The big problem with the the Contract in ‘94 is that they had no follow through. It was a fine sounding plan, but then they did nothing and lost all the gains.
“The upshot was that for the first time in 40 years, Republicans gained control of Congress. Gingrich himself became speaker of the House. John Boehner: It’s your serve.”
Does this mean that in ten years Boehner will become a quasi-liberal talking head sitting on a couch with a socialist and backing the most liberal possible GOP candidates against the most conservative possible one?
Gingrich was on CSPAN nightly telling the people of America about his Contract With America. He had a definite agenda and he reiterated it point by point for months on C Span before the election.
He sold the ideas through time and effort.
It worked. What a good idea. Who is willing to do it now? The [progressives) are still too confident to change.
they will continue to do ‘what brought them to power’ (my opinion).
The Republican’s feet need to be held to the fire with even more effort than we hold the Democrap’s feet to the fire.
We did have power in both houses for several years and it is true a lot of good was done, but a lot of chances were squandered away. We can’t just pack our bags and go home because our favorite party won a few elections. We need to keep the pressure on them otherwise the seeping corruption of power will infect those we have faith in and they won’t do the right thing.
Some of these are very good like term limits.
The one on SS won’t fly anymore than it did in 2005 because the country is broke . One could have made the principled/moral case that the shrinking SS monthly surplus should be saved instead of spent (phony trust fund) on other programs. But it makes no sense for the US to borrow money from China, to create a personal savings account for votes.
One thing to consider ... the first contract with America was a mirage. The 1994 election happened because of the AW ban in 1994. Gingrich stuffed the contract with America out there at the last minute. It did not drive the voters to the polls it was the gun ban that did that. Yep, I was there, was part of the de-Foleyate group, who dumped Speaker Foley. We ran all guns all the time ads from our PAC.
Polls and election turn-out are not driven by long wordy contracts, carefully crafted documents, they are driven by issues, like we are spending ourselves into bankruptcy.
Issues like I hate Bush serve to blind people into voting for something they would otherwise pass on by. Ask the Massachusetts voters what got them there ... one liners.
Oh BTW, the “I hate Bush line” it took years for the lame-stream media to make that stick. People aren’t haters, and hate dissipates quickly.
So my opinion, forget the contract and focus on values and principles.
— just my 2 cents
Let’s hope that if we have a repeat of the “94 Revolution” that the new pubbies don’t drink the Kool-Aid in DC and try to “can’t we all just get along” as their predecessors did.
Hey Congress,
Why not go back to the ORIGINAL Contract w/ America, the one that was written back in 1787....called the CONSTITUTION?!?
Think you can handle that one?
ANY Conservative contract with America is better than the Liberal Contract ON America!!
Words and contracts mean nothing without action and the guts to stick with it. Not sure the Republicans have the guts and/or fortitude to see matters through.
If it is to work they must remember the laws of Newt-onian physics. For every liberal cause their is an effect. Lost elections.
We bought into the “contract” back in ‘94 and were massively let down.
They had better come up with something more substantial than a mere “promise” this time.
Hollow promises made while their actions show cowardice or joining in with leftists will doom their chances.
Don’t give us promises, begin showing us some spine.
I will *not* believe a word of it until the entire leadership has resigned, and Reaganites are at the levers of power. To believe anyone else is impossible.