What’s Wrong with the World

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What’s Wrong with the World is dedicated to the defense of what remains of Christendom, the civilization made by the men of the Cross of Christ. Athwart two hostile Powers we stand: the Jihad and Liberalism...read more

Conservatism after Bush.

What should Conservatism look like after Bush? I try my hand at this question over at Redstate. Have a look.

Comments (4)

I think your ideas are quite right, though unlikely to be implemented. I'd be interested in specific suggestions for rolling back large government. Perhaps we could start by repealing the No Child Left Behind Act and eliminating the Department of Education. I wonder if anyone else remembers when these were stated goals of the Republican party. It seems like a long time ago, but it isn't in absolute terms--just since the Clinton administration.

I wd. add that when people accuse social conservatives of being unwilling to compromise (usually urging them to compromise on abortion), they forget that many social conservatives are also fiscal conservatives and that this has _been_ our compromise. Because Bush was, we believed, socially conservative, we were willing unhappily to accept some of his expansion of government programs. His expansion of the education bureaucracy was a first-term campaign promise! It hardly took us by surprise. At this point, those who are both socially and fiscally conservative are being asked to give up even their social conservatism for...nothing in return. It isn't as though the front-runners in the current GOP race are exactly promising to roll back government from the policies of the Bush administration!

It's a good essay, Paul, and I'm glad Lydia brought up that other stuff, like the Dept. of Educrats. Back in the Reagan years we were all heady at the prospect of its disappearance. Now, it's all forgotten.

Thanks, Bill.

Good points, Lydia -- especially the one about social conservatives compromising on fiscal matters.

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