on the floor. We’re going to try for all the cuts we couldn’t get last year.
Nackey Loeb came by for a picture—there is a dinner tonite in memory of her husband Bill. Geo. B. is speaking.
Then a Cabinet room session with 52 top business leaders who are a Volunteer Committee to sell U.S. Savings bonds. I had 3 meetings with Repub. Cong men & women—about 20 in all, soliciting their votes for the tax reform. But up on the hill our Repub. Reps. led a Repub. attack that prevented the bill from coming to the floor. I saw them gloating on T.V. Tip O’Neill on T.V. said they had “humiliated the man who led them to victory” (me). And d--n it they had.
Then over to E.O.B. to meet a “Tax Reform Coalition”—150 independent business people who support tax reform.
After dinner our annual 1st of 2 installments of the press for a receiving line—we shook about 400 hands.
