Does the Republican party today lack restraint? The American people, by many measures, seem to be saying it does. Take Congress's attempt last year to transfer jurisdiction over Terri Schiavo into the federal courts, and thus to restore the feeding tube that her husband had ordered removed. As was widely reported at the time, polls showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans-upwards of 80 percent-opposed this move. But why? Did they agree with Michael Schiavo's decision to let his wife "die with dignity," as supporters put it? Were the American people taking a stand on life, death, and family privacy? Not at all, according to astute journalists like National Journal's Jonathan Rauch. Most were simply reacting to congressional overreach, and rejecting what seemed a last-minute rule change to benefit one side in a complicated dispute. The majority of Americans are internally conflicted on moral questions like the one that faced the Schiavo family, and unwilling to permit a brain-dead woman to be treated callously. But, like good libertarians, we're also willing to tolerate very little congressional meddling where it doesn't belong. The federalist principle, wrote Rauch, along with an old-fashioned respect for the law, remain surprisingly strong in America.I vote for moving this back to news just for this one paragraph alone. It's high time some 'conservatives' are reminded the Republican party claims to be the party of limited government and federalism, not a party of intrusive government to get what they want
The Republican party will not lose 'middle America' over foreign policy, they may not even lose a lot of votes over immigration when tempers cool. But they very well may lose a serious number of votes if they continue to stick their nose into what is clearly the business of the separate and sovereign states.
Excellent article