Defining conservatism down

[question everything]

http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=80128§ion=COMMENTARY&subsection=ORANGE_GROVE&year=2004&month=2&day=9

Small-government advocates are hard to find on campus in the Bush era

By ERICA HARPSTER
The U.C. Irvine senior is an associate editor of the Irvine Review.

IRVINE - The current climate of big-government Republicanism has caused traditionally conservative commentators to become apologists for George W. Bush. This, coupled with a dishonest academic climate, threatens to create a generation of Republicans without respect for small-government principles, as these younger ideologues emulate the positions of the most influential voices in conservative and Republican politics.

Weekly Standard Editor Fred Barnes defends President Bush's policies by arguing his critics do not understand the principles and strategies behind "big-government conservatism." On National Review Online, the dominant conservative media source for college students, writers Jay Nordlinger and David Frum frequently soft-pedal Bush's policies by euphemizing his actions as "staunch" or "real" leadership. The commentators justify Bush's domestic spending, which they disagree with, for the sake of his foreign policy, which they support.

(snip)


Unfortunately, these young Republicans might not even be aware of their party's traditional principles. A graduate student who leads political science discussion courses told me he believes most self-identified Republican students have little or no idea what their party actually represents or should represent. In their minds, Republicanism - and by extension, conservatism - is anti-Clinton and pro-life, with, at best, a general mistrust of the welfare system. Consequently, when the recall campaign was at its peak, the argument among young Republicans was not over sound budgeting but whether Arnold Schwarzenegger would embrace gay marriage and expand abortion rights.

(snip)

[cprise]

1. They want religious welfare

implemented by an army of fascistic social workers.

Not able to meet your personal obligation for marriage? Have no fear, our federally-funded ex-Gay specialists will have you walking down the aisle in a matter of years.

[David__77]

2. Fascist social workers indeed.

They aren't for "small government" at all--they're for fascist government that regiments the culture. They know they're losing the culture so they want a fascist state to implement a counterrevolution in norms and values.

[Guinness]

4. In other words, they're no different from liberals.

They want to use government power to force their own views down our throat.

[Guinness]

3. There are MANY conservatives who are angry at Bush.

Bush is spending money at rates that would make Tip O'Neil blush. He's expanding the welfare state, expanding government power, and fighting humanitarian wars instead of protecting America.