Mitch Daniels: Debt is the New "Red Menace"

AP

WASHINGTON - The nation's bloated deficit presents a threat to the American project greater than any it has ever seen before, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said tonight at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. And it is up to conservatives to unite the country in a battle against that menace, he said.

"We cannot deter it. We cannot negotiate with it any more than an iceburg or a great white," Daniels said. "I refer to the debt - the new red menace, this time consisting of ink."

Daniels delivered his remarks during the Ronald Reagan banquet at CPAC. Around 11,000 conservatives gathered in the nation's capital for the conservative event, which is considered a platform for possible presidential contenders. Daniels, who is term-limited out of the governor's office this year, has generated presidential buzz by keeping his state in relatively sound fiscal condition with moves like reducing the number of state workers and raising sales taxes.

He touted his record in Indiana, including the expansion of school vouchers, and suggested bold reforms to reduce the federal debt, such as establishing a flat tax or chopping through the "regulatory rainforest" inhibiting business. "Today's EPA should be renamed the 'Employment Prevent Agency," he said.

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He also proposed changes to Social Security and Medicare; for instance, he suggested establishing a Medicare voucher system - or "Medicare 2.0."

"The true enemies of Social Security and Medicare are those who defend an imploding status quo," he said.

Abolishing the federal debt is "our generational assignment," Daniels said. And while "every conflict has its draft dodgers," he said this fight would require everyone on the front lines.

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"If a foreign power advanced an army to the border of our nation, everyone in this room would drop everything and look for a way to help," he said. "That is what those of us here and every possible ally ... are now called to do."

In order to build support for the conservative agenda to fight debt, Daniels said the Republican party must maintain broad appeal.

"Purity and martyrdom is for suicide bombers," he said. "I, for one, have no interest in standing in the wreckage of our republic and saying, 'I told you so.' We have learned in Indiana big change requires big majorities."

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Building those majorities, he said, requires addressing the "stagnation of the middle class" and enabling upward mobility for all Americans so "that those without much money have a greater chance to earn some."

He also called for more thoughtful rhetoric and urged conservatives to "distinguish carefully sketicism about big government from contempt for all government."

"I submit as we ask Americans to join us on a boldy different course, it would help if they liked us just a bit," he said.

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2012 Republican Contenders

[noloyalisti]

The completely unfair and manipulated "free-trade" policies that has cost us trillions are a complete failure. Fake "free-market" capitalism has failed dismally and is undermining democracy and freedom all over the world. Privatization is one of the biggest scams ever foisted on the American people. Just look around at the wreckage.

[mollydtt]

Let's eliminate the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, and then have a conversation about trying to save the middle class.

[patocc123]

Tax the Rich 100% and see how much it will reduce our Debt. The tax-cut for the rich was wrong. We need to raise taxes on everyone but placing blame on that tax break is just a focal anger point where the numbers do not do much in the long run but in the short run will be used to win elections.

[Ericwvb]

If "stagnation of the middle class" is something that worries Mitch Daniels so much, why has his party pushed policies for the last 30 years that have moved more and more wealth & income away from the middle class and to the to 1%? Why has his party rewarded corporations that outsource American jobs? Why has his party (and the Democrats) signed free trade deal after free trade deal that pits American workers against factory slaves earning dollars a day in unsafe working conditions? If the debt is such a problem why spend trillions invading other countries? Or slashing income tax rates, especially for the top 2%?

[patocc123]

You mean the one party that signed NAFTA and the bills where the bulk of the deregulation took place. . . Yeah a little oversight lemmings never mention.

[noloyalisti]

The giant corporations and the evil filthy rich who run them are the cause of our economic problems, it was not social programs, infrastructure programs and educational programs or government jobs programs.

It is corporation paid inbreds like Daniels that have tricked a bunch of gullible, ignorant Americans that somehow him and his GOP fake free-trade wackos were not responsible.

[patocc123]

The Free Trade like NAFTA. I wonder who signed that into law. Oh yeah a Democrat . . . maybe its not so one-sided afterall. But hey as long as people believe single sided talking points you have a website to post on.

[bmirarck2]

I get such a charge over these morons. The "America's the greatest country in the world" crowd. The path they're leading us to is a "death spiral". Stop spending money, stop fixing infrastructure, stop R & D. The perfect formula for our demise as a great country. Let all the Asian countries surpass us. We'll spend ALL our money on the military industrial complex. What fools!!

[noloyalisti]

And Daniels and his corporate masters are the main culprit. These are the same morons who voted to give the already filthy rich even more of our money.

[patocc123]

I would like to see how a governer voted on that.

[mattrick78]

Where was Gov. Daniels when Bush borrowed money from China to invade the Middle East?

[RatPackSixGun]

It's too bad that the Dumb-as-Craps have to be repeatedly pounded by negative publicity before the sit up and sniff the political winds again and formulate some type of half-baked strategic shift.

This time it's probably too late..Barney Frank, Meeks and their complicit liberal cronies have already deep-sixed the economy irreparably.

[boatdocster]

Debt is the new red menace...

But when given the chance to end the Bush tax cuts, which significantly added to our current debt problem, Republicans did not walk, they ran to the aid the of the rich at the expense of country, extending tax breaks for the top 2 percent and adding 400 BILLION to the debt.

Social Security and Medicare are not the problem - the problem is politicians that took 3 TRILLION dollars out of SS to spend on other things.

Let's make the government repay that 3 TRILLION and see what Social Security looks like.

Here's a plan - ELIMINATE ALL AID FOREIGN spending. Sorry guys, we carried you for 50 years, and now we need work on our own books.

10% across the board budget reductions for all branches - even the sacred Defense cow.

Start pulling back from military bases from overseas. Many are relics - keep just a few strategic locations.

[RedWings_ninety_one]

The real red menace...GOP lol

[cepe10-2009]

He should know, Reagan, Bushes and their neocon cronies are responsible for the vast part of it $10 Trillion $$$

[RatPackSixGun]

I hate to break reality to you there slappy but congress is responsible for the budget purse strings. Both parties have over-indulged in Keynesian economic policy guidance and nation-state bankruptcy is the result. And by the way, you'd do well to understand Frank's and Meek's role in the financial meltdown. Both of which, I'm thrilled to point out, are liberals.

[TheKnowerseeker]

' ...addressing the "stagnation of the middle class" and enabling upward mobility for all Americans so "that those without much money have a greater chance to earn some." ' -- Bring back the middle-class jobs that were shipped overseas, and you'll have addressed that.