--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thanks to former President George W. Bush…" description: "\"Thanks to former President George W. Bush - remember the compassionate conservative? - I have a good name for the fundamental principle that should gui..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/christina-romer-16059_alternative_thanks-to-former-president-george-w-bush_785494.jpg" --- # Thanks to former President George W. Bush - remember the… ![“Thanks to former President George W. Bush - remember the compassionate conservative? - I have a good name for the fundamental principle that should guide the Democratic alternative: compassionate deficit reduction.” quote by Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/christina-romer-16059_alternative_thanks-to-former-president-george-w-bush_785494.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/christina-romer-16059_alternative_thanks-to-former-president-george-w-bush_785494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/christina-romer-16059_alternative_thanks-to-former-president-george-w-bush_785494.jpg) > “Thanks to former President George W. Bush - remember the compassionate conservative? - I have a good name for the fundamental principle that should guide the Democratic alternative: compassionate deficit reduction.” [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. “Compassionate deficit reduction” critiques the “compassionate conservative” label, urging a humane fiscal approach for Democrats. **In simple terms:** Suggest a humane fiscal policy for Democrats. Key Takeaway Promote compassionate fiscal responsibility. Themes politics policy economics Mood analytical critical Type political policy When to use this quote - campaign platforms - budget debates - public discourse Key Concepts public finance social welfare Questions to Reflect On - How can compassion be paired with fiscal prudence? - What policies embody this balance? A Different Perspective Opponents may view compassion as fiscal weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alternative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternative/) [Alternative Compassionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternative-compassionate-6044312/) [Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bush/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Compassionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassionate/) [Compassionate Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassionate-conservative-898948/) [Compassionate Deficit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassionate-deficit-6044311/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Deficit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deficit/) [Deficit reduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deficit-reduction/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Former](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/former/) [Fundamental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamental/) [Fundamental principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamental-principle/) [George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george/) [George w](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-w/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-name/) [Guide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guide/) [Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/name/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President george w bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-george-w-bush/) [Principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle/) [Reduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reduction/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Thanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanks/) ## Related quotes > [Cold-turkey deficit reduction would cause a significant recession. A recent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office estimated that going headlong over the cliff would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/cold-turkey-deficit-reduction-would-cause-a-significant-recession-a/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [Honest talk about the deficit is risky. Voters are more enthusiastic about the abstract notion of deficit reduction than about the painful details of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/honest-talk-about-the-deficit-is-risky-voters-are-more-enthusiastic/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [It's great that we've got a compassionate conservative, but to me, that sounds like a Volvo with a gun rack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/it-s-great-that-we-ve-got-a-compassionate-conservative-but-to-me-that/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I don't know what compassionate conservative means. Does it mean cutting kids out of after school programs, Does it mean drilling in the arctic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-what-compassionate-conservative-means-does-it-mean/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a conservative, and I'm a compassionate conservative. And I think it's important that Florida continues to move in that direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-crist/i-m-a-conservative-and-i-m-a-compassionate-conservative-and-i-think/) [Charlie Crist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-crist/) > [I'm a compassionate conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-engler/i-m-a-compassionate-conservative/) [John Engler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-engler/) > [I think in any organisation it's right to set out what you stand for, what you're fighting for and bring that together in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/i-think-in-any-organisation-it-s-right-to-set-out-what-you-stand-for/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [Compassionate conservative. I don't know what that is, it sounds like a Volvo with a gun rack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/compassionate-conservative-i-don-t-know-what-that-is-it-sounds-like-a/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [A compassionate conservative is someone who electrocutes juveniles but lets them have a last 'make a wish'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/a-compassionate-conservative-is-someone-who-electrocutes-juveniles/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [In many ways, Nixon started the modern notion of 'compassionate conservatism,' which as we all know is neither 'compassionate' nor 'conservative.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/in-many-ways-nixon-started-the-modern-notion-of-compassionate/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > ['Sympathy for the Devil' is just another way of saying 'Compassionate Conservative'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/sympathy-for-the-devil-is-just-another-way-of-saying-compassionate/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Compassionate conservative soft bigotry of low expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/compassionate-conservative-soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Compassionate conservative, that's like having a gun rack on a Volvo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/compassionate-conservative-that-s-like-having-a-gun-rack-on-a-volvo/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [We ought to deal with Social Security in a separate conversation that is not part of deficit reduction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-durbin/we-ought-to-deal-with-social-security-in-a-separate-conversation-that/) [Dick Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-durbin/) > [When you're talking about long-term deficit reduction, $4 trillion worth, entitlement reform needs to be part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-durbin/when-you-re-talking-about-long-term-deficit-reduction-4-trillion/) [Dick Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-durbin/) ## More by Christina Romer > [I think something that forces financial institutions to write down underwater mortgages, I think, would be a sensible thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/i-think-something-that-forces-financial-institutions-to-write-down/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [I