Interesting tease to your article. Will have to read it later. I have wondered too about the "choices" we are presented with being mostly DC-ites.
For the next few months, what is needed is fairly intense discussion--and the Internet is ideal for this--of a considerable array of ideas, where no program and no individual is sacred. The more that is put on the table, the better opportunity to sort out what is best. Historically, the professional politicians do not end up by leading, but by following trends started by others. Conservatives need to better learn how to play the "game," because the problem with the past 75 years, is that those trends have been started by Leftists in Academia, and not by us.
Just some random thoughts in response to your comment.
Bill Flax