Choice and Accountability: "Bush has redefined conservatism." (Barone)

U.S. News & World Report | 12/15/03 | Michael Barone

[bdeaner]

Good analysis. Barone may have captured here the essence of Bush's brand of conservatism. Of course, some may argue that this "conservatism" isn't conservatism, even if "it is in line with changes in the character of the country."

[sinkspur]

Governmnent has grown under every single modern-day president, Ronald Reagan included. It is a fantasy to imagine that ANY president is going to "shrink" the size of government.

Voters are going to have what they want, or you'll be replaced with someone who will give them what they want.

[evad]

hmm..tell ya what. I'll go along with 'pragmatic conservatism' or 'moderate conservatism' or whatever you want to call it but it's not 'pure conservatism' by any stretch of the imagination.

Regardless, President Bush is the best man for these times and I'm proud to have him as my leader, conservative or not.

[mylife]

I love the idea of personal accountability. I just wish he'd leave me some money to in my account to be accountable with.

[NormsRevenge]

evolving the government, one program or policy at a time. interesting take..

[sinkspur]

By the way, shelter animals are fine, but what of the baby humans?

Two entirely different things.

[hchutch]

FYI ping.

Michael Barone is quite on target with a lot of things.

[IronJack]

Bush has defined conservatism.

Hardly. Bush doesn't have an ideological bone in his body.

[bdeaner]

Regardless, President Bush is the best man for these times and I'm proud to have him as my leader, conservative or not.

I agree with you there. I find it hard to imagine a better person for the job.

[CGTRWK]

Governmnent has grown under every single modern-day president, Ronald Reagan included. It is a fantasy to imagine that ANY president is going to "shrink" the size of government.

In dollars it has, but that is more a function of a growing economy than of ballooning programs. A more realistic way to look at government spending is as a percent of GDP, and there things are not quite so depressing.

Under Reagan's watch, non defense related federal spending dropped from 14.7% of the GDP to 12.4%.

By the end of Clinton's term that number was 13.3%.

And with the drunken sailor we have in charge now, that number has swollen to 16.3% for FY2004, the highest it has ever been.

[bdeaner]

Hardly. Bush doesn't have an ideological bone in his body.

You really think so? The way I see it, you have an ideology, whether or not you explicitly know what it is. Maybe Bush doesn't have a well-defined, explicit ideology, but he has one, regardless.

[bdeaner]

When you say non-defense spending, does that include Homeland Security? We're also fighting a different kind of war at home, these days.

[sinkspur]

And with the drunken sailor we have in charge now, that number has swollen to 16.3% for FY2004, the highest it has ever been.

No money for homeland security, huh?

Leave out the homeland security money, and Bush's spending has been going DOWN.

[RLK]

Bush and I don't apprea ro inhabit the same solar system. I don't seem to recognize the world or president he is describing.

[IronJack]

I don't think that amorphous ideology is driving his political agenda. I suspect he is the ultimate accommodationist, an appeaser without peer. Contrast his tepid, protean performance with the doctrinaire conservatism of Ronald Reagan.

[Batrachian]

Growing the budget and creating new entitlements and increasing the existing ones is not conservatism. It may be Republicanism, but that's not the same thing any more. In fact, it's liberalism. Barone is very disingenuous in this piece. President Bush and the Republicans are buying votes, plain and simple. I still support Bush because the alternatives are so horrible, but I won't pretend that this is some new kind of conservatism. Conservatism is what it is, and you don't redefine it to fit your agenda, at least not if you're honest.

[FirstPrinciple]

Does personal accountability mean that seniors have to be accountable to provide their own healthcare? Does personal accountability mean that parents should educate their kids in the way they deem necessary? Does personal accountability mean that one should provide for his own retirement? This article is an exercise in sophistry. It makes mockery out of the term "personal accountability." To the author, the term means something that government should provide.

[bdeaner]

If Bush is an appeasor, then I would assume this means he is appeasing someone else who has an ideology, in which case he has a de facto ideology. :)

Really, though, I don't see Bush as an appeasor, quite the contrary. He's got backbone, and he sticks by his word, even when the polls are against him. He may not be Reagon, but he is getting there.

[FirstPrinciple]

So, you really think Homeland Security is fighting to prevent terrorism? It is another big govt prgoram to make us feel we are doing something. Right after 9/11, Bush made a big deal to create this big govt program. As if all the other para-military federal agencies were not enough. If we had one more, we could prevent future terrorist attacks. Yeah right! Supporters claim that Homeland Security provides the coordination between all these other para-military agencies. Well, that job is already the responsibility for the office of the National Security Advisor. And, what was Tom Ridge's remark to protect the homeland by securing the borders? "Well, sir, we cannot do it for social and political reasons." Yeah, I feel really secure.