Bush Goes Goldwater? If Only.

The American Prospect’s Harold Meyer says that the Republican party is returning to its Golderwaterite roots.  The reason?  Because of the President’s recent veto of S-CHIP.   He, like Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democratic chorus, accuses Bush of "opposing health care to children."  But this is just patently false.  First, neither Bush nor any free-marketer opposes children getting care.  Some of us oppose using government programs to administer it and taxpayer money to fund it.  But opposing public funding of something isn’t remotely the same as opposing its existence entirely.  Second, Bush not only doesn’t oppose health care to children, he actually wants to expand S-CHIP!  It’s just that he doesn’t want to expand it by as much as the bill Congress gave him. This is hardly a Goldwaterite, market-fundamentalist position.  Now, as has been discussed here, there are plenty of good reasons for Bush to oppose the program entirely.  But, no matter what Meyer wants to accuse him of, that’s simply not his position, nor is it anything like a return to the days Golderwater (if only!).