think where I differ a little bit, we absolutely have to think about the deficit looking down the road. And certainly that's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/i-think-where-i-differ-a-little-bit-we-absolutely-have-to-think-about/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [You care about the deficit because it allows you to do things you need to do to help people who are suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/you-care-about-the-deficit-because-it-allows-you-to-do-things-you/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [The central question is whether Medicare and Medicaid should remain entitlement programs guaranteeing a certain amount of care, as Democrats believe, or become defined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/the-central-question-is-whether-medicare-and-medicaid-should-remain/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [The stock market crash in October 1929 didn't destroy a particularly large amount of wealth or make people highly pessimistic. Rather, it made companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/the-stock-market-crash-in-october-1929-didn-t-destroy-a-particularly/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [Tax increases appear to have a very large sustained and highly significant negative impact on output. Since most of our exogenous tax changes are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/tax-increases-appear-to-have-a-very-large-sustained-and-highly/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [The most effective way to shake an economy out of a terrible downturn when we're at the zero lower bound is an aggressive change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/the-most-effective-way-to-shake-an-economy-out-of-a-terrible-downturn/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [President Obama has repeatedly urged Congress to let the Bush tax cuts expire for those earning more than $250,000 a year. Increasing rates on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/president-obama-has-repeatedly-urged-congress-to-let-the-bush-tax/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [If every other store in town is paying workers $9 an hour, one offering $8 will find it hard to hire anyone - perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/if-every-other-store-in-town-is-paying-workers-9-an-hour-one-offering/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [There's a joke in economics about the drunk who loses his keys in the street but only looks for them under the lightposts. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/there-s-a-joke-in-economics-about-the-drunk-who-loses-his-keys-in-the/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [If increasing income equality is the goal, it might be wiser to put money into infrastructure than to subsidize manufacturing. Construction also pays good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/if-increasing-income-equality-is-the-goal-it-might-be-wiser-to-put/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [Recovery measures work better when they raise confidence - as Franklin D. Roosevelt understood. His fireside chats, and his inaugural address proclaiming he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/recovery-measures-work-better-when-they-raise-confidence-as-franklin/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [Making labor less expensive helps firms hire people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/making-labor-less-expensive-helps-firms-hire-people/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [The stimulus legislation, technically known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was a mixture of tax cuts for families and businesses;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/the-stimulus-legislation-technically-known-as-the-american-recovery/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [Tax increases appear to have a very large sustained and highly significant negative impact on output.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/tax-increases-appear-to-have-a-very-large-sustained-and-highly-2/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) [Explore all 41 Christina Romer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) ## More Alternative quotes > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [In my book I specifically discussed the structural nature of injustice and offered Nine Touchstones of Goddess ethics as an alternative to the Ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-p-christ/in-my-book-i-specifically-discussed-the-structural-nature-of/) [Carol P. Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-p-christ/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Maximise the alternative forms in which a user might receive a service, and the alternative sources of supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-chipp/maximise-the-alternative-forms-in-which-a-user-might-receive-a/) [Don Chipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-chipp/) > [In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering with a name other than their real-life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-roll-out-support-for-nicknames/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [It's American Alternative radio stations that bug me. We're considered Alternative, but don't expect us to be played next to Blink 182 and Offspring.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/it-s-american-alternative-radio-stations-that-bug-me-we-re-considered/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [There are some fantastic, brilliant alternative doctors out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-mills/there-are-some-fantastic-brilliant-alternative-doctors-out-there/) [Hayley Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-mills/) > [The alternative to the market process is government control, and we know where that principle leads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-richman/the-alternative-to-the-market-process-is-government-control-and-we/) [Sheldon Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-richman/) > [Alternative services would mean that there would be services available to compete with Google, Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, Skype, etc., and they would be run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikko-hypponen/alternative-services-would-mean-that-there-would-be-services/) [Mikko Hypponen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikko-hypponen/) > [I liked a lot of alternative and I like punk stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/i-liked-a-lot-of-alternative-and-i-like-punk-stuff/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [I've thought about what is an alternative word to feminism. There isn't one. It's a perfectly good word. And it can't be changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-ve-thought-about-what-is-an-alternative-word-to-feminism-there-isn/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [The Voice has always been an alternative paper. They have always understood that that was part of their role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-schanberg/the-voice-has-always-been-an-alternative-paper-they-have-always/) [Sydney Schanberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-schanberg/) > [Please don't eat less, eat right, don't hold it in, its okay to cry, do not hurt yourself there is always an alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/please-don-t-eat-less-eat-right-don-t-hold-it-in-its-okay-to-cry-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Gospel is not an alternative, it’s an ultimatum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhard-bonnke/the-gospel-is-not-an-alternative-it-s-an-ultimatum/) [Reinhard Bonnke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhard-bonnke/) > [Alternative medicine plays into this exaggerated notion that you can prevent disease simply by doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/alternative-medicine-plays-into-this-exaggerated-notion-that-you-can/) [Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/) [Browse all 400 Alternative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Thanks to former President George W. 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