Bush's big government conservatism has been a failure

I was reminded last week of my long-time issue with the Bush administration- the idea that a Conservative end could result from a liberal mean. 

With Bush we got accountability (good) to government schools, but did it through a massive government bureaucracy (bad) with No Child Left Behind.  In addition, we introduced some market elements to Medicare (good) but created a massive new entitlement (bad) that will poison us from within.

I was reminded by Richard Viguerie, a long time Conservative activist, who blasted this email to subscribers last week criticizing the Bush Administration over the federal deficit.

The White House has issued figures indicating that President Bush and his enablers in Congress will leave his successor with a budget deficit of $482 Billion for Fiscal Year 2009, which is a record. How’s that for a legacy?

As shocking as this deficit figure is, that’s still not the true scope of our budget woes because it excludes $80 Billion in war costs and $227 Billion borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund.

The real budget deficit is therefore $789 Billion.

Under accounting trickery that would probably land the top officers of a publicly traded company in jail, the money borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund--and spent on anything and everything except Social Security payments--is not counted towards the budget deficit, although it is part of our $9.49 Trillion National Debt.

President Bush wasn't my first choice during the 1999 Primary, but I voted for him against Gore and again against Kerry.  I did so because he was a better alternative to those two, but I've long begun to doubt this when discussing fiscal issues.  Although his eventual Supreme Court nominees were positive, I question if we would not have received a far more conservative fiscal situation had he not been elected.  I suspect that had a President Kerry proposed the Medicare debacle, Republicans would have opposed it wholesale. 

Instead, the few who opposed these fiscal messes (like Reps Pence and Burton) were pressured heavily by fellow Republicans.  Some were punished.  How did we end up here?

Comments

[eric schansberg]

How did we end up here?
A lack of principle...

For (theologically conservative) Christians, there are at least two lessons:

There is (far) more to politics than abortion and moral issues. While focus on relatively few issues is inevitable, it is important that we're educated on more than an issue or one narrow set of issues.

It is important that we have a coherent and consistent approach to public policy-- when should we pursue the use govt as a means to godly (social and economic) ends.

I keep thinking the GOP will find its way back to fiscal sanity, but it may take awhile and may require some time in the Wilderness.

Bottom line: We need many more fiscal conservatives like Pence. I know one in the 9th District if anyone is interested! ;-)

Good post, Eric. Couldn't agree more. More often than not, conservative Christians tend to focus quite a bit on abortion and homosexuality. Nothing wrong with that, but there is a failure to take the blinders off and look at other issues.

Time in the Wilderness would be great, but I can't see that happening anytime soon from this board or conservatives in general.