But when it was time to aim for the White House, it was crucial that he get the tax music exactly right the whole strategy depended on it, and not just for winning the primaries. If conservatives came to think Bush was an ardent tax cutter, they would be willing to let him roam much closer to the center on just about everything else to win the heart of independents. He moved the party on immigration and education, ... but no Republican could have abandoned tax cuts and won the primary, or the general.