The GOP Contract with America - has anyone ever read it? (vomit inducing)

[devilgrrl]

I have never read it all the way through until recently and... :spray:

Oh man what is that smell?

Gawd it stinks!

Oy!

Here! You take it!


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Republican Contract With America

The Contract with America was introduced six weeks before the 1994 Congressional election; it was signed by all but two of the Republican members of the House of Representatives, and all of the party's non-incumbent Republican candidates for that body.

REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA
As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.

That is why, in this era of official evasion and posturing, we offer instead a detailed agenda for national renewal, a written commitment with no fine print.

This year's election offers the chance, after four decades of one-party control, to bring to the House a new majority that will transform the way Congress works. That historic change would be the end of government that is too big, too intrusive, and too easy with the public's money. It can be the beginning of a Congress that respects the values and shares the faith of the American family.

Like Lincoln, our first Republican president, we intend to act "with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right." To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves.

On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government:

* FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
* SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
* THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
* FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
* FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
* SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
* SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
* EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.

Thereafter, within the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, we shall bring to the House Floor the following bills, each to be given full and open debate, each to be given a clear and fair vote and each to be immediately available this day for public inspection and scrutiny.

1. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses. (Bill Text) (Description)

2. THE TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT: An anti-crime package including stronger truth-in- sentencing, "good faith" exclusionary rule exemptions, effective death penalty provisions, and cuts in social spending from this summer's "crime" bill to fund prison construction and additional law enforcement to keep people secure in their neighborhoods and kids safe in their schools. (Bill Text) (Description)

3. THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: Discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy by prohibiting welfare to minor mothers and denying increased AFDC for additional children while on welfare, cut spending for welfare programs, and enact a tough two-years-and-out provision with work requirements to promote individual responsibility. (Bill Text) (Description)

4. THE FAMILY REINFORCEMENT ACT: Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit to reinforce the central role of families in American society. (Bill Text) (Description)

5. THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT: A S500 per child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief. (Bill Text) (Description)

6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops under U.N. command and restoration of the essential parts of our national security funding to strengthen our national defense and maintain our credibility around the world. (Bill Text) (Description)

7. THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAIRNESS ACT: Raise the Social Security earnings limit which currently forces seniors out of the work force, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance to let Older Americans keep more of what they have earned over the years. (Bill Text) (Description)

8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, neutral cost recovery, risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis, strengthening the Regulatory Flexibility Act and unfunded mandate reform to create jobs and raise worker wages. (Bill Text) (Description)

9. THE COMMON SENSE LEGAL REFORM ACT: "Loser pays" laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation. (Bill Text) (Description)

10. THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT: A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators. (Description)

Further, we will instruct the House Budget Committee to report to the floor and we will work to enact additional budget savings, beyond the budget cuts specifically included in the legislation described above, to ensure that the Federal budget deficit will be less than it would have been without the enactment of these bills.

Respecting the judgment of our fellow citizens as we seek their mandate for reform, we hereby pledge our names to this Contract with America.

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pfft! :eyes:

[Silverhair]

1. Yes, I read it in 94.

And it worked for them. Do you remember the election of 94? It was a stroke of genius. They nationalized the off year elections. Every Republican was saying the same thing. Usually those elections revolve around local issues. They made them revolve around national issues. They had one central message and stayed on it. We were scattershot as usual.

We laughed at it and paid the price.

[rateyes]

2. And, IMHO, the Democrats need to nationalize this

election in 2006 the same way--The Repigs are imploding, but the one criticism that is sticking to Dems from Repigs is the "no agenda" criticism. How about: 1. Raising Cafe Standards on all vehicles. 2. Making the Minimum Wage a decent wage. 3. Returning to Gore's "reinventing government" plan and implementing it again. 4. Fiscal Responsibility by paying down the debt by getting rid of pork projects and repealing the tax-cuts on the wealthy. 5. Getting out of Iraq. 6. Health care for all citizens 7. Toughen enviornmental laws 8. Amendment to constitution guaranteeing a "right to privacy" 9. Repealing the Patriot Act and replacing it with common-sense anti=terror laws. 10. Reinstate the Brady Bill. 11. Get our cops back on the streets, etc. etc.

Yes, keep hammering the Repigs while they are down, but offer an alternative.

[rwheeler31]

9. Revise

645 to the top.

[rateyes]

15. Yeah, I understand the order of priority,

I was just pulling stuff out of the air at the time, trying to make a point that the dems (we) need to sit down, draw up the agenda, and start communicating it to the American people--I'm sure other stuff to add--education, etc.

[Perky]

14. I hae been sayingt his for four years.

And honestly it gets little traction on the board.

I think that it is mostly becuase a large element which is coincidently the lefties...would rather criticisize, pontificate and excoriate the GOP then actually lead our great nation back from the brink.


I think the ten items should be different.

Body armor for all our troops now or bring them home... period.

A rebalanced budget in fice years.

FEMA a Cabinet level post with a Corps of Engineer type capabilty and a rapid response/airlift capability to get a battalion size force to a disasted as fast as possible

A Gulf Coast Reconstruction Corportation

Tas breaks and incentives for those who produce and thos theat buy Hybrid vehicles.

etc

[rateyes]

16. All great ideas...

and there doesn't have to be 10, we need a platform to run on that makes sense and what the American people hear, understand, and know its best for the country. Revolution is not just about tearing things down, it's about building something better in its place. We have to tell the American people what that "something better" is.

