Fiscal Conservatism Is Enough

A conservative can be a fiscal conservative, social conservative or both. As I reflect on the future of conservatism in America, especially in the run up to the 2012 elections, it occurs to me that the focus of conservatism needs to be on the fiscal aspect of the movement. Our current economic situation demands greater fiscal responsibility so, out of absolute necessity, this is where the emphasis must be. Only through smaller government and more responsible spending will our nation return to a path toward a strong economy and as an intended consequence, bring back a more traditional, socially conservative America.

While working on this entry, I heard Rush Limbaugh during his commentary last Monday criticize those at last week's CPAC convention who were advocating that the conservative movement give up on social conservatism. Though I am not one of those conservatives, I also disagree with Rush. I strongly feel that we need those of all conservative stripes in the movement but we must chose our strategy carefully. In the arena of ideas, the path toward conservative victory, both fiscal and social conservatism, is via fiscal means. It is the power of the purse strings that will ultimately guide the country back to its conservative roots.

Liberals depend on taxes and government spending to further their agenda and government largess is the lifeblood of their ideology. Without it, their social engineering policies will be starved of the "oxygen" they need to survive. If conservative candidates for office in 2012 focus on limited government and controlling government spending but do so without alienating social conservatives, they will stand a much better chance of being elected. They can do this by campaigning on a platform that calls for limiting the role of government to those functions enumerated in the Constitution which is a far less emotionally charged approach and will make conservative candidates more appealing to a broader swath of American voters.

Running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, conservatives will be able to retake control of the Senate and White House in 2012 and along with their counterparts in the House, will begin passing responsible legislation that will restore America's economic health and by doing so, realign the nation's moral compass - a win-win for both fiscal and social conservatives.