Is ‘compassionate conservatism’ obsolete?
The GOP primary candidates competing for the affections of Republican
voters have plenty of labels with which to tar each other: Influence
peddler. Failed politician. Cayman Islands account holder. Aspiring
polygamist. But perhaps the worst smear they could lob at an opponent
would be to call him a "compassionate conservative."
There's no
place for compassion in this race, which has featured debate audiences
cheering the death penalty and booing the Golden Rule.
Candidates
have jostled to take the hardest line in opposing government-funded
programs to help the poor, with Newt Gingrich calling Barack Obama a
"food stamp president" and Rick Perry blasting "this big-government
binge [that] began under the administration of George W. Bush."
