There is no real excitement—or optimism or hope. Its just like the candidates aren’t even very excited about the challenges ahead, but are just going through the motions.”

Well, my hearing must be faulty or I’m projecting my sense of things onto the candidates. The only negativity I hear is from Ron Paul and many commenters here (not you, though) who, for whatever reason project that the situation is hopeless if we can’t elect someone who reflects the perfect conservative philosophy.

I watched Romney’s New Hampshire speech and I heard (or was I only projecting?) most of the ideas I mentioned above. As well as a sense of optimism that things can be turned around with the right policies. Obama’s policies have been so negative for the economy that any new President who merely made said something to the effect that the business of America is business and that his government is going to get out of the way, would create a huge wave of new confidence. Maybe I’m just projecting my beliefs on the candidates. Obviously we are not hearing the same message.

I am afraid, in today’s short attention span world, this diffuse approach just ain’t gonna cut it.

I would imagine that if someone who wants and needs to work is unemployed–with no prospect of a job anytime soon, can’t make his mortgage, or car, or tuition payments, or maybe even buy the necessary diapers or food, he would focus in like a laser on any candidate who very clearly and, at every opportunity, told him just exactly how he proposed to get the economy, not just “going again” but “roaring,” to bring millions of unemployed or underemployed workers back into the workforce, and to even expand the work force and start America growing again.

I just haven’t heard this so far.

There is no real excitement–or optimism or hope. Its just like the candidates aren’t even very excited about the challenges ahead, but are just going through the motions.

So far, it has been about as exciting as listening to Wayne Newton sing Danke Schoen for the thousandth time.

Government does not create private sector jobs – only government jobs. The President and Congress can set the conditions where the private sector will have confidence in the future and be willing to invest and expand again.

I have heard all the candidates mention what they would do. Such as:
1. Rein in government spending. This makes more capital available to the private sector and lowers the expectations for higher taxes.
2. Unleash our oil and gas exploration industry. This lowers energy costs throughout the economy as well as unleashing capital investment and hiring in oil and gas and susidiary industries. It is like a tax cut, but has a greater multiplier effect.
3. Quit jawboning against business and profit and start cutting stifling regulation. This creates more confidence among businessmen. Business confidence has been destroyed by Obama’s attitude and full speed ahead regulation production.
4. Get rid of Obamacare, which is a huge disincentive and cost for businesses.
5. Put nationwide tort reform in place such as has been done in Texas. Reducing the threat of frivolous law suits frees up capital for expansion.
6. Make some changes to Medicare and Social Security that will lower the cost of the future payouts. Romney has mentioned that he likes Paul Ryan’s plan and I think the others have praised ( to some extent) that approach as well. The sooner these two programs are made fiscally sound, the smaller the eventual reductions in benefits willl have to be. And the more confident that people willl be in the future.
7. Allow corporations to repatriate their overseas cash without paying 35% taxes. As an example, Apple has $trillion$ sitting in overseas accounts. There are many others with stranded cash. Lets get the capital back here where it can be used to create more jobs.

Those steps don’t sound like much, but they would completely change the atmosphere for business in the country – changing a very cautious, head down, take no risks atmosphere into one where businesses and entrepeneurs are willing to take risks again. In fact, I anticipate that just electing a Republican President and majority Republican Congress in November would, by itself, have a huge positive influence on business confidence.

I am talking about a much more substantial, easily understood plan and explanation, a whole industrial and economic policy really and, if its out there, I haven’t heard it from any of the candidates.

Yes, there is Bain and “creative destruction,” but that is still not a solid, full -bore campaign, single-mindedly and almost wholly centered and focused on the issue of jobs. It seems to me that if candidates wanted to generate interest and enthusiasm and gather more votes, this would what they would be doing and saying. Bu,t they really haven’t done this to any great extent commensurate with the urgency and size of the problem.

No one is really running a campaign whose strong, explicit, crystal clear, central theme is “You want to work again? Elect me, and I will get the economy moving again–and strongly–and there will be plenty of jobs again.”

With all of this apparent dissatisfaction out there, how come none of the “real” conservatives–Sarah Palin comes to mind–have jumped into the fray, and offered themselves as candidates?

If you say that none have jumped in because they think they can’t win, or that they fear being chewed up by the process, I am wondering at what point patriotism, the horrendous shape we rare in and the obvious needs of the country trump personal comfort.