The Republican party lost in 2008 by abandoning our small government principles in favor of big government spending programs, an endless crusade to rid the world of tyranny, and federal government intrusion into our personal lives.  Conservatives need an articulate, principled, reasonable, and charismatic small government conservative candidate in 2012 that can broaden the base by appealing to libertarians and independents with a more inclusive social policy and a more humble and realistic foreign policy.  This blog will make the case for Joe Scarborough as that candidate:

Economic Policy:  Scarborough was one of a group of about 40 freshmen Republican congressmen who dubbed themselves the "New Federalists" after the Federalist Papers and was elected Political Director of the incoming legislators. The New Federalists called for sweeping cuts in the U.S. government, including plans to "privatize, localize, consolidate, [or] eliminate" the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Education, and HUD but were largely unsuccessful in their goals. Gingrich tapped Scarborough to head a Republican task force on education, and Scarborough declared, "Our goal is to get as much money, power and authority out of Washington and get as much money, power and authority into the classroom as possible."  He voted to make the Corporation for Public Broadcasting "self-sufficient" by eliminating federal funding, for the "Medicare Preservation act of 1995," which cut the projected growth of Medicare by $270 billion over ten years, and against the "Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996," which raised the minimum wage to $5.15.  Scarborough received a number of awards, including the "Friend of the Taxpayer Award" from Americans for Tax Reform; the "Guardian of Small Business Award" from the National Federation of Independent Business; the "Spirit of Enterprise Award" from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the "Taxpayer's Hero Award" from the Citizens Against Government Waste and the "Guardian of Seniors' Rights Award" from the 60 Plus Association. He has since been a frequent media critic of the big government spending policies of both the Bush and Obama administrations.

Foreign Policy: Joe Scarborough would focus our foreign policy on America's national security interests and delegate humanitarian missions to the UN.  He's a foreign policy realist that doesn't see negotiation as a weakness and would use force only as a last resort.  If the use of force is necessary, Scarborough would reinstate the Powell Doctrine of overwhelming force and a clear exit strategy. 

Social Policy: Although pro-life and pro-traditional marriage, Joe Scarborough would leave such divisive social issues to the states where they belong.