Many in the media suggest that the Republican Party, and thus traditional American conservatism, has suffered major setbacks with the personal indiscretions of Sen. John Ensign, R-NV, and presidential aspirant-no-more Gov. Mark Sanford, R-SC, Such thinking is indicative of an unhealthy preoccupation with national politics at the exclusion of all else. Republicans and conservatives must instead remember that there are many winnable fights closer to home. It’s time for a reminder that one of the enduring strengths of the American political system is its federalism – keeping accountability and power as close to the people as possible whenever possible.
Take Indiana’s Gov. Mitch Daniels, for example, who entered office in 2005 facing an $800 million state budget deficit. He trimmed the state budget by $250 million, then saved even more by renegotiating state contracts. The state now has a surplus of $1.3 billion – a good place to be during an economic downturn. And by taking a risk and selling a 75-year lease to a European transportation company eager to operate the state’s costly toll road, Daniels generated $3.85 billion for an overwhelmed transportation budget. Though initially criticized as too risky, this move has since proven to be a boon for Indiana.
Therein lies the promise of federalism. Fighting big government is not done only in Washington; focusing on a state-by-state basis allows conservatives a greater opportunity to present solutions that solve problems closest to the people experiencing them. When a solution works, it can be replicated elsewhere. When it doesn’t work, other states can learn from the failure. And it’s also philosophically consistent: As a problem-solver, big government forces square pegs into round holes. Federalism encourages as many pegs in as many shapes as there are states. Leaders of the tea party movement should keep this fact in mind, too. States solving their own problems make it doubly difficult for Washington politicians to pose as if they alone can save the day while running up multi-trillion dollar deficits.
There was a time when the states were routinely viewed as “laboratories of democracy.” Conservatives in Wisconsin demonstrated that welfare reform could benefit taxpayers and those in need of assistance, and in the process provided the template for what later became the landmark welfare reform legislation of 1996. Similarly, Florida conservatives, led by former Gov. Jeb Bush, implemented school reform that emphasized parental choice and student responsibility. Florida students have since shown marked academic progress. The genius of America is the creativity and energy of a free people, and conservatives must never forget that it is federalism that encourages that genius to flower across the entire country.
