The New Conservative Crisis

The New Conservative Crisis

To paraphrase Thomas Paine, “these are the times that try conservatives’ souls.” Paine thus began The American Crisis, now enactment of the health care bill appears to herald a Conservative Crisis. After almost a year, victory had seemed finally within their grasp. Instead, it just eluded them. However this is just a short-term view. Hard as it now may be, conservatives must see beyond the horizon, if they are to seize the long-term initiative that still favors them.

Conservatives had ample reason to believe something as unpopular as the health care bill would surely fail. To their core, they...