 Through the passage of some very controversial economic programs, spearheaded by then President Ronald Reagan (called, collectively, "Reaganomics"), the mid-to-late 1980s saw a period of economic growth and stability.The hallmark for Reaganomics was, in part, the wide-scale deregulation of businesses, and tax cuts for the wealthy.Dukakis ran his campaign on a socially liberal platform, and advocated for higher economic regulation and environmental protection.