Limited Government has a Limited Following

Jonah Goldberg is the voice of right-thinking reason for the Los Angeles Times.

He signaled with little regret that limited government Ron Paul style is not in vogue in Washington.

Hasn't been for decades.

Ever since Republicans, yet Republicans turned Washington into one-party rule following the Civil War, and Congress had their first billion dollar budget.

Spending increased dramatically during the Reconstruction years into the Gilded Age. Republicans whipped the bloody shirt, reminding voters nationally that the Democratic Party supported secession, tried to stop the Civil War.

One party rule in Washington, at least in the Presidency, turned enumerated powers into innumerable spending, and limited government had a limited future.

Today, limited government has a limited following. Ronald Reagan ran for President in 1980 on three platforms: traditional values, a strong military, and fiscal prudence.

He cut the taxes, but not the taxes. He even broke on raising the gas tax, and the spending increased, in part because of military build-up against the USSR.

Limited government had such a limited following, even then, that House Rep Ron Paul threatened to leave the party because of the increased spending. While the growth of government slowed under Ronald Reagan, the federal government increased, nonetheless.

Limited government has remained a limited following for so long, but the rise of the TEA Party movement has forced Establishment politicians, Republicans as well as Democrats, to honor the US Constitutionm at least in regards to funding.

For the first time in decades, a dedicated caucus of legislators in Washington has stayed loyal to one credo: stop the spending, bring the federal government back in line with proper budgeting and constitutional rule.

Now, the press and the political despise this constituency with Congress. Of course they do: they have committed themselves to a vision of the state which permits the government to grow as needed (and more) in order to "help others". How much longer will it take before the chattering classes notice that thet government is helping itself much more, and at the expense of everyone else in this country.

Limited government has a broadened following in Washington now, with a negative elite bearing down on a growing grassroots movement. Hopefully, the voters will start following the same program, and the only interest receving special treatment will be the political movement that moves power out of the National Mall and back onto Main Street.