To this day you can't find very many people who knew what was in it. The Congress was won because Clinton moved too far left.
I think Newt knew this was going to happen, and he issued the Contract so that he could claim a mandate on those issues and get them voted on. It was very smart, and I am glad he did it, but I don't think it is why we won.
In every election we have lost (Bush 41 seems to be the one I remember so I will talk about that) the democrats have moved the center to the left by portraying Republicans as uncaring and out of touch. This is what they did to Bush 41. Remember how they went on and on about the economy, until you would have thought he was Simn LeGree? Remember how they portrayed him as out of touch with regular Americans?
The thing the right has to realize is that a lot of people are afraid of us. I have a family that is all over the political spectrum. Several of them are actually worried about Republicans being in control. We have allowed the left to demonize us.
Tator is right. You have to move the center over to our side. There is NO other way to win. If our ideas stood by themselves and could convert people, why wasn't Barry Goldwater elected? Why did Reagan have such a hard time with Congress?
In a perfect world, people would be convinced by the power of our ideas. We do not live in a perfect world.
The Democratic left tried but failed to demonize the GOP during the Gipper's run when he laughed at and treated their distortions and lies as lies. Then he beat Carter, and hammered Mondale into submission. THAT is something the GOP has refused to do since.
Steyn is right -- Dubya ought to slam his 80% approval rating and bully pulpit and bludgeon the Rats on a number of conservative issues WITH THE TRUTH. I think it'll work with most Americans...
Quite frankly, if George Bush can't convince Americans with truth and principles, insead of smoke and nirrors, the Republic is already well on its way to hell in a hand basket.