Howard Dean’s secret weapon (publicize it!)
Aug 31st, 2003 by jimmoore
Fred Barnes, the executive editor of the leading conservative policy journal, The Weekly Standard, wrote a column entitled “‘Big Government Conservatism’: George Bush Style” in the Wall Street Journal recently. The column is reprinted at the Weekly Standard web site http://www.theweeklystandard.com/Content…
This column deserves to be widely read, because it outlines in authoritative terrms the Bush agenda–big, intrusive, expensive government directed at conservative social ends–and demonstrates how far it is from mainstream America. And herein lies Howard Dean’s secret weapon.
Barnes speaks glowingly of Bush’s Big Government Conservatism–Bush and his friends “believe in using what would normally be seen as liberal means–activist government–for conservative ends. And theyre willing to spend more and increase the size of government in the process.” Barnes goes on to say that “Big government conservatives are favorably disposed toward what Irving Kristol has called a ‘conservative welfare state.’”
Wow. My sense is that most American’s of right and left prefer smaller government. And most prefer a social agenda that is more liberal and/or libertarian–and just plain sensible–than that favored by the activist right and by George Bush. Barnes approvingly lists things Bush wants to use activist government for: Bush is a “pro-lifer..against stem cell research and gun control..His judicial nominees are so uniformly conservative that liberals are furious.”
Wouldn’t it be interesting if we had an election where the Democrat was on the side of smaller, less intrusive government? My speculation is that this could redraw the political field–and bring together small government Republicans with small government Independents with small government Democrats.
So here is the opening. Howard Dean’s secret weapon is that he is a “small government liberal” and in next year’s election he will be running against a big government conservative.
Most Americans shy away from big government. Except in Washington and in the military, most Americans aren’t really comfortable being around big government. Most Americans do not work for government–most Americans work for small to medium sized businesses. Most Americans, I believe, would like a balanced budget, a smaller, efficient, and less intrusive government. And they would like to enjoy their lives with the freedom to choose their own life styles, beliefs, and values. They do not want a bigger and bigger government, running the largest deficits in history, aimed at promoting a narrow set of values and reducing pluralism and personal options. Most people I know want to be free to make their own mistakes, to learn their own lessons, and to live according to their own evolving values. Conversely, they want to limit the ability of big government to make mistakes, because big moves, big mistakes by big government, can be very very costly.
Not to beat a dead horse, but there were many many other ways that action could have been taken to remove the government of Iraq–ways that might have taken longer in the breach–but might have led to a much less costly aftermath. One that I have written about before was the “6 point plan” that was developed by a group of religious leaders, working with Claire Short of the British Cabinet, and led by the Evangelical Christian group Sojourners. http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=act…
To me the Iraq situation is an example of a big mistake by a big government conservative. The massive build up in military spending, funded by money borrowed from our future, is another. And the reduction in civil rights under John Ashcroft’s leadership is another.