Posted on 04/17/2010 2:41:42 PM PDT by EveningStar
With a Democratic president’s approval ratings on decline and a loud right-wing opposition, many pundits are harking back to the Clinton days when then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich signed a Contract with America that got Republicans a 60-seat gain in Congress. Pat Buchanan joins them, but only to bash the Contract as “one of the most overrated things in politics.”
(Excerpt) Read more at mediaite.com ...
Pat Buchanan is overrated.
PB is a SORE LOSER!
ALL BUT ONE PASSED! It WAS BRILLIANTLY DONE!!
I keep seeing this statement on FreeRepublic. And it bothers me -- because it is so at odds with the facts.
The promise of the Contract With America was that a GOP-controlled House would bring all ten items to a vote on the House floor.
The GOP-controlled House did exactly that. And passed nine of the ten items -- only term limits failed.
Eventually, some passed and were signed into law (welfare reform). Some were passed...and met with a Presidential veto (energy policy). Some were specific to the House -- term limits for Committee Chairmen, etc. Some failed to clear the Senate -- but that wasn't Newt's or the House's fault.
C'mon man, give credit where credit is due. Name another party that has come thru on nine out of ten platform promises.
Term limits? That was your only issue?
How do you believe term limits would improve our situation? That would merely move the balance of power to the House and Senate staffers and the Committee staffers.
The problem is NOT Congressmen and Senators having "experience". Experience, in just about any job, is a good thing. The problem is Congressmen and Senators having become part of the Washington establishment and losing touch with their constituents.
That can be solved by another limit -- session limits. State legislatures get their business done in a matter of months every two years. There's no reason why Congress couldn't, as well.
If sessions -- and compensation -- were limited to 180 days a year, we would most certainly get a more responsive Congress.
What's the score for the Obomunist party?
Agreed. But that didn't really happen until 2000 -- when we got a GOP President who was OK with spending money.
Had we only gotten a Reagan, coupled to a GOP-majority...
Pat is a national joke who is only employed because MSNBC requires someone to serve as a caricature of a conservative.
Has Pat ever won election for office?
Who knows? They didn't promise anything like what they are delivering. At least, promise in public...
No.
They promised "Hope & Change".
So far, we've gotten "Change".
But there's no "Hope" in sight...
I said it was brilliant.
The follow up was a calamity. Total cave-in on the budget. Clinton back in by a landslide in two years. Don’t whitewash it.
The follow-through is the most important part.
TOON was my only issue; but of the contract, yes , I think term limits would have been the best to implement. I doubt that staff members would have been as imbedded in the system as you speculate, or as imbedded as they are now. But, that’s sheer speculation on my point, just as your guess is.
Welllllllll...............what can I do?
But agree...
Pat is a loud fart in a tin toilet.
Like any contract, if you sign it (and they did) and you “break it” ... then there should be a consequence. We are living through that consequence now. Republicans don’t stand for ANYthing either! Had they remained “under contract” we would still have a country. I’m not convinced this is the Democrats’ fault ... they are what they are. But with weak-kneeded Republicans as our “army” against them ... we lost, and we’ll keep losing until somebody steps up and starts poking some folks in the liberal eye. So far, no one really in sight. And as long as Lindsey Graham is allowed to walk around free, we’ve got a problem!
Bingo.
They did not break it. They said they would bring items up for debate in the House and vote on them. They did that.
They didn’t have much going on afterwards, but to say they “broke” the contract is a lie.
Beg your pardon, but they did break the contract. They did not keep with its ideals, they failed to follow through on its content ... they broke it. And it broke them.
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