CPAC Fallout

Last weekend's CPAC event has led to a lot of speculation on the direction of the conservative movement and the Republican Party. The conference featured many conservative speakers, including Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee, among others. The biggest attraction, of course, was conservative radio host, Rush Limbaugh.

The conference has sparked much debate as to where the party is going and whether it is even going anywhere. The truth is that the Republican Party and the conservative movement are both moving forward. Yes, it is true that Republicans are coming off of two embarrassing showings at the polls in 2006 and 2008, which saw them not only lose their majority in Congress, but also in the White House. However, Americans did not reject conservatism in these elections as many in the Democratic Party and the liberal media have suggested. In fact, it is quite the opposite as this continues to be a primarily center-right country. What voters rejected was Republican politicians who ran on conservative principles, but abandoned them as soon as they took office.

The Bush administration did a great many things for this country, most importantly it kept this country safe in the post-9/11 world. But at the same time, government spending got out of control and government grew with it. Yes, we were fighting two wars, which is not cheap, but spending rose across the board.

What this country needs now is true conservatism. In the current economic climate, we need leaders that will uphold free market principles, not ones that will lead us into socialism. Nationalizing the banking system and raising taxes will not get us out of this recession. And history has shown that you cannot spend your way out of a recession. Ultimately, the market will correct itself with just a small bit of help from the government. A small amount of spending on infrastructure projects to create jobs along with some tax cuts would help to alleviate the situation. But massive spending that adds trillions of dollars to our budget deficit will only perpetuate the problem. Most of the money in the stimulus package does not go to creating jobs. Most of it will be wasted money that we will eventually have to pay for with higher taxes. A package of tax cuts and specially targeted spending that would create jobs would have been the most effective way to manage the situation. Instead, the government decided to with its current strategy, which has only led to panic on Wall Street, and has left us worse off and further in debt. When the economy eventually does recover, it will be in spite of these policies, not because of them.

We also need conservative leaders who will uphold our other ideals, such as a strong national defense, traditional marriage, the right of gun ownership, affordable, but not universal, health care and a right to life. By staying true to these ideals, our country will continue to grow and prosper. If we go away from them, as the Obama administration has done in its early days, our country will be greatly threatened both from abroad and within our own borders. We are in tough times, but we can pull through, and we must pull through. What we need is a little less FDR, and a lot more Reagan.