More Strategy

I agree that advocating fiscal conservatism would be a great strategy. I would be even greater if the people advocating it actually practiced it. Both parties have run absolutely amok when it comes to spending, and there is ample room on the right side of fiscal issues for candidates to exploit. Personally, I don't really hold out much hope of the Democrats embracing fiscal conservatism. Instead, it seems to me that the only hope for fiscal conservatism lies in fiscally conservative Republicans challenging their less-than-responsible co-partisans in the Congressional primaries. Furthermore, there really doesn't seem to be much in the way of political risk for Republicans if they vote out incumbents who feel that a dollar (or a few million; there's plenty of money to go around) spent in their districts is a vote earned. As you've pointed out, the Dems really don't have much chance of taking back the House until 2012 at the earliest because of the way Congressional districts are structured, and recent history indicates that a bloody Republican primary doesn't guarantee a Republican defeat in a Senate race. When it comes to spending, Republicans have lost their way, largely due to the lack of leadership on fiscal issues that is needed from party leaders such as Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, and especially George W Bush, who seems bound and determined to force the Federal Government to get spending under control by spending money like drunken sailors on speed until there isn't any more money to spend.