Although educators usually like to slam GOP officeholders for “draconian budget cuts,” at least one Indiana Republican serving in the U. S. Congress indicates that their anger may be misplaced, if not unwarranted. “More government is now the accepted Republican belief,” Rep. Mike Pence said at the Eagle Forum Summit on June 8th. He then declared, “The era of Big Government Republican is over.”
Rep. Pence opened his talk by using the analogy that he used at the 2004 Conservative Political Action Conference. He compared the Republican Party to a boat that is sailing on course. In the past two years, the ship, like the Republican Party, has drifted off course. Now, Rep. Pence stated, “We’re no longer a movement drifting off course,” but rather sailing away completely.
“If we have to look over our shoulder to see the shining city on the hill, we are going the wrong way.” Rep. Pence then proclaimed, “It’s time for a course correction.”
While he praised the many successes the GOP has had in the past six years, he asked about the bigger issues at hand. What about cutting federal spending and reigning in big government?
“Six years is enough.”
Rep. Pence tackled the “dominant lie in the movement.” That is, “big government can be good government if it’s our government.” The $50 billion No Child Left Behind education law represents just one of these efforts.
Rep. Pence cited President Ronald Reagan twice in his argument against the big-government Republicans. He said, “A political party can’t be all things to all people,” and added, “If there are those who cannot subscribe to these principles, let them go their way.”
“Perhaps they confuse courage for will,” Rep. Pence offered. He then illustrated what courage truly was as he told the story of a fallen soldier from his district. The soldier risked his life to ensure that the rest of his unit made it to safety. The soldier was a happy, Christian, young man who knew what must be done and did it without hesitation.
Rep. Pence expressed his beliefs in the conservative movement and its chances of taking back the party.
“I believe we can and I believe we will.” He went on to say, “Limited government is based on the truth of history.”
“I believe in the American people.”
When asked what we can do to have the conservatives return to power within the party, Rep. Pence offered this advice, “We simply need to elect more conservatives.”
Rep. Pence pronounced, “We can win it back.”
Matthew Murphy is an intern at Accuracy in Academia.
