The Romneyfication of the GOP?

It's a word I just coined. It means to not necessarily focus on ending or cutting federal government programs, but making them better and more cost-efficient.

Case in point: this story from OneNewsNow about Sen. Rand Paul's ideas for fixing Medicare:

A group of Republican senators are pushing a bill they say not only fixes Medicare, but saves money and enrolls all seniors into the same healthcare plan as members of Congress.

The Congressional Health Care for Seniors Act (CHCSA) (S. 2196) was created by Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky). At a press conference Thursday, Paul said senior citizens in the U.S. deserve a "world-class health care system" that will not eventually bankrupt the country.

"This plan would give every senior citizen the congressional health care plan that we enjoy," he explained. "In doing so, it would save over a trillion dollars over 10 years. It means-tests the benefits and gradually allows the age of eligibility to go up. Millionaires would have to pay ... the full price."

The average U.S. citizen currently pays in $100,000 over their lifetime in Medicare taxes, but receives over $330,000 worth of benefits.

There's a certain degree of pragmatism that's trying to make a comeback in Washington, although it's being fought tooth-and-nail by the True Believers on both sides of the political spectrum. Standing up for principles is fine, but so is finding ways to make things work better.