Sunday, April 21, 2024

Bill Crawford: Speaker Reveals Good Government Conservatism

Thank you Jason White for the boost to my withering hope that good government conservatives may one day lift Mississippi off the bottom.

If you have not read the Speaker’s April 8th interview with Mississippi Today writers Taylor Vance and Geoff Pender you should. In it, as conservative Republican White lays out his rationale for supporting Medicaid expansion, he reveals his good government conservatism. Here are some examples:

“My Republicans think that is the smart, common sense, business-minded thing to do,” White said, explaining that federal dollars would fully fund the first four years of expansion. “I’ll admit this. Most of my Republicans don’t get there because of compassion. They get there when they look at dollars and cents.”

Efficient, frugal government run like a business is a core tenet of good government conservatism.

“We see an unhealthy population that’s uncovered (by insurance),” White continued, pointing to input from business owners, hospitals, and doctors. “I’m convinced, and health care professionals have convinced me, that this population, this is the way to cover these individuals. Nothing else really makes sense.”

Effective government is another core tenet of good government conservatism.

“Now, if you come for the savings and stay for the compassion,” White said, “I think that’s all the more better, you know, to give these people a chance at some decent health care, some regular preventive health care that might prevent some of the problems that we end up – guess what – paying for anyway.”

Moral government is third core tenet.

“I’ve never been hung up on the names and the terminology,” said White, addressing political slams on Medicaid expansion for the past decade.

Decision-making driven by facts and research, not polemics, comprises another key trait of good government conservatism.

Some background: During his campaigns for governor in the 1970s Gil Carmichael advocated good government conservatism – constrained government operating efficiently and effectively like a business plus moral government providing citizens good education and economic opportunity along with a fiscally responsible safety net for the poor and elderly.

Years later, Haley Barbour practiced his pragmatic version of Gil’s good government conservatism during his two terms as governor. Relevant to the Speaker’s comments, Haley, at his 2004 inaugural address to the legislature, said, “If any area or any group of people is left out, it holds back the rest of the state.” (For more on this topic see my upcoming book A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives to be published by the University Press of Mississippi.)

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” – Psalm 27:13.

Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let me see if I understand this correctly: Crawford has acknowledged his departure from being a conservative republican; Speaker White and Crawford both support expanding Medicare; because White agrees with Crawford, then Crawford awards him with the honor of being a conservative. And, when the position is lauded by the uncomservative Mississippi Today for White's support of the position, it's got to reflect true conservatism.

Yeah I got it now; thanks for explaining what conservative governing is to us Bill.

Saltwaterpappy said...

"Moral government is a third component" of conservative government. The Founders recognized that moral government is comprised with a sense of virtue in its citizens. "Virtue" was actually comprised of four main qualities in the late 18th century--community, honesty, industriousness, and religiosity. Even though only 30 percent of Americans were involved in regular worship at the time of America's founding, religiosity was still important, even in a secular democratic republic, since it was an effective vehicle for teaching and reinforcing the "virtue" of community, honesty, and industriousness in a society.

Anonymous said...

If liberal Mississippi Today say you a conservative, and

If liberal Bill Crawford say you a conservative, then

You must be a conservative!

Is that what I am supposed to believe?? Got it.

Anonymous said...

it doesn't much matter what party is in power here,,,,,the only growth industry in mississippi is government.

Anonymous said...

Jason White will turn out to be a poser...no different than Shad White, no relation.

Anonymous said...



A RINO

Anonymous said...

Billy wouldn't know conservatism if it hit him in the face! Evidently, Jason White doesn't either! I never though Dilbert would be the best chance to stop government expansion. This is sad and disturbing. I didn't fully know all the liberalism Philip Gunn kept at bay. I didn't realize we had a Washington DC House and Senate. All government programs grow beyond projects and at rapid rates and are pushed on to hard working taxpayers to finance. That's not compassion or economic expansion. May God save us from ourselves!

Anonymous said...

I wholeheartedly agree with the speaker. Everyone knows more and more government involvement is the easiest/best way to sort out an issue. [/sarcasm]

Anonymous said...

@4:35 - yes, you make good points until you fall off the wagon and lose your credibility with the statement that Dilbert is the best chance to stop government expansion.

First, if he could control the votes in the Senate and he wants to make folks believe he does, he would be further into the Medicaid expansion than Jason White and Bill Crawford are at this point. Bill's cronies at the MS Hospital Assn thought that Dilbert was going to be their champion and push it through this year now that Gunn was gone and former Dem White was in control. But Dilbert evidently didn't check the credentials of his committee appointees and found that they, along with a majority of the Senate, weren't quite as excited to fall into this trap as he was.

And once you get past his failure to achieve his Medicaid expansion, you have to look at his education policies where his office is seen as a branch office of Nancy Loome and his policy advisor her partner. Then you get to his finally achieving through his side of the capitol his long sought goal to provide Early Voting for the state with the Senate's passage of his bill that was hailed by his Democrat Senators. All those while expousing his absolute refusal to consider any further tax reform while wanting to raise other taxes.

Dilbert wanting to stop government expansion? Almost made me choke on my totty as I read that foolishness.

Anonymous said...

8:07 was that a Tater Totty? Sounds like you choke on his often. Jason White was and is a Democrat. Full Medicaid Expansion? The House is the one pushing it with NO work requirement. Delbert stopped it at 100% and mandates a work requirement. That sounds like two completely different plans.

Republican better come to the realization that Early Voting at the Circuit Clerk's office is about the safest voting there is. And WORKING republican will vote more often that others if they had more options. It is the way of the future to get more R's to the polls. Some do not have time on election day and are not thinking ahead of time to make it a priority. Republicans better get with it on Early Voting!

Anonymous said...

@8:07. Dilbert's insistence of a work requirement could be the poison bill. Keep up!


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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