The main point of interest to fans of federalism was the way in which both Pence and Gingrich took shots at the current strain of big government conservatism that has been prevalent during the Bush years. They each cited the expansion of the federal Department of Education and the No Child Left Behind law as evidence of federal overreach.
"Our choice is between limited government... and the siren song of the central planner who says big government is good if it's our government," Pence said.
Pence was called out by a questioner who noted the contradiction between that stance and the stepped-up federal efforts Pence supports in areas including the definition of marriage and legal rights for the incapacitated, such as Terry Schiavo.
The question itself suggests why federalism, although widely subscribed to by the governing party, is seldom adhered to in actual policy. In a conflict of competing principles, federalism will almost always lose out to sexier issues.
