What is a "Compassionate Conservative"?

Compassionate Conservatives argue liberate the poor from dependency through welfare reform, which reinforced self-defeating attitudes.free their communities from criminal anarchy through activist policing, give them the education they need to succeed in a modern economy by holding their schools accountable, and let them enjoy the rewards of work by taxing their modest wages lightly or not at all. For the worst off—those hampered by addiction or alcohol or faulty socialization—let the government pay private organizations, especially religious ones, to help. Such people need a change of heart to solve their problems, the president himself deeply believed; and while a clergyman or a therapist might help them, a bureaucrat couldn’t.

"Is compassion beneath us? Is mercy below us? Should our party be led by someone who boasts of a hard heart?" I am proud to be a compassionate conservative. I welcome the label. And on this ground, I'll take my stand. [...] I am running because my party must match a conservative mind with a compassionate heart, And I'm running to win."