End the Republican Pity Party, Give Us a Contract With America We Can Support!

townhall.com ^ | May 20, 2008 | Terry Paulson

[laotzu]

[Don Corleone]

Newt may have had some faults but the “Contract With America” brought in huge dividends. We need a new contract loudly proclaimed. Sadly the Repubs all have lockjaw when it comes to conservative principles.

[Daveinyork]

By “us” do you mean Republicans, or Conservatives?

[Free Vulcan]

We have two great candidates running in my district in Iowa trying to unseat loony liberals Loebsack and Harkin. I’m working my butt off for them. If the grassroots works we can win seats.

[drypowder]

Go to FALCONPARTY.com, if you're truly a constitutionalist you'll like this.

[mountainbunny]

Uniting the party behind a “Contract with America” worked in 1984 because it gave Republicans a focus they could communicate that went beyond any candidate. Many independents found that they were actually “Republicans” but didn't know it. Parties ebb and flow, people come and go, but principles last!

First, the Contract with America was in 1994, not 1984.

Second, according to the Cato Institute's Edward H. Crane:
My colleagues Stephen Moore and Stephen Slivinski found that the combined budgets of the 95 major programs that the Contract with America promised to eliminate have increased by 13%. Republican congressional candidates are frightened to be associated with George W. Bush's sensible proposal to allow Americans to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes in real assets.

See: http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4463

So, what was so successful about it the first time that it now bears repeating?

[Condor51]

There’s nothing I can do that will make any difference in what will happen to me, so I might as well wait until they do it to me!“ Some Republicans are settling for an early pity party and hoping that the Democrats will falter and hand the GOP a November happy accident!

Oh yeah, well Mr Terry Paulson, here's a clue. This is how bad it is in IL.

Come November 'senator' DICK Turban Durbin is up for reelection and should be as easy to beat as a rented mule for all the slanderous, traitorous and seditious statements that (blanker) has made against our Military and America in general.

So what does the IL GOP do in looking this gift horse in the mouth. They find a complete NOBODY. Someone no one's ever heard of, and who has never ran for any office, not even a Homeowner Association as his opponent. He's a nice guy, an MD and a family man but has zero, nada, NO political experience what so ever. Hell I couldn't even remember his name and had to look it up -- its 'Steve Sauerberg, MD' and I just VOTED for this guy in the primary, that's how 'memorable' he is. /s

Jeezus H, if this was a boxing match the IL GOP would be investigated for taking a dive!!!

So excuuuuuuuuse me Terry while I have a pity party. All IS lost in IL and there's not a dam thing I can do about it. My vote means less than nothing.

[JoJo Gunn]

I saw that line too, and immediately wrote this article off as another propaganda piece.

[af_vet_rr]

What we need is a strong conservative or significantly right-of-center 3rd-party.

It may come down to that if we can't get the GOP to swing back to the right.

[Dante3]

If McCain is nominated, it shows we have a one party system. He is to the left of even a number of Democratic senators.

[gogogodzilla]

The Democrats have only given us a reason NOT to vote Democrat.

Nothing else.

[phillyfanatic]

I see where Cole and Boehner are thinking of doing a Newt type Contract and I hope it looks like Hannity’s that is on his website. This would give 10 ideas to have district people use as a foundation of Pubconserv ideas from which to mold as their district is situated. For ex., a strong national security, victory over Islamofascism, perman. tax reduction, et cet.