Say Anything Blog

So who’s to blame for the 2006 Rout of the Republicans?

Who better to turn to than one of the architects of the 1994 Republican Revolution, Dick Armey, who wasted no time in pointing the finger of blame in the direction of fiscal irresponsibility.

Eventually, the policy innovators and the “Spirit of ‘94” were largely replaced by political bureaucrats driven by a narrow vision. Their question became: How do we hold onto political power? The aberrant behavior and scandals that ended up defining the Republican majority in 2006 were a direct consequence of this shift in choice criteria from policy to political power.

Nowhere was this turn more evident than in the complete collapse of fiscal discipline in the budgeting process. For most Republican candidates, fiscal responsibility is our political bread and butter. No matter how voters view other, more divisive issues from abortion to stem-cell research, Republicans have traditionally enjoyed a clear advantage with a majority of Americans on basic pocketbook issues. “We will spend your money carefully and we will keep your taxes low.” That was our commitment. This year, no incumbent Republican (even those who fought for restraint) could credibly make that claim. The national vision--less government and lower taxes--was replaced with what Jack Abramoff infamously called his “favor factory.” One Republican leader actually defended a questionable appropriation of taxpayer dollars, saying it was a reasonable price to pay for holding a Republican seat. What was most remarkable was not even the admission itself, but that it was acknowledged so openly. Wasn’t that the attitude we were fighting against in 1994?

(emphasis mine)

As Rob is wont to say, read the whole thing.

Especially if you’re a Republican who was just booted out of the House or Senate, will be up for re-election in 2008, or is thinking of running for Congress in 2008.

For the most part, Conservatives may differ on social issues such as gay marriage and stem-cell research. The one issue that unites us all is the concept of limited government and fiscal responsibility.

It’s also the primary issue that caused moderate to conservative voters to leave the party this year. Go back to those concepts, and you have another chance in two years.