It may be emotionally satisfying for Republicans to place the blame for the nation’s financial crisis solely at the feet of President Barack Obama and the congressional Democrats but it would be dishonest to do so. Undoubtedly the president and his party have made matters worse since taking the reins of power but nations do not embark on a downward trajectory without warning. President Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi represent the logical destination of the path America has traveled for many years. They took the baton previous administrations – of both parties – carried and are continuing down the same road. America is not in the midst of a one party calamity.

The July 18, CNN interview with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell demonstrates why many conservatives are increasingly wary of the GOP. Several of his statements clarify the results of recent Gallup and Rasmussen polls.

A July 1, Rasmussen poll revealed 35.4 percent of Americans identify themselves as Democrats; 33 percent consider themselves Republicans; 31.6 percent identify themselves as unaffiliated.

In June, a Gallup poll found 42 percent of Americans consider themselves conservative while 20 percent consider themselves liberal.

McConnell, as leader of the Senate Republicans, may wonder why the GOP, which is considered the conservative party, cannot claim the full 42 percent of those who place themselves on the ideological right. A review of the CNN transcript and the Republican record of leadership provides the answer.

During the interview McConnell criticized the Obama administration’s “gargantuan spending spree.” The criticism is justified.

Interviewer Candy Crowley pointed out, with equal justification, that a portion of the nation’s $13 trillion deficit can be traced back to eight years of a Republican administration.

Ignoring the question, McConnell replied, “Well, the issue is not whether the public thought Republicans spent more than they should have. The issue is when do we stop doing this?”

Actually, Republican spending is a significant issue. Throughout the years the public has heard noises from the GOP regarding less expensive and less intrusive government. The 1994 Contract With America addressed such matters but despite Republican victories at the polls, spending did not subside. In fact, the budgets of 95 key programs the Contract pledged to abolish rose by 13 percent in 2000.

To her credit, Crowley continued her line of questioning and asked, “Did you spend more than you should have as Republicans?”

The honest answer would have been a simple, direct, “Yes, we did.”

Naturally McConnell did not offer that response. He said, “Look, if you put it in comparison, as I just pointed out, we’ve been on a gargantuan spending spree for the last year and a half, far more than any deficits that were run up in the early part of the decade. This is – this is a serious matter. At what point do we pivot and do something about this?”

If this is such a “serious matter” why did the senator litter his ‘answer’ with a bunch of mushy words that said, basically, nothing?

McConnell wasn’t through embarrassing himself or his party. Crowley asked about whether the Bush tax cuts should be extended or allowed to expire.

The minority leader said he didn’t think it was good policy to raise taxes in the current economic climate. So far so good.

After more discussion on how to best deal with the deficit Crowley asked a straightforward question: “OK, could … you say categorically that you would never support a tax increase?”

McConnell: “I can say categorically that I don’t think it’s a good idea to raise taxes in the middle of a recession…”

Crowley: “…absent a recession, do you see a time when you’re going to have to raise taxes in order to get rid of a $13 trillion debt?”

McConnell: “Well, you can’t say absent a recession. We’re in the middle of a major economic slowdown.”

Crowley: “Oh, the recession wouldn’t always be there.”

McConnell: “The issue is what are we going to do now in the middle of this economic slowdown.”

Good grief, Senator McConnell – everyone knows you’re a politician. You needn’t keep reminding everybody by dodging questions and juggling words like a circus performer. The senator’s answers are proof of the old saying: Political power does not transform a man, it exposes him.

It should not have been difficult for McConnell to say, “People are taxed too much, not too little. We didn’t tax our way to a $13 trillion deficit, we spent our way there. We won’t improve the economy by taking more money from people and businesses that need their resources to spend, save and invest.”

But McConnell couldn’t bring himself to say it. It’s almost as if he didn’t want to get caught in the trap that ensnared George H.W. Bush who, at the 1998 Republican National Convention, declared, “Read my lips, no new taxes.” The phrase became the cornerstone for Bush’s presidential run. Naturally, as president, he raised taxes.

November looks good for Republicans – for now. They do themselves no favor by ignoring their past. When President Bill Clinton left the White House, 18 percent of GDP was being spent on the government.  He was succeeded by President George W. Bush and when he left office that 18 percent had moved up to 21 percent of GDP.

Republicans are rightly outraged by Obama’s fiscal policies but their indignation would be more credible if they were candid about their own record.

It was not the war alone that drove Republican spending. With the prescription drug benefit and “No Child Left Behind” Bush and a Republican majority enacted the largest expansion of the entitlement state since the Great Society.

There are more conservatives than Republicans. Why? Because ideas and actions matter more than political affiliation. Republican politicians should remember that.

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