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September 13, 2007

Definition: Smaller Government

by @ 2:00 pm. Filed under republicans

Ross Douthat has an amusing post up on TPM Cafe. My favorite line in bold:

In 1980, the face of tax cuts was Ronald Reagan, whose devotion to smaller government no one would question, but who was flexible enough to raise taxes in certain circumstances, and to tell the American public that his goal was not “to do away with government, but “to make it work—work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back.” Today the face of tax cuts is Grover Norquist, a Beltway performance artist who brags about drowning government in a bathtub. What began as a majority-making insight - that the rich are the engine of American economic growth, and that overtaxing them both diminishes their economic liberty and diminishes everyone else’s prosperity - has curdled into the minority-making zealotry on display in this Norquist quote […]

Too funny!

Thing is, I think it’s either naieve or disingenuous for Douthat to take the notion of Republicans wanting “smaller government” at face value. They certainly don’t want a smaller Congress or Supreme Court, or military, or FBI, or NSA, or FAA. What they want is a reversal and removal of any programs associated with FDR, Johnson, or Kennedy. And Nixon, at least the EPA. They’re pretty sure that Carter never did anything to begin with, and for all I know they’re right. Clinton was sufficiently big business that no real harm was done.

More concisely “smaller government” is a euphemism for an end to:

On anything else they’re willing to negotiate.

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