But, again, it wasn’t conservative ideas that failed in recent years. It was big-government Republican strategy. Where Bush acted conservatively, by cutting taxes, pressing for free trade and passing the PATRIOT Act, for example, he succeeded. Those measures boosted the economy and helped protect the homeland. Where Bush promoted big government, he failed.
Of course, this trend toward making politics personal goes far beyond Bush. You can also see it when a newspaper seems to support a candidate because of the letter after his name. Take this year’s race for governor in Virginia. During the spring primary, The Washington Post endorsed R. Creigh Deeds over two other (better-funded) Democratic candidates. That endorsement was seen as a big factor in his upset victory.
The newspaper said a key reason it backed him was that, “Deeds has made clear that he would make transportation his first priority.” But many months have rolled by, and Deeds still has no transportation plan.
Just this week, he admitted as much in a Post op-ed. “The day after I’m elected, I will begin assembling a bipartisan commission to craft a comprehensive transportation package,” Deeds wrote. But that’s too late.
A Virginia governor’s strongest day is Election Day. Because the incumbent can serve only one term, lawmakers know they can run out the clock once the governor is in office. Deeds seems to be preparing to repeat the mistake made by current governor Tim Kaine, who was elected without a traffic plan but immediately convened a “listening tour” that, predictably, failed to accomplish anything.
Kaine grew so bored with Virginia that, in January, he accepted a second full-time job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He’s spent much of the past year traveling the country. He’s promised to fight for his party “now and forever” in all 50 states. But Virginians wish he’d do less fighting and more governing. After all, that’s what we’re paying him for.
In any event, look for the Post to endorse Creigh Deeds (although it may say it’s doing so “reluctantly”) in the weeks ahead. If it does, it will have put party affiliation ahead of political ideas.
Conservatives aren’t always the most photogenic of people. We sometimes stumble over syntax and, yes, even have been known to “swagger” a bit. But that’s because our ideas are sound, and seem to work whenever they’re tried. Conservatism isn’t personal. But (unlike tell-all books) it makes for good politics.