CHAPTER ONE • THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBlIC 11
The Proper Size of Government
Opposition to “big government” has been a constant theme in American politics. Indeed,
the belief that government is overreaching dates back to the years before the American
Revolution. Tensions over the size and scope of government have plagued Americans ever
since. Citizens often express contradictory opinions on the size of government and the
role that it should play in their lives. Those who complain about the amount of taxes that
they pay each year may also worry about the lack of funds for more teachers in the local
schools. Americans tend to oppose “big government” in principle, even as they endorse
its benefits. Indeed, American politics in the twenty-first century can be described largely
in terms of ambivalence about big government.Big Government and War. As of 2000, the Republican and Democratic parties were
almost tied in terms of support. Under George W. Bush, the Republicans won the presi-
dency and control of both chambers of Congress in the 2000 elections, but they did so
with some of the narrowest victory margins in history.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, appeared to grant the Republicans an
edge because they had a reputation for aggressive foreign policy. In March 2003, U.S.
forces occupied the nation of Iraq. Grounds for the attack included the belief, later proved
false, that Iraq’s government was associated with the 9/11 terrorists. U.S. forces in Iraq
soon faced an apparently endless insurrection. In 2006, the Republicans lost control of the
U.S. House and Senate to the Democrats. Many saw the war in Iraq as an example of big
government gone astray.Big Government and the Great Recession. In September 2008, a financial meltdown
threatened the entire world economy with collapse. Americans demanded government
action to save the economy, yet most programs aimed at accomplishing that goal turned
out to be unpopular. In the last days of the Bush administration, a $700 billion bailout
of banks and other financial institutions angered Republicans and Democrats alike. In
November 2008, the voters handed Democrat Barack Obama a solid victory in the presi-
dential elections, and Democrats increased their margins in the House and Senate.
The new administration took major actions in an attempt to combat the recession,
including an $800 billion stimulus package in February 2009 and the rescue of the auto-
mobile companies General Motors and Chrysler. Conservatives quickly grew alarmed at
the new government activism. In March 2010, Congress and President Obama approved
a major health-care initiative that had no direct connection to fighting the recession. For
many, this act completed the picture of big government out of control. In November 2010,
voters swung heavily to the Republicans, granting them control of the House.Republican Overreach. With government divided between the parties, many observ-
ers predicted political deadlock. In fact, in 2011 and 2012 Congress passed less legisla-
tion than at any other time in sixty-five years. A symbol of the impasse was the attempt
by Republicans in the House to use a periodically scheduled raise in the federal govern-
ment’s debt ceiling to force cuts in spending. House Republicans also called for major
tax-rate cuts, tough restrictions on future funding for Medicaid, and the privatization of
Medicare for anyone currently under the age of fifty-five. By 2012, for many indepen-
dents, concern over Democratic affection for big government was now counterbalanced
by fears that the Republicans might cut valued social programs. We discuss some of the
Republican arguments—and Democratic counterarguments—in the At Issue feature on
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