Comments on: CAN CONSERVATIVES GOVERN?

By: kreiz

kreiz — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 22:52:50 +0000

Rick- I’m a first timer here, having stumbled across your blog through Callimachus’s participation with the Watcher’s Council. I like your topics and thought provoking writing. I plan on showing up here more often. For what it’s worth, I’m a 1952-ish Boomer. Argh, that used to sound so young.

By: kreiz

kreiz — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 22:38:22 +0000

Fascinating question. A few thoughts come to mind. I thought of Katrina and the Administration’s anemic initial response to it, fumbling over seemingly abstract issues of federalism while people in need suffered, reluctant to initiate strong leadership. Would Bill Clinton have done a better job? Certainly. But so would Bush the Elder, I would argue. Reagan? It’s speculation- my instinct says that it depends upon which set of advisors ruled the day (James Baker? No problem; the Ed Meese/Deaver crew? Doubtful.)

Michael Reynolds of ‘The Mighty Middle’ has argued that Dems are better than Republicans at building things through government action, primarily as a function of their pro-gov’t philosophy. I disagree with the premise because of folks like McCain, Powell, Baker- all of whom are talented at using government proactively. I’m much less certain about Bush the Younger, whose seeming distrust of government has handicapped two major projects- Katrina and the Iraq reconstruction.

If anti-government, pro market conservatives distrust government, are they likely to use it effectively? Doubtful. Should we be surprised if they prove ineffectual or even incompetent in its administration? Again, probably not. But there’s substantial evidence that proactive Democrats aren’t necessarily models of effective government either, often throwing mountains of tax dollars to prop up moribund or ineffectual programs.

My sense is that it’s more of a function of leadership, personality and pragmatism than abstract political philosophy. Mayor Giuliani comes to mind, an incredibly effective administrator and leader, someone who altered NYC’s landscape itself, taming that ‘ungovernable’ city. Robert Kennedy and Harry Truman come to mind- even (argh) Lyndon Johnson. I suspect McCain falls into this discussion as well. All are strong, forceful pragmatists who are unafraid to use government to to accomplish things. I wouldn’t put Reagan, Bush 43 or Clinton in this category, irrespective of their political philosphies.

By: MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy » Blog Archive » Confusion-blogging

MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy » Blog Archive » Confusion-blogging — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 14:26:10 +0000

[...] Can we PLEASE not put up with this crap any more??? Short version 2: Rick Moran asks, Can Conservatives Govern? I say YES, we can and we are doing so quite well, despite what I see as unrealistic goals by many on the right. Read it, and you’ll understand. I’m not a big fan of theoretical musings, I prefer to deal with the reality on the front lines, if you will. As a cold, hard realist, I’m satisfied that things are going as well as real life with real Americans will allow. More on that later, when I’ve had sufficient sleep to elucidate why a little better. Short version 3: Bush in India: Good. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. (Well, I like Indians anyway.) OK, that’s just three short versions of the stuff that I thought about while staring at the clock. There’s other stuff, but hopefully I’ll forget it when I sleep because really, y’know, it’s too much work. And Firefox is really pissing me off, as usual. (Make that rant: short version 4.) See ya after my power nap. [...]

By: Maggie's Farm

Maggie's Farm — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 16:30:08 +0000

Thursday Afternoon Links

Does everyknow know by now that Bill Clinton helped with the Dubai deal? I think the entire ports thing is a non-issue and just another partisan pile-up on Bush.The dark side of China’s economic rise: Pei on corruption, cronyism, and neo-Leninism.Bord…

By: RightWingRocker

RightWingRocker — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 16:27:43 +0000

For the last couple of years, Iâ€™ve struggled to come to grips with the disconnect between having a conservative President and a conservative Congress on the one hand and a style of governance that is decidedly unconservative on the other.

I’ll help you understand.

The President and this Congress are NOT conservative.

We elected them because they were LESS LIBERAL than the alternative.

I hope that helps.

RWR

By: Richard Bottoms

Richard Bottoms — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 05:43:09 +0000

>Perhaps it is time to stop talking about >â€œsmall governmentâ€ and begin speaking of >â€œgood government.â€

First John Cole gets a wakeup call courtesy of Terri Schiavo.

William F. Buckley lets loose with the truth about Iraq.

Now this bit of reality facing about the role of government.

Amazing.

Here’s an even shorter version of your post from P.J. O’Rourke:

The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it.

By: Larry

Larry — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 02:36:47 +0000

Would people demand expanding responsibilities for such Departments as Energy and Education if they actually had to pay for it? A disproportionately small number of us carry most of the tax burden, and I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that foreign governments benefiting from our trade deficits are funding our excesses through purchases of US government securities. A great number of our people get far more than they pay for and have little motivation to challenge demagogue rhetoric, which I believe keeps much of big government alive and growing. I like the suggestion that conservatives advocate bottom-up government. Iâ€™m not sure how far it could go, but if it only eliminated the Department of Education it would be worth it.

By: neo too

neo too — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:41:54 +0000

Shouldn’t the measure be that actions be taken at the lowest feasible level? I want an FDA and a CDC because I can’t do their jobs myself, nor could a state like Wyoming or Rhode Island. I can decide what to eat or whether I want a particular medical treatment. The conservative program should focus on empowering bottom-up government by emphasizing competence and responsibility at the level of the individual, town, county, and state. The federal government should step in when necessary coordination and economies of scale come into play.

The question should always be “Who can do the job best?” not “How can I get some else to do my job for me?”

By: Michael in CO

Michael in CO — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 23:04:45 +0000

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” - Alexis de Tocqueville

That’s where we are with both parties.

By: Ogre

Ogre — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 20:17:09 +0000

I don’t know why you say that Bush and the Congress is conservative. Sure, they may say that they are, but as you so clearly outline, their actions show that they are not conservatives. If I call myself a millipede, that doesn’t mean I am one.