I laid out my core principles in post #42. What are yours?
One: the Constitution; which the party of ‘smaller gov’t’ avoids like the plague.
Presuming they COULD settle upon a handful of topics, as you suggest (let’s take your 3 for example), they still have NO idea HOW to convey a message, walk-the-walk, FIGHT, stay on topic NOR do those 3 stem the tide of further big gov’t/debt.
Sorry, but the States are where the battles should be fought; whom can fight the Fed. We are already so far OUTSIDE of a Constitutional Republic, to hope that D.C. would reign in itself is foolish.