Arena of ideas?

While Mitt Romney and John McCain battle over who's more conservative on the eve of Super Tuesday, it strikes me that the Republican Party used to be more about the "what", or the ideas, rather than the "who", the McCains, Romneys, Huckabees of the world, all of whom are "soft conservatives". Most Americans believe the country is on the "wrong track". If the Republican Party wants to return to the ideas that once made it great, it obviously needs to remain steadfast on its principles of limited government, strong national defense, personal and economc liberty, etc. However, the ideas that won elections for conservatives in the 1980s have done their job. Republicans can no longer win elections on taxes, guns, and promises to restore traditional values. It’s time now for a new approach, including: the environment, health care, and social issues. All of the major pieces of environmental legislation since the 1970s have been signed into law by Republican presidents. In addition, you do not need further government regulation to be "green", but rather open up the environment to free market ideas especially when it comes to weening ourselves from foreign oil which includes the use of nuclear power. Health care is similar. What we have now are 50 states working independently from each other to provide health care for citizens of their states without any outside competition to help drive down costs. If we "deregulate" the current system and open up the system to allow competition from ALL 50 states, we can allow people to shop for the health care option of their choosing that meets their needs. By allowing market forces to work, we eliminate the need for a large government take over and the creation of another entitlement that, quite honestly, we cannot afford. The last idea, and perhaps the most controversial idea, deals with social issues. The social issues we "conservatives" align ourselves with, except for the right to life, are out of touch. Conservatives need to seriously think about prison reform, dealing with obesity, crafting pro-family policies, etc. A "genuine" compassionate conservatism that goes beyond the rhetoric of the last eight years. These are just some of the ideas conservatives can embrace to get the country back on the "right" track.