You want to see what happens if we revive “Compassionate Conservatism”? Look at New York City circa 1968 through 1976, when it was bearing the full brunt of Compassionate Conservatism. Only in those days it was called “Rockefeller Republicanism.” It didn’t work then, it didn’t work under George Bush Sr. and it didn’t work under George Bush Jr. It just blew up the deficit.
Compassionate Conservatism is neither.
Compassionate conservatism to me means singing at least three hymns and letting the perp give a final statement of up to 15 minutes before the trap door is sprung.