Charles Krauthammer: 'On Wisconsin: Smaller Government Is Still Alive & Well'

Source:Real Clear Politics- Fox News political contributor and Washington Post columnist, Charles Krauthammer.

"It's clear that this was about the most energized electorate; there were no undecideds," FOX News contributor and syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said on Wednesday. "If you look at the polls, everyone decided. Just about 86% decided a month ago. If you were undecided, you weren't paying attention. And it was extremely polarized; the issues were black and white."

"I'm not sure that you'd expect this, but you would expect that intensity and the divisions," Krauthammer said on the panel portion of FOX News' "Special Report" broadcast this evening. "But I think the lesson for the presidential campaign is for Romney, that he is extremely risk-averse by nature. There is nothing wrong with that but I think this is showing him that you don't have to be to win this election. You can try to win by going minimal, by running against Obama's stewardship on the bad economy and your credential as a businessman."

"But there's another option," Krauthammer explained. "And that is to do as well to add on to that the ideological element of it. This election showed, in Wisconsin, that kind spirit of 2010, the kind of if you like Constitutional conservative philosophy; smaller government is still alive and well and can be used in this election."

"And I think there are elements of the Ryan plan that Romney might want to highlight, either tax reform or entitlement reform, but something that is risky and bold and strong. I'm not sure he would do it but it would help him and Wisconsin is saying this is going to work. The electorate has grown up and they can take it," Mr. Krauthammer said." 

From Real Clear Politics

I think I agree with most of what Charles Krauthammer is saying here. But I take issue with Governor Scott Walker and the rest of the Wisconsin Republican Leadership as being Constitutional Conservatives. 

I'm sure there are a few Constitutional Conservatives in Wisconsin (or is it Wiscansin) but we're really talking about the Phyllis Schlafly, Christian-Right, populist, economic libertarian, but socially fundamentalist, wing of the Republican Party. 

Yes, the Populist-Christian-Right wants big government out of big business's and wealthy individuals wallets (as long as those wealthy individuals and businesses aren't Democrats) but they want big government in our homes. And to a certain extent in working people's wallets by taking workers right on whether they should join a labor union or not, away from them and having big government to that for them. 

The Wisconsin Republican Leadership, led by Governor Scott Walker, does not represent the Barry Goldwater Constitutional Conservative wing of the Republican Party. More like the Phyllis Schlafly, Pat Buchanan, Christian-Populist wing of the Republican Party. It's not big government that they oppose. They just don't want big government intruding on businesses and wealthy individuals that vote Republican.