A quarter of the annual U.S. budget now goes just to pay interest on the debt we’ve already accrued. Yet, most people aren’t even aware of the difference between the debt and the deficit.

But they could understand, and respond. Just put it in more populist terms, lay it out, and they’ll be willing to sacrifice. I’m an award-winning, successful news media veteran who specialized in laying things out clearly.
Put it in layman’s terms - relate it to household budgets.

Both major parties shy away from the hard choices because they don’t want to offend a voting bloc. This gives the GOP no clear alternative to the Democrat spending agenda, because so far, most Republican plans have not been realistic balanced budget approaches (or, at this point, at least deficit-reduction approaches).

The lessons of the European budget crisis and being increasingly understood here at home. Lack of austerity and responsibility now will cost us more later. And we’re already paying for prior irresponsibility; schools, states, counties are poorer; law enforcement and justice are underfunded; the infrastructre is crumbling; national forests and parks are suffering. The list goes on, and if it’s explained frankly, that would provide a stark and visible contrast, a break from the glazed-over “Politics As Usual” approach which people perceive to be coming from both parties.

Ross Perot understood, when he broke out his charts during the 1992 election. He didn’t win, partly because of his perceived flakiness of dropping out and dropping back in. But he had the most succesful independent candidacy in generations, and affected the congressional elections that year.

Shortly after that election, when GOP budget hawks took power, they were chastized for “shutting down the government”. The GOP failed to explain that what they actually did was refuse (for a time) to raise the national debt ceiling.

The National Debt Crisis is getting worse, and when it’s made clear, voters can be convinced to understand, and to see the GOP as the only real hope. But the party’s response can’t be to make empty pledges of “efficiency savings” and just cutting “earmarks” (though those help). There must be hard choices made and it’s impossible to create real budget reform without trimming some entitlements. It’s a big convincing/explaining job, but this media pro believes it can not only save the nation and the economy, but also presents the Republican Party with the best opportunity to respond to perhaps the biggest issue eroding the global status and economic future of the United States of America.