Compassionate Conservatism Defined
Speaking of OpinionJournal, former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith has a pretty good essay on what the term means to him and others in government.
There will be some predictable sneers, of course, but the article essentially defines it as a libertarian-oriented form of conservatism that is resigned to the permanent influence of government in everyday lives, but trives to make it more responsive to market forces, more localized, and more dedicated to empowering individuals.
Funny thing is, that's not radically different than what Bill Clinton was talking about in his 1992 Presidential campaign.
>>"Funny thing is, that's not radically different than what Bill Clinton was talking about in his 1992 Presidential campaign."
Except, of course, that this administration actually means to put it in practice.
I'm sorry, but I still feel that involving the federal government in any way with education is a huge mistake, no matter how compassionate the conservatives may be.
>> I'm sorry, but I still feel that involving the federal government in any way with education is a huge mistake, no matter how compassionate the conservatives may be.
Casey,
Mirable dictu. You really hit the nail on the head. We do not need the federal government in education period, since the federal government does not educate anybody. They might make rules and unfunded mandates for local districts; but this is not teaching in the classroom. The DOE is just another government bureaucracy making rules for Americans again.
I believe President George W. Bush is committing the same cardinal sin of all governors elected President. I see governors attempting to recreate at the national level the same successes they experienced at the state level while governor. Clinton attempted his education initiative duplicating his “modest” success in Arkansas. Reagan cut taxes at the beginning of each of his terms as governor and President.
W’s federal education initiative is obviously a recreation of past statewide Texas education initiatives. I seriously believe that layering another level of government rules on top of our over-bureaucratized government education industry will never make Johnny read better. Local school districts are fully capable of doing this independently. They did so for over 150 years without the federal government’s prying help. Local school districts better understand the needs of their own children than faceless bureaucrats in Washington.
You realize, of course, that this interpretation of "compassionate conservatism" is not what was meant by the Bush campaign?