If any of the Republican presidential candidates at tonight’s Milwaukee debate are looking for message tips, I strongly recommend a careful read of today’s Wall Street Journal op-ed by my pal Ken Khachigian, who was an ace Reagan speechwriter way back when. In his wonderful piece today, he says he’ll shamelessly plagiarize the Gipper, and I’m about to shamelessly plagiarize both.  

Start with this at the 1984 Dallas Republican convention on supply-side tax cuts: “Our tax policies are and will remain pro-work, pro-growth, and pro-family,” Reagan said. “And most important, to bring the tax rates of every American further down, not up.” 

That was pretty good, but this next one, also from Reagan, is off-the-charts awesome: “Now, if we bring them down far enough, growth will continue strong; the underground economy will shrink; the world will beat a path to our door; and no one will be able to hold America back; and the future will be ours.” 

There you go:

Prosperity. Period.

Positive. Period.

Growth. Period. 

No one will be able to hold America back. Period. 

The future will be ours. Period.

Can’t beat that.  

Ken Khachigian also quotes President Reagan at the August 1988 Republican convention, when the Gipper said: “We left with a mutual pledge to conduct a national crusade to make America great again.”  

Have you ever heard that line before? “Make America Great Again.” Well, it’s Reagan, vintage 1988. Think of it.  

Anybody looking for some more debate tips? How about the failure of Bidenomics: high inflation, stagnant growth, zero affordability, central planning, big-government spending.  

Want more? How about drill, baby, drill to slash costs and promote growth? Return to an all-of-the-above energy policy. Make the Trump tax cuts permanent. Zero out President Biden’s zillion new regulations.  

In fact, how about ending Bidenomics by burying obsessive left-wing climate change politics, which is driving Americans crazy by taking away their appliances, their cars, and their freedom of choice? In other words, how about attacking Mr. Biden — not Mr. Trump.  

Go after the Biden scandals. Defend freedom of speech. Argue against a two-tiered justice system, which is now aimed at Mr. Trump and Republicans, but is coming to a theater near you for ordinary Americans. Close the border. Use the military to stop the cartels. Pro-parent and pro-school choice. 

Wait a minute, once more with feeling: “The world will beat a path to our door; and no one will be able to hold America back; and the future will be ours. And Make America Great Again.”  

How about all of that? 

From Mr. Kudlow’s broadcast on Fox Business News.