Missing the Point and Asking the Wrong Questions

The principles of small government and fiscal conservatism have been abandoned to such an extent by America's de facto conservative party that it is no longer the default position of the party to reject on its face legislation that is hostile to the concepts of economic liberty and fiscal responsibility.

Watching news coverage of the euphemistically-titled "stimulus" bill being rushed through Congress, I was struck by something perhaps even scarier than the atrocity of the legislation itself. It was the utter and complete lack of ideological opposition to the bill in concept and principle. The Republican party, ostensibly the party of small government fiscal conservatism, failed as a collective body to question the fundamental assumptions and spirit of the bill on ideological grounds. Republican leadership is both missing the point and asking the wrong questions.

Patrick Mulligan gets it. Key quote: Republican opposition was confined to levels of degree while fundamental assumptions and ideologies were not questioned, and in fact taken for granted. The Republican party (notable exceptions being Ron Paul and S.C. Governor Mark Sanford) has essentially abandoned the concepts of liberty, freedom and small government and accepted Keynesian policies as their economic platform.