How about this history: from 1801-1808, Jefferson sliced one-third off the national debt. By comparison to GNP, our current debt is only a little higher.
From 1921-1928, Harding and Coolidge did the same thing (actually, the legislation didn't go through till about 1923, meaning we paid off one-third of the debt in five years).
It's not impossible, it's been done in the past, and what's important is movement. Where are we headed?
If Palin is the candidate, I fully expect Obama to win another four years. If Romney is the candidate, ditto. I'm not sure who will beat him as of today.
But a lot will happen in two years. If the Tea Party can muster another round of throwing the (right) bums out, and increase the Tea Party caucus, by 2012 there will be ongoing and significant cuts---especially if we take the senate as we seem poised to do. Obama won't be able to stop everything. They won't fund his nonsense (see, for ex, in the budget deal how they defunded the new IRS Obamacare agents!!) He will look, I think, much like Clinton in his last two years, talking about school uniforms and equally irrelevant stuff.
But that's IF the Tea Party can hang onto the current guys and weed out more RINOs and a few more Dems in the House and Senate.
I don't think it will matter particularly how conservative the presidential candidate is---Trump, for ex., isn't too conservative at all---but whether the person is perceived as a FIGHTER. I still sense that people are about to explode waiting for someone to really take on Obama and Reid. That's why Trump has such sudden appeal. (Has Palin has been silent on the birth certificate issue? I don't know.)
Right now, based on all the people I know who voted for Obama, it's VERY much like in 1998 where they do not want to admit they made a mistake, especially involving a black man, but they want to make him as irrelevant an impotent as possible. He would be hard pressed against a conservative who doesn't have such incredibly high negatives as Palin, I don't know, maybe a Pawlenty, or Rubio, or someone (I don't have anyone in mind). He would definitely lose FL and OH as of today, and MO would be difficult.
And if Ronald Reagan, who was clearly unelectable (it was in all the news), had been the nominee, Jimmy Carter would just as easily been returned to office. Good thing we nominated Bob Dole instead.
You've got some 'splainin' to do.
I don't think it will matter particularly how conservative the presidential candidate is..... but whether the person is perceived as a FIGHTER.
I call b.s. on your "fightin' RiNO" b.s. call. Still hoping for a Judas horse to emerge, to lead all the Sarah fans back into the RiNO corral? You yearning to get the Tea Party to catch fire for Mittens or one of the other "anybody but Sarah" trimmer/nice-guy candidates? You like Chris Christie, for example? "We need RiNO's with Executive Experience, who Know How to Get Things Done" -- like our just completed one-percent budget deal. Yeah, thought so.
Lemme guess. You think the Tea Party is eaten up with "gestural politics" that has "no practical chance" and ought to just go home and content themselves with working for RiNO selectees who went to Yale and Georgetown and Know How to Trim --- err, Get Things Done with Compromise and Solid Legislative Work and Consensus-Building and One Step at a Time. Right?