In a recent hard-hitting speech to the New York Conservative Party, Rove told the audience that “Conservatives believe in lower taxes; liberals believe in higher taxes. We want few regulations; they want more. We believe in curbing the size of government; they believe in expanding the size of government.” That same night he emphasized the conservative reform agenda where ownership replaces entitlement, welfare reform supersedes government dependence, and Social Security reform benefits ordinary working people by tapping into the markets. He added that conservatives must always and everywhere oppose job-killing tax hikes.
In the hurly burly of Washington politics and punditry, Rove’s supply-side investor-class approach to economic policy is nearly always overlooked. While media mavens are constantly searching for “gotcha” political points, they seldom take the time to read the words that truly reveal the underlying philosophies and policies of our major figures. Anyone who takes the time to comb through Rove’s work will discover a deep policy thinker who has consistently given the president sound advice based on an optimistic world view of growth and prosperity.
Indeed, Rove is the rare political advisor who understands that good pro-growth policies lead to successful politics. There’s no question that Rove is in fact a brilliant political strategist, but he is also an uncommon thinker who understands the economic underpinning of winning elections.
I don’t think there’s anything to the case against Rove, but that must be left to the special prosecutor and the grand jury. My point is the economic content in this controversy. Let’s hope we don’t lose the strong pro-growth advocate we have in Karl Rove.