Thanks for the table! I was looking at prime rate tables, but those moved more or less in parallel. I believe we're more or less agreeing on the facts, but diff

Thanks for the table! I was looking at prime rate tables, but those moved more or less in parallel. I believe we're more or less agreeing on the facts, but differ on the interpretation. The rates in 1977 and 1978 were lower than any in Reagan's two terms. Conversely, rates in 1981, 1982, and (barely) 1984 were HIGHER than any in Carter's term. Sure, Carter's policies had some effect on those interest rates, inasmuch as he made Paul Volcker Fed Chairman. However, the high interest rates were necessary to bring down inflation rates, which started spiking under Nixon/Ford, and Reagan's massive budget deficits did not exactly help either. So putting the August 1981 interest rate on Carter's doorstep smacks a bit of partisan bias (hardly unsurprising in a magazine owned by a perennial GOP presidential candidate), though admittedly with a bit more justification than e.g. blaming 1992 events on Bill Clinton's presidency.