Conservatives agitated for a new Contract with America for this election but it was for something more definitive than this schlock. With two exceptions it would not require too facile a Democrat to take most of these and with a straight face maintain that they have achieved them, and adopt the rest as their idea.
Here are the Republican Party’s Principles for American Renewal as announced by Party Chairman Reince Priebus earlier this week:
- Constitution: Our Constitution should be preserved, valued and honored.
- Economy: We need to start growing America’s economy instead of Washington’s economy so that working Americans see better wages and more opportunity.
- Budget/Debt: We need to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, make government more efficient, and leave the next generation with opportunity, not debt.
- Healthcare: We need to start over with real healthcare reform that puts patients and their doctors in charge, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington.
- Veterans: Our veterans have earned our respect and gratitude, and no veteran should have to wait in line for months or years just to see a doctor.
- Security: Keeping America safe and strong requires a strong military, growing the economy, energy independence, and secure borders.
- Education: Every child should have an equal opportunity to get a great education; no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing school.
- Poverty: The best anti-poverty program is a strong family and a good job, so our focus should be on getting people out of poverty by lifting up all people and helping them find work.
- Values: Our country should value the traditions of family, life, religious liberty, and hard work.
- Energy: We should make America energy independent by encouraging investment in domestic energy, lowering prices, and creating jobs at home.
- Immigration: We need an immigration system that secures our borders, upholds the law, and boosts our economy.
Strikes me as just schmaltzy, schmoozey, schlock.
The “principles” as stated are not principles. What kind of principles use non-obligatory terminology — not oughts, but auxiliary verbs much weaker than must. The use of the term should is more akin to pleas, requests or a recommendation. Where is the use of the term we will? We have highlighted the soft word choices in pink.
Contrast the above to the September 1994 Republican Contract with America
(excerpts)
With the prospect of working control, if not numerical control, of the House in the next Congress, it is our responsibility to present a clear vision of how Republicans would govern. After swearing in the first Republican Speaker since Joe Ma tin (R-MA) in the 83rd Congress, we will on the first day of session cut the number of committees and subcommittees, cut committee staff by one-third, ban proxy voting, require a three-fifths vote to pass any tax increase, eliminate”baseline” budgeting and use honest numbers, and announce an audit of the House’s books.
After changing the way the House conducts business, we will change the kind of business the House has been conducting. Instead of passing bills that pile taxes, spending regulations ever higher, we’ll scale back the size of government to make it more efficient and ease the burden on taxpayers and small business people.
In the first 100 days, we’re pledging in writing to bring to a vote:
• A balanced budget amendment and line item veto;
• A crime bill that funds police and prisons over social programs;
• Real welfare reform;
• Family reinforcement measures that strengthen parental rights in education and child support enforcement;
• Family tax cuts;
• Stronger national defense;
• A rise in the Social Security earnings limit to stop penalizing working seniors;
• Job creation and regulatory reform policies;
• Common sense legal reforms to stop frivolous lawsuits; and
• A first-ever vote on term limits for members of Congress.
The Contract with America included specifications as presented by Rep. Dick Armey:
(Excerpts)
We make this explicit offer: Give us majority control of the House of Representatives for the first time in four decades and we will bring to the House floor on the first day real Congressional Reforms. In the first 100 days, we will bring to a vote ten bills that would have an immediate and real impact in the lives of ordinary Americans.
We will bring all these bills to the floor for an up or down vote, with open and fair debate, where everyone’s views are heard as we embark on a new direction for congress and a new partnership with the American people.
We put these bills in a contract so people can hold us accountable — and there’s an enforcement clause. We explicitly state, “If you give us control and we don’t do what we say, throw us out.” We mean it, and we take it as an article of faith that the American people will mean it, too.
Our Contract with America agenda was put together by everyone you see here today, working together to draft common sense legislation to address the many real problems where government can play a proper role. The ten bills that make up our Contract with America are available now, in full legislative language. Unlike the current Ruling Party in Congress that routinely forces us to vote on thousand-page bills without a chance to read them, we are not afraid to subject our work to the purifying light of day. We are making a Contract today to run Congress in the open, with the full participation of the American people — if they give us the opportunity . . .
Bill Paxon of New York, continuing (excerpts):
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 . . .
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT
A $500 per child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief.
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.
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.
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.
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.
THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT
A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators.
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.
The Republican members of the House and Senate and candidates should formulate as decisive a winning pledge and present it to the American people.
R Mall
