Prior to the 1994 election, Democrats had been in control of the US House of Representatives for 40 years. Then Republicans under the leadership of soon-to-be Speaker Newt Gingrich tried something different. We put what we would do if Americans elected us down on paper, in writing, and signed it.
It was called the Contract with America. I was one of the signatories, and we, and I, won. We promised to have an open debate, and vote on 10 specific items, within the first hundred days, if we were elected. And we did.
We couldn’t promise that everything would pass. But most of it did. And America benefited.
After Democrats took over everything several years ago, the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, and moved forward with their left-wing agenda, you might remember that I blogged that maybe it was time for a Contract with America II. Behind the scenes I’ve been pushing this idea since then.
Well, I’m happy to say, even Republicans get it right sometimes. Last Friday we released to the public what amounts to another Contract with America, this time appropriately called Commitment to America.
There’s an awful lot in it, but the following are some of the most important commitments. We are committed to pushing for a strong economy. How? Well by reversing the Democrats’ policies which have led to inflation and higher and higher costs on virtually everything. How specifically? By curbing the exorbitant Washington spending and reversing the anti-energy-producing policies which have taken us from energy independence which we’d finally attained, to being reliant upon the likes of Russia, the Middle East, and Venezuela. And if we really want a strong economy, we need to move our supply chain away from China by dramatically expanding US manufacturing.
Next, Americans deserve to live in a nation that’s once again safe. That begins with securing our southern border, where drug cartels have been smuggling in dangerous drugs like fentanyl and killing tens of thousands of Americans. It means funding, not defunding, our police (like my opponent this time, leftist Greg Landsman, tried to do in Cincinnati.) And it means investing in a much stronger national defense to counter the Chinese Communist Party, which is seeking to replace the United States as the world’s premier power. They and their allies like Russia and Iran want to replace the freedom-loving countries led by the United States, with their brand of authoritarian government.
Third, the Commitment to America‘s agenda is to strive for a future that’s built on freedom. That means freedom in education. It means passage of a Parents’ Bill of Rights. School choice, sometimes referred to as opportunity scholarships or vouchers, will be prominent. Kids shouldn’t be stuck in failing urban schools. And families shouldn’t be stuck on inferior government-mandated healthcare. Competition in healthcare choices will lead to lower healthcare prices and more life-saving cures so people will live longer and healthier lives.
And finally, we deserve a government that’s accountable. The Democrats have been covering up for the Biden administration‘s many failures: the debacle-of-a pullout from Afghanistan, the disaster at our southern border, and the skyrocketing crime rates (particularly homicides in especially urban areas) across the country. We are committed to holding rigorous oversight hearings to rein in the Biden administration’s alleged abuses of power, corruption, and incompetency, and replace these shortcomings with full transparency.
There’s a lot more in the Commitment to America than I’ve mentioned here, but it gives you a pretty good idea of the direction Republicans would like to take the country if we are successful in this year‘s elections. Another reason I like the idea of a highly visible platform like the Contract with America and this time the Commitment to America, is that campaigns have gotten so negative over the years that candidates have a tendency to spend all their time talking about what’s wrong with the other guy. I think the public deserves to know not just what candidates are against, but what they’re for. Then voters will have the opportunity to make an informed choice.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this week’s somewhat longer than usual blog. But I wanted to give you the opportunity of knowing what Republicans will do if we are successful in approximately 41 days from now. Remember in November.
