Karl Rove Rejects "Big-Government Conservatism"

The label, not the idea. From Jeffrey Toobin's recent article in the New Yorker:

When I mentioned [Jeff] Flake’s objections [about the lack of fiscal restraint among Republicans] to Rove, he said, “I don’t accept the label ‘big-government conservatism.’ I think the object here is how do you fundamentally reform the big institutions of government in a way in which you drive them toward market choice, to the individual, to decentralization.” He went on, “Flake is one of the few people who are consistent. Because he will say, ‘Not only should we not have the prescription-drug benefit but also we shouldn’t have Medicare, either. But most members of Congress, virtually every conservative member of Congress, has said, ‘Look, we’ve settled that issue; we’re going to have Medicare.’”

See also "Big-Government Conservatism."