[distressed]

Sometimes we need to move the ball incrementally, not just throw the long pass

We've done nothing but move the ball backwards for the last 80 years...when was the last year the federal government spent less than the year before (other than after WWII)? We are staring the Medicare/Social Security entitlement black hole in the face...being satisfied with smaller moves backwards won't do anymore...We need a standard bearer who is unequivocally committed to cutting spending

[cripplecreek]

We need a standard bearer who is unequivocally committed to cutting spending.

She dropped out yesterday.

[pgkdan]

We need a standard bearer who is unequivocally committed to cutting spending

We have one. HBis name is Rick Perry. If you haven't already done so I would recommend reading "Fed Up' by Perry with a forward by Newt.

[LRoggy]

I think you are misunderstanding my post. Long term change in the conservative direction is just like building a business. The reason things have gone against us is because the other side took the long term view and seeded society in a way we didn’t. Examples of this are how the educational establishment has been guided towards progressive educational approaches, both in higher education and K-12 curiculums and hiring practices and in governmental regulatory creep.

When we answer that only huge, quickly installed budget cuts and complete regulatory reductions can solve the problem that scares a number of independents that we need to achieve our goals. Think of it as the difference in managing an enterprise: you have an annual budget PLUS a long-term investment capital budget. We have dropped the ball BIG TIME on the incremental long-term strategy in selling our ideas and allowed the other side to define us via the media and the educational establishment. We need to start to fight in those arenas, starting with curriculum fights.

I’m just as worried about the deficits and the entitlements as you are, but those problems didn’t grow over a one-year period and they aren’t going to be solved in a one-year period without throwing away the next election (think 1995 after the 1994 House elections). Hearts and minds is not just a military term; it is the key to conservative principles winning the idea war too. In a military campaign you plan a lot before committing the troops, we need to do the same politically.