Conservatism at the Crossroads

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, conservatism seemed not merely on the ascendency, but approaching supremacy over liberalism. The nation was enduring a new sense of vulnerability, and the need for a strong military called unequivocally for conservative leadership. With Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress, Democrats looked destined for a long period in the minority.

What happened? A scant six years later, Democrats control the House, have a slight majority in the Senate, and seem poised to take back the White House.

In “The Road to a GOP Minority,” George Will blames the Republicans’ lack of fiscal restraint and legislative ethics. Not only has a federal government dominated by Republicans run up the budget deficit and the national debt substantially, it’s done so with literally thousands of highly questionable earmarks added to bills totally unrelated to the earmarks. The infamous “Bridge to Nowhere,” which has become symbolic of pork barrel spending, is just one example.

With over 10,000 such earmarks last year alone, and with similar numbers in previous years, it’s no wonder we’ve witnessed a slew of ethical scandals involving lobbyists and selfishly-motivated legislation. Jack Abramoff (Inmate #27593-112 at Maryland’s Cumberland Federal Correction Institution) is the poster boy for such scandals; his lobbying activites have helped land literally dozens of legislators and government employees, nearly all of them Republican, in hot water.

One of the fundamental tenets of conservatism demands a small federal government staying out of the private lives of its citizens and practicing fiscal restraint. American conservatism puts the individual above the society; this means both that individual freedom must be sacrosanct, and that the individual is responsible for his or her own life. How, then, did the party of conservatism manage to take a federal budget that had been balanced by Bill Clinton and in six short years run up budget deficits approaching half a trillion dollars? And how did the party of conservatism manage to nearly double the national debt?

Some would simplistically reply, “9/11,” but that is not a sufficient answer. The fact is that Republicans have been spending like drunken Democrats, often in their own self interest, and sometimes in ways that defy logic and ethics. Some “conservative” legislators have lined their own pockets with lobbyist money, others have left government for lucrative careers in the lobbying industry (which has enjoyed an unprecedented expansion under the Bush Administration,) and many have enriched their cronies with perfectly legal, yet perfectly corrupt, legislation. There has also been some well-intentioned legislation, like the prescription drug bill that has helped millions of retirees afford much-needed medication; but even that defies conservative philosophy. (The Heritage Foundation documents this fiscal irresponsibility as well as anyone.)

David Brooks suggests a new road for conservatism that he dubs “Fresh Start Conservatism.” His basic idea is to better prepare individuals to compete in a rapidly evolving global economy. How? Through education. Starting with early childhood education and running on through adult re-education, Brooks envisions a federal focus on teaching people to fish, not giving them fish.

Many in the movement believe that conservatism is at a crossroads, and that the future of the nation may hang in the balance, especially if a Democrat wins the White House in November. Some, including John McCain, would have the party of conservatism turn slightly to the left, continuing the leftward momentum of Bush’s “compassionate conservatism.” Others, including Rush Limbaugh and his progeny in the right wing media–Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Michael Savage–favor a sharper turn to the right (hence their distaste for McCain.) Few, if any, thoughtful conservatives favor staying on the current path.

There may well be a fourth choice at this crossroads: turn around. Go back. Return to the original principles of the Founding Fathers; return to individual freedom and individual responsibilty, to small government and fiscal restraint, to creating a better nation by enabling an enlightening the individual citizen.

Sometimes you can’t get where you need to go without putting it in reverse.

Newsprism.com