Consider the tax bill the House just passed. So far he's off to a rocky start. He said that he would sign the tax bill into law without expressing any reservations about the government giveaways the bill is loaded with. Unfortunately for the country, whenever lobbyists win, ordinary citizens with no clout and no money lose. The governor needs to give voters a reason to believe that he will respond to the needs of all Americans, even if they'll never turn up on his contributor list or at his fund-raising parties.
Compassionate conservatism is a powerful message.
But it has to be more than just the sugary icing on a cake made from all the old ingredients. Otherwise Bush will remain vulnerable to accusations that he is being bought at the high-priced auction presidential campaigns have become.