"The Era of Big Government is Over"

That's what President Bill Clinton famously said in his 1994 State of the Union address, after the Democrats lost control of the Congress, led by Newt Gingrich (now of a colleague of mine at The American Enterprise Institute --- and doing a hundred different things at once. )

No it isn't. President George W. Bush is a big spender when programs work --- that's at the root of "compassionate conservatism."

It's also at the root of Neo-Conservatism, which is why I proudly call myself one.
Best,
Ben