Posted by
Always To The Right on Wednesday, November 05, 2008 3:15:01 PM
Jeff Flake has long been a voice in the Republican wilderness, opposing
profligate spending and big-government “conservatism”. Now that the
entire GOP has been put into the wilderness, Flake takes to the pages
of the Washington Post
for a well-deserved round of I Told You So. More to the point, Flake
draws the map for Republicans to return from their largely self-imposed
exile from power
The failure of the Republicans did not start with the George Bush
presidency, and Flake nails this point. It started with Congressional
leadership, which took a wrong turn almost immediately after gaining
majorities in both chambers. Instead of committing to limited
government and sacrificing some measure of power for substantial change
in the direction of the federal government, the GOP leadership launched
the K Street Project and allied itself with the very lobbyists that
feast off of bloated government.
While Clinton was President, the Republican Congress could still
talk “limited government” while playing footsie with lobbyists by
serving up the pork. Once Bush and his “compassionate conservatism”
took over the White House, these Republican leaders showed themselves
as nothing more than big-government enablers with only a different set
of winners to pick among lobbyists. They ceased being anything other
than Democrats with Different Friends. Small wonder that no one buys
the “limited government” argument any longer.
Maybe after losing two successive electoral cycles, people will
finally start listening to Flake. He has exactly the right
prescription for the affliction Republicans have given themselves — a
focus on fiscal conservatism and limited government, and an adamant
opposition to spoils politics. If the GOP is to ever regain
credibility with voters as a positive force for real change, then they
have to show commitment to principle over power, a fatal failure of the
last Republican majority.