“I think that we are agreeing on one thing: the Republicans need to make the 2014 elections a referendum on Obama.”
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Yes, but it won’t work unless we provide positive alternatives to his ruinous plans.
What I’d like to see is roughly 8 or 10 major issues addressed with a specific proposal for each issue, not unlike Newt’s Contract With America, which I thought was brilliantly conceived, but we didn’t have the stones to follow through. Get people talking about OUR agenda. Maybe call it Foundations of Freedom. Whatever. For example:
Taxes - eliminate the IRS. Flat tax, no loopholes. Maybe keep the charitable deduction and mortgage interest deduction.
Entitlements - privatize Soc Sec for anyone under 50, or even 45.
Healthcare - repeal AbominableCare. Eliminate all barriers to insurance competition. Encourage HSA’s. Remove all corporate deductions for employee health insurance.
Corporate Welfare - phase out 100% of it over four years, but lower corporate tax rates by a roughly equal aggregate amount.
Immigration - halt all illegal immigration, but encourage legal immigration.
etc, etc
Not saying these should be the exact specific proposals, but you get the idea. Keep it simple, but covering 10 issues makes it comprehensive and specific.
Unfortunately, I don't see anyone in leadership with the vision of Newt. The problem with current leadership is they would propose a "me, too, just not as much" agenda. We saw how well that worked in presidential election of 2012. Ted Cruz could lead this reform charge but the GOPe leadership would obstruct it in any non-public way they could and possibly publicly oppose it. There are too many in the party establishment who would rather have the Republicans stay out of power than to turn over the reigns to the conservatives.
Ironically, the Contract with America probably got clinton re-elected. With no real ideological moorings, billy jeff could take the CWA provisions, modify them some and claim them as his own.