Return to Moderation?

     Many pundits have, in the past few days, proclaimed the election a "call to moderation", a repudiation of conservatism. However, a look at the actions of Congress brings to light a move toward moderation that, I believe, directly depressed the conservative vote, which, in concert with the efforts of the old media to further depress it, resulted in the Republican loss of the '06 election.
     There are two things that conservatives thrive upon: greater personal responsibility, and less government. In the past few years, however, we have seen Republicans outdo the Democrats in both shirking responsibility and expanding government.
     Schiavo was an expansion of government, in that Republicans overstepped the bounds of federalism and intruded into an issue that was clearly the pervue of a state. The Prescription Drug Benefit was an expansion of government, as are gay marriage, and abortion, both states rights issues. The Foley and Abramoff scandals were abandonments of responsibility as were the calls for the Secretary of Defense to step down in the midst of war. The compromise of a few Republicans, namely those in the Gang of 14, allowed moderates to derail any potential move toward true judicial nomination reform, and did more to preserve the position of liberals in the Senate. So who lost?
   - Santorum, vocal on the Schaivo issue.
   - Chaffee & DeWine, members of the Gang of 14.
   - Foley's replacement, Negron.
   - The majority of Republicans up for re-election.
     Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the moderation of Republicans was the end all of the election, but it contributed, along with the intolerance of elite America with the length of the war effort, and the efforts of the old media to depress the conservative vote by spinning issues like Stem Cell Research. But no one, honestly, should be making the case for more moderation. Conservatives won't stand for it. They sat this one out.