[GonzoGOP]

Low spending? Low deficits? Balanced budgets? Or don't those things matter

Interestingly a supply sider would say those are results, rather than methods. Low regulation allows for a much smaller government and hence low spending. Low deficits are a natural result of trying to keep a stable currency since high debt loads cause inflation. Balanced budgets, see low deficits. Finally in a high real growth environment it is easy to raise tax revenue, reduce social services payouts, all while dropping tax rates. That makes it a lot easier to balance the budget.

But you don't start out trying to balance the budget as some sort of holy grail. Otherwise you would just take the Democrat idea of massive heavy tax burdens to pay off the debt.

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Low deficits are a natural result of trying to keep a stable currency since high debt loads cause inflation.

Sounds like it's the other way around: stable currency being a natural result of less spending and debt.

Finally in a high real growth environment it is easy to raise tax revenue, reduce social services payouts, all while dropping tax rates. That makes it a lot easier to balance the budget.

You'd think so. But it hasn't happened that way in recent years. Keeping taxes low convinced politicians that they didn't have to cut spending, not that they needed to.

When somebody starts banging the "pro-growth" drum, listen carefully to make sure the tune doesn't end with "deficits don't matter."

None of this lets Romney off the hook, of course. But I'd be wary of "Club for Growth" types attempting purges when they also have things to answer for themselves.