What Did the Conservative Movement Accomplish?
In 1980, Ronald Reagan changed all that. His coattails brought an unexpected swing of 12 seats that put the GOP in the majority 53 to 46. An era began. In a few days, that era will end, as President-elect Obama’s inauguration ushers in a (likely) sustained period of strong Democratic majorities in the Congress and control of the White House. An era is ending. It’s a good time for reflection: What did conservatives accomplish? No, we did not shrink the size of government. Federal government spending has grown from almost $600 billion per year in 1980 to almost $3 trillion in 2008. The greatest achievement of my lifetime is the defeat of communism. Jihadism has its terrors, but they are limited (as President-elect Obama pointed out in the campaign) compared to the old communist threat. Today, no foreign force currently on the planet can credibly threaten to topple the democracies of the world, including the United States. That’s a pretty big change. Along with communism we triumphed over
