As November approaches, the beltway wonders if the Republicans will produce a new ‘Contract with America.’ How about this: adopt the Constitution as the platform.

Aviation innovator Kelly Johnson reminded us all to KISS – “keep it simple, stupid.”

Every American loves freedom, liberty, and the Constitution. Why come up with new packaging for the same brilliant ideas embedded in our founding document? No proposal the RNC develops can ever be as popular as the Constitution.

Republicans, being supposed conservatives, have nothing left to conserve but the Constitution. We can’t endorse the big government policies of the last 10 years – both the Bush and Obama years. In this age of bailouts and trillion-dollar deficits, America craves limited government.

Coincidentally, the Constitution is the original mandate for limited government. “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite,” said the father of the Constitution, James Madison.

Article 1, Section 8 lays down the limited powers of the federal government. Bailouts, commercial mandates, entitlements, and much of what Washington does exceeds this defined role. In the name of progressivism, politicians forgot about adding powers through amendment and acted instead through judicial decree.

We trampled our Constitution, turning it from a functional, living document into a worthless, dead piece of paper.

America needs redemption now more than ever. As the debt grows exponentially, we can’t afford to pay the interest, much less the principle. The bureaucracies continue to explode, and our entitlement system is unsustainable. Federalism is our best hope.

The 10th Amendment affirms all powers not in the Constitution go to “the States respectively, or to the people.” Washington’s failure to micromanage everything from the economy to the education system reaffirms the wisdom of the founders.

An immediate return to constitutional government is unrealistic. Too many people rely on prior government promises to tear it all away, but we can start the process by rolling back and replacing programs with policies like Rep. Paul Ryan‘s Roadmap for America’s Future.

November presents a – maybe the — pivotal moment to stop the government’s fiscal collision course with the debt. If the Pelosi-Reid-Obama machine keeps churning, young people like me will be shackled with crippling taxes for the rest of our lives.

A constitutional platform poses the best chance for the GOP to take back both houses of Congress – the key to fighting Obama’s spending spree – and return the nation to solvency.

Two important constituencies, the Tea Party and young people, show a propensity to the Constitution and remain up for grabs in 2010 and 2012.

“Freedom, Liberty, and the Constitution” offer a fresh alternative to “Hope” and “Change.” The RNC would prove their incompetence if they continue to ignore these principled slogans. These words poll well and represent the inherent, unobscure ideals Americans cling to.

A perfect platform presents the core beliefs of the party geared toward attracting the maximum number of voters. The Constitution appeals to every American, yet no party attempts to use the document in this form. Michael Steele, get on it.