None but a slim majority will ever willingly accept such an austere message, regardless of how necessary it is, or how steeped in harsh reality. Any immediate elimination of unconstitutional entitlements will have to be forced by circumstances out of anyone's control as the system disintegrates, and a societal breakdown will ensue as a result.
The only hope of turning the tide without complete breakdown is, in my opinion, a politically palatable, nuanced, way to wean people from the tit, and ease us off dependency on these programs. Something like Ryan's "roadmap", all its flaws notwithstanding, may be our last political hope - and even that will cause great wailing and gnashing of teeth. And I give his message a very slim chance of ever being enacted. Too many heads are in the sand.
So I think it's far more likely that my first paragraph is our future. But I won't stop hoping for a peaceful political solution.