'Simplifying' the tax code could be ideological, but it's only overtly political given the interest groups of those who profit from complicated taxes.
But by that virtue - every little policy of every government agency implies 'politics' and so we'll get nowhere.
There's quite a lot of things that Americans widely support, even on some of the heavy 'litmus' issues, it's surprising how much Americans have in common.
So yes, you're right, everything would be pulled apart by Fox and MSNBC, but there's a lot that would be less divisive.
> "clean out the cobwebs"
This isn't specific enough to respond to.
> "get rid of a bunch of old laws"
Which ones, and why? Sure there are probably some like where people can tie up horses or something that aren't especially relevant, but having them there causes no harm because they aren't used.
> "clean up the tax code"
There is no way to do this without creating winners and losers. Choosing who wins and who loses is a political act.
> "take on the public unions"
Taking on unions is one of the most political acts you can do. Whether or not it is "right", unions are a powerbase of some political groups.
> "operational house cleaning that has nothing to do with politics"
What - specifically - do you mean? The two examples you give here are highly political.
You realize that every single thing you said there is political, right?