Lowering the Bar

From a Karl Rove speech today surveying the GOP's last 40 years of emerging from the wilderness (emphasis mine):

Republicans rebuilt our national defenses; cut taxes and spurred economic growth; ended "stagflation"; limited government's growth; reformed welfare and insisted on accountability and high standards in education; took important steps to protect and strengthen marriage and the family; and stood up against judicial activism and for constitutionalism.

I'm old enough to remember when Republicans at least feigned interest in limiting government, not its growth … but that was before the party became (in Rove's words) "forward-leaning and dominant," and also before Rove's client boosted discretionary spending by an LBJ-topping 35%.

Meanwhile, from the same event, some grumbling:

"We've seen the enemy, and he is us," said Tom Rath, a Republican National Committee member from New Hampshire describing the sentiments of some GOP voters. "We have to get back to the basics. Let's talk about small government and reduced spending, and don't let the Democrats take those issues."