Former Reagan AG Helped Popularize 'Constitutional Conservatism' Catchphrase
Former Reagan administration Attorney General Edwin Meese led the effort to restore “fundamental constitutional values.” Now his influence extends to the “constitutional conservatism” movement.
Meese is “the prime mover” behind the so-called Mount Vernon Statement used to rally Republicans last winter, according to Lincoln Caplan in an Editorial Observer column for the New York Times. The statement uses the “constitutional conservatism” catchphrase and espouses five principles: limited government; individual liberty; free enterprise; advancing freedom, opposing tyranny; and defending family, neighborhood, community and faith.
The statement calls for a return to founding principles. “At this important time, we need a restatement of constitutional conservatism grounded in the priceless principle of ordered liberty articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution,” the statements says.
Caplan calls the Mount Vernon Statement “a vague, highly selective catchall” that doesn’t mention “We the people” or “the general welfare.” He says the “constitutional conservatism” phrase is tied to a radical vision and is often used to oppose everything from health-care reform to the General Motors bailout.
“The anger felt by those who favor constitutional conservatism is potent,” Caplan writes. “Call the slogan vague. Call it arrogant. It would be shortsighted to dismiss this increasingly used rallying cry.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Glenn Beck’s Book Discovery Becomes Tea Party Constitutional Inspiration”
