US Election 2004

In Initium, Skip Oliva (Sr. Fellow with Center for the Advancement of Capitalism) comments on President Bush’s State of the Union Speech [S. Oliva, “The Philosophic State of the Union,” Initium, 1/23/2004].  In introduction, Oliva writes:

“The president built his address around the consistent theme of his presidency: 'compassionate conservatism.' The exact meaning of his philosophy has always been elusive, but Tuesday’s speech provided a good roadmap for the novice traveler. In short, compassionate describes the president’s metaphysics and epistemology, and conservatism summarizes his ethics and politics. On all four counts, compassionate conservatism is a philosophy repugnant to the values embodied in the American constitution and the Declaration of Independence.”

In the context of these ideas, Olivia analyzes the following issues:  prospects for democracy in the Middle East, illegal drugs in schools, performance enhancing drugs in sports, teenage sexuality, gay marriage, health care, and education.

About President Bush, Olivia writes, “Bush may talk the rhetoric of a pro-capitalist, pro-individual rights leader, but his actions are that of a man who sees the role of government as that of a grand charity, where acts are judged by compassion rather than reason and merit.”

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