[devilgrrl]

7. "It was a stroke of genius."??? "We laughed at it and paid the price."???

It was BULLSHIT then!!!!

So what you are saying is that you have no problem that they made a bunch of shit and basically breached their "contract"?

Are you saying that Democrats should just make shit up that sounds good?

I haven't the time to the research but am sure some of DU's finest can report how the contract against america played out in reality.

Actually, that would be a great idea. Show the true results and post them for all the lurking freepers to read.

:shrug:

[cynatnite]

8. I left the republican party because of that fucking contract

You stated what I feel very well.

It was wanting to kick mothers off of welfare that disgusted me. That fucking contract said: Live like us or you'll pay the price.

There should be no democratic contract with america. It's TOO much like them and I absolutely refuse to be that and to even copy them is too close for my taste.

The repuke contract was a failure, IMO.

I don't know how it played with the rest of america. I left the party because of it and I want nothing to do with another no matter how ideal it might be.

[Silverhair]

11. It's sauces was that it got them elected.

That is what it was designed to do, and it worked. Do you remember what happened in 94? We lost. They won. That was what the contract was supposed to do - get them a big win. Therefore it was a success.

[Silverhair]

10. The purpose of it was to win the election.

Do you remember the off year election of 94? The contract achieved it's objective. They won big. It was a stroke of genius. I didn't say I liked it. But it did knock us onto our butts.

[devilgrrl]

17. Your suggesting that the Democrats should resort to the same tactics!

And I say BOLLOCKS! They can be beaten with the the TRUTH!!!!!

[Silverhair]

18. You are NOT getting the point.

There is not a damn thing wrong with us refining our message down to a few points and having everybody FOCUS on those points and get off the diffuse laundry list approach.

[devilgrrl]

19. Your posts didn't give me that impression.

However, this particular post does and we see eye to eye on the point made, I couldn't agree more.

Sorry, it seemed as if you were defending their actions. Fine. It was brilliant tactic - in a selling freezers to eskimos kind of way. :shrug:

[Silverhair]

25. Sorry. I should have been more clear. Anyway, now we agree. NT

[ClassWarrior]

24. That's what Lakoff says. Pick up "Don't Think of an Elephant"...

...if you haven't already. He outlines the Progressive 10-word strategy to counter the RWers' 10-word strategy. We should always define our arguments based on those 10 words.

NGU.

[Zynx]

21. When a party can run an effective national campaign, they win.

It is that simple.

[bluestateguy]

3. how are those term limits coming along?

Oh, right.

But, ooooooh!! They held a vote on term limits!!! I'm in awe!! One for the history books there!

[stevedeshazer]

4. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT *snicker* *giggle*

"A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses."

:rofl: :rofl:
:rofl: :rofl:
:rofl: :rofl:



"I voted fer Bush!!" "It didn't hurt me none!"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. They were especially sincere about this part, weren't they?

* FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
* SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
* THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
* FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
* FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
* SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
* SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
* EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.

:sarcasm:

[gumby]

6. I pulled that piece of crap off my bookshelf recently.

I think the main selling point of "conservatism" is racism. I pulled out CWA to check my theory. Yep. 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 easily fit the racist 'conservative' storyline. Rewards for June and Ward Cleaver with 'personal responsibility' for those welfare mothers.

7,8,9 and 10, while not as overt, still engage in defining who is "worthy."

[bklyncowgirl]

12. It makes amusing reading

It was tailor made to appeal to a broad range of people who were angry with their government.

Of course it was all bullshit expecially that bit about term limits but although the policies that were enacted would eventually benefit the wealthy, it is a populist document in tone.

Democrats should take notice. The lack of a centralized message makes them sound clueless and ineffective. Populism--even phoney populism--is very effective.

[Skidmore]

13. This document needs to be used against them. They need to have

their noses rubbed in this heap. What has the Rs done for you lately? That should be the message. Make it personal.

[devilgrrl]

20. Exactly.

Point out were they failed and expose it for all the nation to see!

[Blue_Tires]

22. lol...i did a report on it back in high school

numbers 1 and 10 were the most laughable---they were pure fiction, and the gop had no plans of enacting either one of them

10: yeah, right; as soon as the gop gets a majority in congress, they're gonna bring up the issue of term limits (of course, it was one of their top issues when they were the minority for 30 years)...i even put in my report a bunch of quotes from gop congresscritters (Henry Hyde of IL was most outspoken, less than a couple of weeks after the takeover) thinking that it would not be such a good idea after all...

1: oh yeah...balancing the budget, and line-item veto were initially democratic ideas, and it was the dems that fought to keep the issue alive while the gop conviently forgot about that, too...All those freshman realized there was a LOT of pork, appropriations, and other assorted kickbacks to be paid back to the districts that helped put them in office

and the rest were pure rhetoric---i seem to remember them only getting 3-3 and a half of those objectives done

[ClassWarrior]

23. Laura Flanders mentioned the "Contract" tonight, saying...

...they ALREADY have a contract with the American people. It's called THE CONSTITUTION.

NGU.