us. this is a solvable issue and we know how to solve it. it s not like the european debt crisis which i m not sure how you solve that one, but we know how to do this one. it takes both of the candidates to say, you know what, we re going to get near to simpson-bowles by the time if you elect me. that s great point, walter. we could all sit around this table and in ten minutes we could figure out how to slow down the rate of growth for medicare, social security, medicaid, over the long term, save this economy for a generation. now, how do we take care of the economy over the next two, three, four years? that s tough. but that s not our long-term challenge. that s not the existential threat to the american economy or the dollar. those are separateble challenges. you can deal with the long-term deficit and on the other hand how we re going to get out of this doldrums we re in. who are the i think there s some people meeting doing that. who are the leaders now that have the gu
competitive position. in your what is your research shown about the america s comparative position and possibilities over the next ten years? we are still the most inventive nation in the in the incredibly innovative and for one thing, the diffusion of the invention and it s getting commoditized instantly in asia. we can t rest on air laurels, as it were and say just because apple, facebook, ibm, cisco, google they re all american and yet those technologies are diffusing very quickly and adapting to where the people are and the profits are to be made. so we can t be complacent about it. also, we play by different rules, which does that hold us back ultimately? of course, it does, to some extent. one, the speed of human trials of bio technology. there s a saying here, we like to play with our mice.
temperament, tempo, style, is reaganesque. governor in terms of branding or rebranding the party, seemed to be doing a pretty good job, doing a pretty good job this morning at it, have you been vetted or are you do you want to be vetted for the vice presidency? well, i m co-chair of the campaign, one of the co-chairs of the campaign and we have a policy not to talk about the vp process so and i ve said look i think i can help mitt best in other ways rather than a potential vp slot but anyone would be moonered if they were asked. as to the process and who s being vetted or not vetted and timetables and related issues we don t get into that. you got knocked around badly by the mccain campaign. joe, i don t think i was treated badly by the mccain campaign.
i think they feel like things were just kept from the brink and god god help us, they hope it gets better. you know what, that is not the president s fault. what is the president s fault, though, is, he s the one that brought up the steakhouse analogy, forget that. so let s just talk straight. let s just talk straight. george bush left him with a trillion dollar deficit. he has answered that, by increasing the deficit for four years in a row, the biggest deficits ever, the fastest rate of growth ever, the biggest entitlement spending ever, the biggest defense spending ever, the biggest discretionary domestic spending ever, in every single category, mike barnicle, there is not a close second. if this guy is going on the campaign trail and trying to make george w. bush as a big spender i wrote two books attacking george bush as a big spender. this guy makes george bush look like calvin coolidge. mike, can i add? he left obama with a trillion
conservatives and others and if you just focus on one slice of it and say that s the whole party, well it s not. no one slice can win the nomination or election. you have to have a coalition and go out and earn the support of independents and democrats. if you look at this snapshot in time, we have a nominee in mitt romney who is know worse than tied in the national polls. in fact, in many polls slightly leading in many of the independent states doing better than say traditional republicans amongst women, doing better with younger voters, relatively, and pretty hopeful looking campaign at this moment in time. so, i m more optimistic and hopeful about the future of the party under mitt romney s leadership. he is a conservative but he s also somebody who s got a record of getting things done and results and the proof in the pudding. conservative governor in one of the most liberal states in the country cut spending, grew jobs, decreased unemployment, reformed government in many key ways,