I haven’t been posting much as I am running for State Representative, working part-time, and finishing up school, but after reading these boards and a lot of the discussion on the internet, I think something needs to be said. I believe conservatism in America is at a crossroads. It can go two ways, one is the way of a caretaker of government. This is the Bush vision, making government more compassionate, more effective, and more prevalent in our lives to help us live better. This is clearly the meaning of his compassionate conservatism. Conversely, there is the vision of conservatism of smaller government, ordered liberty, and a return to a world where the federal government was not the be all end all.

My reason for my opposition to some Bush iniatives stems from the same reason I am running for State Representative, I do not believe a bigger government will help any of us. I believe we must work at all levels to restore the cosntitutional order to the system. States need to be returned to their rightful place as the primary government, and local control must be maintained.

A battle is brewing right now of which the Miers confirmation is but a convenient proxy war. This is the battle of who will lead the party post-Bush. Will it be a Bush-style leader, a Giulani or a Rice maybe, or will it be a small government advocate? This fight isn’t really about Miers, though that is an important aspect, rather it is about the heart and soul of our party. We need to be the party that consistently stands for the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, local control, federalism, and traditional values. Bush has done many things to help out the party, but conversely the prescription drug bill, his immigration policies, No Child Left Behind, and now his unwillingness to have a true discussion about judicial philosophy has undermined the small government principles of our party. Bush is a good man who no doubt has done a great job leading our country on foreign policy, but on domestic issues he has been far from perfect.

In the end the battle is on, and I will choose the hard road, the one of principle and smaller government. Others can choose the Bush road, but as for me and I believe the folks here at Save The GOP we choose the other.