Are tea party candidates backing away from promises to cut spending?

Let's hope not.  But in the time since the debt commission released its report calling for serious cuts in politicians' prized entitlement programs, conservatives have been surprisingly quiet after a campaign season hell-bent on cutting Washington's purse strings. 

To his credit, at least one newly elected Senator is talking about it: Senator-elect Rand Paul of Kentucky says the deficit commission's suggestions are nice, but not enough to solve America's fiscal crisis. 

It's gut-check time:

Paul (R-Ky.) wants the changes proposed by the bipartisan commission to take effect sooner, rather than over the course of several decades.

“The debt commission has some good ideas … but they are stretching it out over 30, 40, 50 years. I really think it’s going to be too little, too late,” he told Fox News in an interview to air Friday afternoon. “I tend to not think that proposals are too serious if they are over such a long period of time and they end up getting changed over that time.”…

“The report only came out a day or two ago. I guess I am just a little more bold than those in Washington,” he said.

“Those in Washington think a 30-year plan to balance the budget is bold, and I think that’s still anemic.”

Fox News' Neil Cavuto is also asking: where are all the tea partiers?