President Dwight Eisenhower is considered today to be a liberal
Republican because he was not as dedicated to the idea of small government as modern Republicans
are. He was also fairly pro-civil rights, as can be seen by his actions during the Little Rock
crisis in the late '50s.
Today, Republicans are known for their
desire to make deep cuts in government spending. This can be seen in the current debate between
Democrats and Republicans over the budget. Eisenhower was not interested in making these kinds of
cuts, however. For example, Eisenhower was the one who had the federal government create the huge
interstate highway system. He also pushed for legislation that increased the number of people who
qualified for Social security and he increased the level of benefits. He allowed the minimum wage
to increase and he (unthinkable for a Republican today) thought the government should provide
health insurance for people.
All of these attitudes would be out of
place in today's more conservative Republican Party and so we characterize Eisenhower as a
liberal Republican.
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