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Contributors
Mark Alexander- Contributor
[Courtesty of The Federalist Patriot]
Mark
Morrison Alexander is Executive Editor and Publisher of The
Federalist Patriot, the Web's "Conservative E-Journal
of Record" and now the
most widely subscribed Internet-based publication. [go
to Alexander index]
 On
the Right Track
The Conservative Mandate...
[Mark Alexander] 12/14/04 |
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"We will continue our economic progress. We'll reform our
outdated tax code. We'll strengthen the Social Security for the
next generation. We'll make public schools all they can be. And
we will uphold our deepest values of family and faith." --President
George W. Bush
In the wake of President George W. Bush's re-election and nationwide
victories for down-ballot conservatives, this column, for the
record, reaffirms the principles upon which they were elected:
constitutionally limited government, a strong national defense,
the prospect of restoring fiscal discipline to government, and
an unwavering commitment to the traditional moral stakes of our
Republic.
President Bush's brief post-election comments have been unifying,
especially in contrast to the largely divisive words of his vanquished
opponents. The President outlined an agenda supported by the
vast majority of Americans: reforming our outdated tax code,
strengthening Social Security, improving public schools, upholding
our deepest values of family and faith, and holding the front
lines with Jihadistan -- not only by taking the fight directly
to the terrorists, but also by establishing democracies in Middle
East countries.
Despite insistence
from the Left that President Bush must "govern
from the center," it's clear that the President's first-term
efforts to mollify the Left produced only vitriol and knee-jerk
obstructionism. Consequently, such efforts shouldn't be a strategic
centerpiece of the President's second term. Clearly, John Kerry's
rhetoric during the past year -- and that of his many surrogates,
from Al Gore to Al Sharpton to Al Franken -- has sharply divided
the nation. Thus, in order for President Bush to make good use
of his conservative mandate, he'll have to take his case over
the heads of the Leftelite on Capitol Hill and directly to the
American people -- just as Ronald Reagan did back in 1981.
In recent weeks, as anticipated, President Bush has begun to
restructure his cabinet. Such a restructuring is common at the
onset of a second term, and we expect these appointments will
largely reflect the administration's commitment to the comprehensive
conservative (federalist) policies outlined below.
National Security and Homeland Defense:
First and foremost, continue to allocate all resources necessary
to advance the campaign against Jihadi terrorists. It cannot
be said too often: We choose to fight the war abroad so we don't
have to fight it here at home.
Continue reorganizing the Department of Defense into a leaner,
more agile and lethal military machine, maximally capable of
addressing the asymmetric threats of the post-Cold War world.
Continue to develop and strengthen alliances to fight the war
on terrorism and address other issues vital to our national security:
Nuclear proliferation, stability in the Middle East, and viable
solutions to illegal immigration and border control, particularly
in the Southwestern U.S.
On the subject
of immigration, we believe the Bush administration's chief
shortcoming
has been its failure to enforce existing immigration
law. The administration's immigration-reform plan, shelved since
the events of September 11, 2001, does not represent an "amnesty" plan
for illegal immigrants, as many have suggested, but attempts
to deal with border control by addressing economic issues first.
However, in the context of our war against Jihadistan (Islamic
terrorists), we contend that border control must come first;
only then can economic and labor concerns be responsibly addressed.
Promote greater internal political stability (democracy) and
economic integration throughout Eastern Europe and Asia.
Continue the development and deployment of strategic missile-defense.
Here, the initial deployment of Aegis-class destroyers off the
coast of North Korea is an encouraging first step.
More aggressively pursue a greater degree of national energy
independence. This should include responsibly drilling in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, increasing our oil-refining
capacity to better absorb instability in the international market,
and -- perhaps most important -- encouraging the forces of the
free market to develop alternative energy sources.
Legislative Agenda:
Reform the national tax system by eliminating the current U.S.
tax code and replacing it with a flat tax (as proposed by Dick
Armey and Dennis Hastert) or a national sales tax. The first
priority must be to dispose of a tax system that has stifled
competitiveness and growth since its advent, and commence earnest
debate of the alternatives.
Reform Social Security, Medicare and other entitlement programs;
more than all discretionary spending combined, these programs
contribute to the national deficit, place a drag on economic
growth, and loom as potential fiscal crises over our nation's
economy.
Reverse the exponential growth of the federal bureaucracy and
return government to the role envisioned by our nation's federalist
Founders.
Secure a line-item veto for budgetary legislation, thereby allowing
the President to combat Congress's irrepressible urge to waste
your hard-earned tax dollars on its pork-barrel pet projects.
Institute far-reaching tort reform, thereby reducing the frivolous
lawsuits that stymie business growth and competitiveness and
make medical insurance unaffordable.
Aggressively defend the traditional values of our Republic:
Reaffirming the right to life and fostering a reverence for it
in every area of our society; and reaffirming the institution
of marriage, while supporting the traditional family as the fundamental
unit of American life.
Judges, Judges, Judges:
RINO (Republican in Name Only) Senator Arlen Specter is poised
to assume the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
This means that this powerful seat will not be in the hands of
a constitutional constructionist who will aggressively advance
the President's judicial nominees. Yet Specter is well aware
that he owes his political life to this President, who came to
Pennsylvania earlier this year to rescue him from a down-to-the-wire
primary challenge by conservative Congressman Pat Toomey.
Given this
and the enormous grassroots pressure put to bear on Specter
since his
ill-advised post-election comments about
pro-life judicial nominees, we believe he'll fall in line. And
he'd better. Specter has a 42-percent lifetime rating from the
American Conservative Union -- exactly HALF the average for Republican
senators. Specter's specific transgressions include "borking" Ronald
Reagan's Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork in 1987; helping kill
Reagan's judicial nomination of now-Alabama Senator and Judiciary
Committee colleague Jeff Sessions; voting for the largest tax
increase in history under Bill Clinton; and sponsoring the "Freedom
of Choice Act," which would have forced religious hospitals
to perform abortions. Needless to say, our patience with Senator
Specter is wearing thin.
Regardless, the President and Senate Republicans should press
with all possible force for up-or-down floor votes on all his
judicial nominees, and the President should relentlessly continue
nominating conservative constructionists for the now back-logged
federal courts.
In the regretful event of ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist's
departure from the Supreme Court, we urge the President to nominate
one of that court's two most reliably constructionist members,
Justice Antonin Scalia or Justice Clarence Thomas, as its new
Chief.
Conclusion:
Granted, while President Bush enjoys strong support in the House,
his 55-45 Senate majority includes a few RINOs who are likely
to continue obstructing the constitutional constructionist (read:
conservative) agenda. To be sure, there are a few DINOs on the
other side of the aisle. And the Patriot Southeast, once dominated
by Democrats, now counts just four Demos among its 24 senators.
These four, as well as every red-state Demo senator (especially
those up for re-election in 2006), are sure to feel pressure
to work with President Bush -- or, at the very least, not to
categorically obstruct him. Likewise, Sen. Harry Reid, who succeeds
deposed Demo leader Tom Daschle, is from Nevada, which, as you
may recall, is also a red state. tOR
copyright
2004 Federalist Patriot
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