Congressman Sensenbrenner Answers, “Is Conservatism Out of Gas?”

In the continuing series being published by The Wisconsin Interest, Congressman Sensenbrenner answers the question, “Is Conservatism Out of Gas?”

Polls I conducted indeed indicated that folks were mad about the war, but a closer look revealed that people were also disgusted with government spending. In my district, those identifying themselves as Democrats increased slightly from past years; however, more notably, those calling themselves Republicans declined and they moved into the Independent column in search of a new identity. Independent voters in districts like mine went from 2-1 Republican in 2004 to 2-1 Democrat in 2006. So, the red flags were firmly in place prior to Election Night.

Republican leadership did not help the cause. Leadership became part of the problem, not the solution. We were plagued with allegations of leadership corruption as our leaders stopped listening and became much more interested in receiving support for their own power rather than worrying about the money that was flying out of the pockets of taxpayers. As Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, I remained steadfast in my efforts to produce legislative initiatives to further values-based conservative principles. I am proud of my work to help protect the safety of Americans through the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, Violence Against Women Act, Child Safety Act, and Real ID. In addition, we were able to re-authorize the Voting Rights Act, and accomplish Bankruptcy Reform. I believe these are good, conservative ideas that made their way to the President’s desk and are now signed into law. Good for us. Good for all Americans.