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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
August 15, 2007
/ 1 Elul, 5767
Rove and the failure of big-government conservatism
By
Robert Robb
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
President Bush and Karl Rove, his principal political strategist, intended
to create an enduring Republican governing majority during his tenure.
Rove leaves the stage without that being accomplished, to put it mildly.
In 2006, Republicans lost the control of Congress they had been given by
voters since 1994. (Democrats took over the Senate for a time in 2001 due
to the defection of Jim Jeffords, who had been elected as a Republican.)
Going into the 2008 election, polls indicate that voters prefer Democrats
by overwhelming margins, to hold office and on a wide range of issues.
Unless something changes drastically, Republicans appeared headed toward
having their national influence shrunk to 1960s levels.
What happened?
In large part, 9/11 and the Iraq war happened.
Bush was first elected in 2000 on primarily a domestic agenda. After 9/11,
he became a self-described "war president." Attention and political
resources were understandably and appropriately diverted from domestic
issues.
The current protracted engagement in Iraq is fundamentally at odds with
American instincts. We are willing to take action to bat back looming
threats. However, we aren't comfortable trying to run or manage the affairs
of other countries and peoples. We are, at root, still the peaceful trading
nation the founders intended.
The Bush-Rove strategy to create an enduring Republican governing majority,
however, was fundamentally flawed independent of the national security
preoccupation and missteps.
Bush wanted to create such a majority by reconciling conservatism with an
active federal government. A large federal presence would be accepted, even
expanded, but redirected to the accomplishment of conservative goals. Some
dubbed this "big-government conservatism."
The best example of the strategy in action was No Child Left Behind, Bush's
signature first-term domestic accomplishment. The federal role in education
was expanded, and funding increased, but in service to the conservative
reform of accountability through testing.
Bush initially proposed to link a prescription drug benefit to Medicare
reform. Instead of the federal government directly paying the medical bills
of seniors, it would offer premium subsidies to purchase private health
insurance. The administration flagged on reform, however, when
congressional Republicans balked.
Changing Social Security from a system in which one generation pays the
retirement benefits of the previous generation to one in which people save
for their own retirement never got off the ground.
Republicans didn't do much on reform. But they certainly got big government
down pat. And in the process revealed an important political truth: big
government is inherently corrupting of conservative principles.
Under Bush, federal spending has increased twice as fast as it did under
President Clinton. Republicans perfected the art of the earmark, federal
money for local projects designated by members of Congress. The claim to be
the party of spending discipline was thoroughly squandered.
Liberals and Democrats view themselves as the natural governing party in
the United States. And they may be right.
Certainly conservatives seem more at home in opposition than in power. In
the modern era, perhaps the natural role of the conservative party, if
Republicans can regain that appellation, is to check the excesses of the
liberal welfare and regulatory state.
There is reason to hope for more. There is always a tendency to accept the
prevailing political currents as fixed. In American politics, however, they
rarely are.
In the 1970s, there was nothing in polling or electoral trends to suggest
that the era of Reagan was about to dawn. But it was.
Many young people appear to have a profound skepticism about government.
Perhaps a conservatism re-rooted in libertarian instincts can fare better,
once this political season inevitably passes.
Regardless, the Bush-Rove era has demonstrated that big-government
conservatism is a failure, both as a political strategy and as a governing
philosophy.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Robert Robb is a columnist for The Arizona Republic. Comment by clicking here.
Robert Robb Archives
© 2007, The Arizona Republic
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