It is not surprising that Sandra Day Oâ??Connor emerged as the crucial swing vote in the modern Supreme Court, or that her retirement presents President George W. Bush with a most unwelcome headache. Justice Oâ??Connorâ??s appointment in 1981 emerged from the same dilemma that bedevils Republicans today. Then, as now, Republicans were torn between the pragmatic consensus politics necessary to govern effectively and the conservative dream of transforming America.
From the start of Ronald Reaganâ??s administration, ideologues and pragmatists clashed. Conservatives wanted Reagan to use his popularity to advance a revolutionary agenda that would actually shrink government, not just slow its rate of growth and that would undo some of the â??damageâ? caused by the 1960s rebellion in law, culture, bureaucracy, economics and politics. The pragmatists preferred a broad-based, red, white, and blue appeal to the great, elusive American center they considered the key to maintaining popularity and power.
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