When British Conservatives look across the Atlantic for inspiration, which country do they have in mind? These days, it’s more likely to be Stephen Harper’s Canada than the USA.
The Republican Party does have some followers on this side of the pond, but for the most part they’ve greeted the GOP’s choice of Presidential candidate with relief rather than excitement. It’s not like anyone’s saying: “if only we had some of that Romney magic over here.” As for Romney’s rivals, the reaction of most British observers is one of horror.
But, for proper Burkean conservatives at least, there is an interesting, if obscure, alternative. His name is Jeff Fortenberry, a four-time congressman from Nebraska. Unlike most of his Republican colleagues, he has refused to sign a pledge never to raise taxes. But in doing so, he shows how conservatives can make a low tax message relevant to ordinary working people. Here he is in an interview with Rod Dreher of the American Conservative:
“My responsibility is to make judgments about hard, complex issues that I believe to be right. Simply looking at the status quo and suggesting that the tax code is sacrosanct and can never change, and that decisions made in the ’80s and ’90s can never change, is absurd. The tax code is weighted toward the ultra-wealthy and ultra-wealthy corporations, and has created an offshore aristocracy of people who can afford to hire an army of accountants and lawyers. This shifts the tax burden to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and others. I don’t want to see taxes go up on any hardworking American. We need a simpler, fairer tax code. Removing special-interest loopholes could potentially increase revenues and allow for lower rates.”
Here’s the same, authentic conservatism on the banking crisis:
There are obvious similarities between Fortenberry’s brand of conservatism and much of what the British Conservative Party stands for. The Congressman may not be America’s most famous politician, but anyone who can sell the Big Society to the plain-speaking folk of Nebraska is worth listening to.