Americans believe gov't is too big

CNN released an interesting poll today that finds that a majority of Americans believe Washington is too big:

A quarter century after the Reagan revolution and a dozen
years after Republicans vaulted into control of Congress, a new CNN poll finds
most Americans still agree with the bedrock conservative premise that, as the
Gipper put it, "government is not the answer to our problems -- government is
the problem."...

Queried about their views on the role of government, 54
percent of the 1,013 adults polled said they thought it was trying to do too
many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. Only 37 percent
said they thought the government should do more to solve the country's
problems...

The problems the GOP faces in this election spring not from an excessively conservative agenda, but from an agenda that is not conservative enough. Whether it is excessive federal spending, nonchalance toward border security, expansion of new entitlements, failure to address the looming Social Security crisis, or a liberal-like denial that we face a serious enemy in Iraq, both Congress and the Bush Administration have not been as conservative as their Republican base. These policy issues will have a much greater impact on turnout next week than the disgusting Foley scandal.