http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/TimChapman/2006/03/09/189158.htmlLimited-government conservatism is back. You know what I mean: the kind of conservatism espoused by Barry Goldwater and then championed by President Ronald Reagan – the kind of conservatism that the revolutionary congressional class of 1994 brought to the American people in the form of the Contract with America.
It is this brand of conservatism – a brand dedicated to limiting the size and scope of the federal government, a brand that recognizes that big government is not good government just because it is our government – that has sadly been missing of late. But no longer.
On Wednesday, members of the conservative Republican Study Committee in the House of Representatives took it upon themselves to single-handedly resurrect the philosophical heart and soul of the Republican Party.
Led by Representatives Mike Pence (R-IN) and Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), the unabashed band of conservatives proposed a return to fiscal sanity by introducing an austere federal budget proposal modeled after the budget proposal contained in the 1995 Contract with America. The RSC calls their proposal the Contract with America: Renewed.
The RSC has been offering an alternative to the president’s budget for years. Traditionally, that has meant taking the president’s spending blueprint and moving 10-15 degrees to the right. But this year’s proposal is drastically different. In a conference call before the introduction of the budget, RSC leader Pence told supporters why. “We really think that now is the time for much bolder action,” said Pence. “The time has come to level with the American people that we are not living within our means.”
Pence and the RSC lived up to their call for bold action. President Bush’s budget calls for $60 billion in deficit reduction. The RSC budget makes the president’s number look petty by calling for $358 billion in savings over the next five years. Incidentally, this number almost matches the $346 billion called for in the original Contract with America.
"We believe it is time to protect the family budget from the federal budget," Hensarling told reporters yesterday. The Texan acknowledged that many will accuse this budget of being too tough and heartless. But, countered Hensarling, "We believe the tough and heartless budget is the status quo budget" that neglects the mounds of debt we are daily piling on future generations.
Pence, Hensarling, and the others who helped craft this proposal see parallels between now and the mid-90s. The authors of the original Contract with America recognized the need for drastic change. The original Contract budget stated, "America stands at a crossroads. Down one path lies more and more debt and the continued degradation of the federal government and the people it is intended to serve. Down the other lies the restoration of the American dream…we choose the second of these roads.”
History repeats itself. In an open letter to the American people, Pence and Hensarling explain that America has once again come to a crossroads. “Republicans today are confronted with familiar challenges: expanding government, a worsening fiscal position, and an explosive growth in earmarks,” write the duo. “In fiscal year 2005, the federal government spent $2.47 trillion—49% more than it spent in fiscal year 1995…The deficit for the current fiscal year is projected to be upwards of $400 billion.” This makes the deficit the largest in history – and $3.5 trillion bigger than it was in 1995.
Likening the RSC budget proposal to the original Contract with America is not just good policy—it’s good politics.
The original Contract with America was passed with every member of the Republican majority except one voting for it. 108 of those members are still in Congress, and many of them hold influential positions like House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IN) and Rules Chairman David Dreier (R-CA). It will be hard for a member to explain why they thought such a bold budget was good policy in 1995 but not today – especially given an extra $3.5 trillion dollars added onto the federal deficit.
Furthermore, there are many who are convinced that passing a bold plan like this one is the exact cure for current GOP woes. Former Congressman Pat Toomey (R-PA) issued a statement yesterday praising the RSC Contract with America: Renewed. In his statement, Toomey sought to reassure Republicans who may have doubts. Toomey said, “Adopting the RSC alternative budget would help Republicans in Washington reclaim the moral authority on fiscal issues that they have squandered since the initial successes of the Contract with America through out-of-control spending increases and an explosion in earmarks.”
Pence also thinks the RSC budget is good politics. “The American people know that unbridled growth of government threatens our future and our freedom,” he told attendees of yesterday’s press conference. “They long for leaders who tell it like it is and are honest about the choices we face as a nation.”
Indeed, the America people appear to want more out of their elected representatives, especially Republicans at this time. The latest Fox News Opinion Dynamics poll shows only 34 percent of respondents plan to vote for a Republican in the upcoming Congressional midterm elections. If you ask the RSC members who are supporting this bold budget, they are likely to tell you that this is about Republicans behaving like Republicans – or in this case, not.
At yesterday’s press conference, Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ), who voted for the Contract in 1994, said that “virtually every Republican in Congress was elected on a promise to curb government growth and spending.” For Shadegg and his RSC colleagues, this budget boiled down to one thing, “It is time to keep that promise.”
But keeping that promise will require the persuasion of their Republican colleagues. It is not enough that a core group of conservatives get it, although it is a very good start. They must persuade their Republican leadership that principle over politics is the way to go – especially in an election year.
At least one member of the current House leadership team – the newest member – is saying encouraging things. Immediately after the RSC released the Contract: Renewed, newly elected Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued a statement calling the proposal “a serious effort to address a serious problem: the runaway cost of government that threatens our children's future.” Boehner acknowledged that the problem can only be solved by “making tough choices.”
For many, voting for the Contract with America: Renewed will be a “tough choice.” But it will be the right one.
