Economic populism, not Gang of Eight immigration reform, will boost GOP's future

Here is what such an agenda might look like:

– Rollback the surveillance state: The government is collecting too much information on law-abiding citizens. The National Security Agency must be reined in.

– End the Drug War: Prohibition did not work in the 1920s, and it is time to stop breaking up millions of families every year by punishing non-violent behavior today.

– End deportations: Criminals and threats to national security should always be deported. But what is gained by pretending the American people have the will or resources to deport the millions of illegal immigrants who will always be in the country?

– Break up the banks: Big banks are not a product of the free market. They are a product of over-regulation and regulatory capture. Dodd-Frank has only made the banks bigger. It’s time to cut them down to size.

– Return infrastructure to the states: Why should gas-tax dollars go towards a high-speed rail boondoggle in California? And why should San Francisco bike lovers pay for Dallas’ highways? States should keep their transportation dollars and make their own decisions.