1. No tax hikes on anyone for any reason.
2. Focus on "all" spending; not just discretionary spending.
3. Take on the most "sacred cows"; start by raising the retirement age for social security.
4. Let younger workers put a portion of their retirement money in the markets.
5. Start means-testing social security; same for medicare.
6. No more "blind checks" handed out to the military.
7. Say no to "all" earmarks; no more bridges to nowhere.
8. A 10 percent across-the-board cut in every gov't program.

The GOP should get on the redistricting reform bandwagon. Rather than continuing to spend its resources engaging in micro-level political warfare at the state level--the kind of partisan wrangling that does so much to turn off voters--it should instead move decisively in favor of significant redistricting reform, and leave the Democrats as defenders of the status quo. In doing so, it will combine good policy with good politics, and return itself to its position as the party that truly cares about the people.

Michael Steele is a friend of mine, and I think he would be an excellent leader for our party as RNC Chairman.

"The main focus of what I would like to talk about is where do the Republicans go from here. I believe that former Lt. Governor Michael Steele was very astute in his observation from last week, which should reassure many in this room. Steele, when he announced his plans to run for the chairman of the RNC, said “It is wrong to believe that voters have suddenly become liberal. They have just lost any sense of confidence that the Republican Party holds the answers to their problem.” This is honestly a dead on observation."

Get back on track with a national agenda and Steele

I know of no Republican on the national stage who is a better communicator than Michael Steele, a leading candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC). Mr. Steele is the current chairman of GOPAC, a leading Republican candidate recruiting and training organization. Mr. Steele is also the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. Mr. Steele, backing up former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., was able to help Republicans take the Maryland Governor's Mansion for the first time in 36 years. It would be a monumental understatement to say that this was not an easy task.

Michael is the only current candidate for RNC chairman who has ever been endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee.

As to who, if anybody, will replace the current Republican National Committee chair Mike Duncan, Republicans are split, though Michael Steele is being mentioned a great deal.

Steele, an African-American, is a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and currently the chairman of GOPAC, which trains Republican candidates (and was once chaired by Gingrich).

Observers point to Steele's charisma and hefty resume in party building as a plus. Steele currently serves as chair of GOPAC - an organization which acts as an education and training center for Republican candidates and activists.

Fox News is reporting that former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is interested in running for the chairmanship of the RNC and may announce his candidacy as early as Thursday. Fox further reports that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has issued a statement disavowing interest in the post.

With the race for Chairman of the Republican National Committee heating up, it was only a matter of time.

On Monday evening, DraftMichaelSteele.com, a Web site designed to encourage the GOPAC Chairman and former Maryland lieutenant governor to run for the RNC's top post, went live.