Coupled with an unpopular and mismanaged war, the inability of Bush and Congress to secure our southern border, the ineptness of the response Hurricane Katrina, the Jack Abramoff and the Mark Foley scandals the stage was set for a disastrous 2006 election.
The result was predictable.
Republicans lost the House that “Newt Built” in 1994 as well as the Senate.
Ironically, despite the fact that the least popular programs of the administration are anything but conservative, George W. Bush has replaced Ronald Reagan, as the face of conservatism.
Now in June of 07 President Bush’s approval rating hovers in the low 30’s and the party is torn apart by the disconnect between the Washington elites and the grassroots over illegal immigration.
Bush accused conservatives of “not wanting to do what’s right for America" when it comes to illegal immigration.”
Conservatives would argue that a novel idea might be to follow the rule of law and enforce the laws that are currently on the books, particularly during a time of War.
What is clear is that the conservative movement and the Republican Party are in a rebuilding phase.
The "Center Right" Republican majority forged by Reagan and Gingrich has been squandered by Rove's realignment pipe dream that was based on the premise of big government for the sake of power.
The damage to the country, the conservative movement and the Republican Party may take years if not decades to repair.
Marc Rotterman
Marc Rotterman worked on the national campaign of Reagan for President in 1980, served on the presidential transition team in 1980, worked in the Reagan Administration from 1981-1984, is a senior fellow at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh, NC and a former member of the board of the American Conservative Union.
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