The Contract with America...12 Years Later

[maxrandb]

With another historical mid-term election approaching, I thought it would be nice to look back at what the Republicans promised, and compare it to what they have actually done. I hadn't looked at this "little ditty" in a while. It appears that they were lying to Americans then, just as they are lying to American now. Let's take a look.

My comments are in bold, and I would appreciate DU's take on it as well. Let's not forget. The House check-writing scandal, hate radio, and Clinton's mis-steps helped them win 1994, but this was also used to convince Americans that they knew what they were doing. How foolish America was to believe them.

FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
Except for pension laws, bankruptcy laws, and if you're Tom Delay, you get a special exemption. We also will impeach a Democratic President for lying about an extra-marital affair, but lying about war that results in thousands of deaths is A-OK if said President has an R after his name

SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse; HA, HA, HA, HA, HA,...How's that working out for you America? We don't know Jack (Abrahamhoff), Kenny Boy who?? the Dukester??? We were going to do this, but our big corporate donors objected. You know how that goes.

THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third; we might have done this, but who cares, and really, it sounds good, but it doesn't save much money, not when we have to invest all that money to hack into the Democrats computers. Didn't know that we did that? See the restoring integrity part that comes later

FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs; you didn't really believe that did you?

FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee; ha, ha, ha, ha...did you see Frist casting all those proxy votes during the Schiavo case. We realized once we got in power, it might be necessary to vote for each other sometimes. It's the only way we could keep ole' Strom going for so long

SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;unless they deal with national security, budgets, medicare, social security, disaster preparedness, terrorism, oil drilling and exploration, energy policy, fiscal policy, etc.

SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase; we solved this by just refusing to call a tax increase a tax increase. If we increase the fees for something, or send unfunded mandates to the states so 'they' have to raise your taxes, it doesn't really apply to us. Remember, "taxes bad"...so we don't call them that

EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting. CAN YOU SAY "NINE TRILLION DOLLARS"?!!!! "THAT'S, REPEAT, $9,000,000,000,000.00"

You've been played America. Here's some more below. See for yourself what promises they've kept. If your spouse played you like this, you'd seek divorce for "cruel and unusual" pain and suffering.

------------------------More from the ClapTrap on America----------------------------------------

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

[Mythsaje]

1. An add-on...

Congress isn't drug tested...

<<FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
Except for pension laws, bankruptcy laws, and if you're Tom Delay, you get a special exemption. We also will impeach a Democratic President for lying about an extra-marital affair, but lying about war that results in thousands of deaths is A-OK if said President has an R after his name>>>

[maxrandb]

3. That PO's me too

Especially since I am an active duty military member that has served honorably for 22 years so far. Yet, when my name is called, I still have to pee in the bottle.

Why is Congress allowed to require the military, transit workers, policeman, fireman, etc to submit to the Golden Flow test, but they don't have to.

C'mon Shrub, show us your pee!!!

[KPalicz]

10. And don't forget students

With the court being as it is, it's just a matter of time till all students regardless of whether they are in extra curricular activities or not will have to submit to a drug test.

[newyawker99]

15. Hi KPalicz!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[maxrandb]

7. You have to pee in a bottle to get a job at Wal-mart

but not a job in the "halls of Congress"

Oh, and please don't take it the wrong way. I hate submitting myself to a piss test, and I don't think any American should have to degrade themselves in such a way to get or keep a job...but...what's good for the goose, is good for the gander.

[Taxloss]

2. Great stuff.

Recommended.

[TalkingDog]

4. Don't you mean "Contract On America?" n/t

[maxrandb]

8. I Prefer the "Claptrap on America"

Here's item number 1...and it's a "doozie". Funny how you could say the same damn thing this year, 12 years later.

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. :ROFL:

[opihimoimoi]

5. Newt pushed this crap on us and now...Look at him, disgraced

and forgotten....although...he don't know it...he is a Has been...gambled his career on bringing up Monicas name during Bill's last election and LOST...I guess he didn't know most of American Men just love those BJs too....

[maxrandb]

6. Yes, and Shouldn't America now

throw the bums out for breach of contract??

They used this piece of crap to gain power.

Like any promise from a Republican, it can be used for toilet paper.

Some of the stuff that is in it, I could support, such as

Balancing the Budget

Paying as you go

Integrity in Government

Dems need to use this as an example to show the American people that the Republicans can't be trusted

[opihimoimoi]

9. I agree,,, Breach of Contract...Convict those PUBs

Newt is the guy who served divorce papers while his then wife was recuperating from Cancer operation...Some kinda guy he is...

[maxrandb]

11. It's Family Values

You didn't expect him to wait until she recovered did you? Newt was doing this out of the goodness of his heart. It's not like he had a mistress or anything, errr :eyes:

[opihimoimoi]

13. He married an intern for gods sake...er, or was that his STAFF???

[ellenfl]

12. lick for later/ eom

[Lefty48197]

14. Now, it's really time for some "term limits" at the hands of a pissed off

electorate.

[electropop]

16. DIscourage teen pregnancy by starving their babies.

Says it all about these scum.

[Toots]

17. Term Limits was struck down by Supreme Court so many Republicans swore

a pledge to quit after just two terms. Most of those that made that Pledge are still in Congress. LIARS and it would be good if they were held accountable.

[maxrandb]

21. And that was a classic "bait and switch"

The majority of the Supremes were appointed by Republicans. They knew this provision had no chance of passing Constitutional muster, yet they also knew that if they told the American people this, they would vote in droves to throw the bums out.

The 1994 Congress was a result of the American people clamoring for "reform". I would argue that most Americans actually thought that they would exercise their choice to clean house every 4 - 6 years, but as is usually the case with power, once the folks get in, it's difficult to get them out.

The contract itself states that we will have a "citizen legislature". How well has that worked out? Did I miss something, or are incumbants still elected at about a 99.9% rate?

[Jim Lane]

18. Please help with more details and citations

The Wikipedia article on this subject shows a RW bias. I've mentioned the general point on the talk page but making specific changes will require some additional work. We need to provide specifics, with citations (to online sources or print sources). Can maxrandb or anyone else lend a hand? You can edit the Wikipedia article directly; if you don't want to try to conform to Wikipedia format, add the specifics to this thread and I'll carry them over to Wikipedia.

[maxrandb]

20. What I find fascinating about that article

is the question; "Was it a success"?

Whoever wrote it basically admits that its primary goal, or objective, was to elect a Republican majority!!

The writer is admitting that they had no plan to impliment the entire piece of crap, they had no intention to keep their promises. Their main objective was to use this blunt instrument to tell the American people what they wanted to hear, just long enough to win a majority.

Hell, they've owned all three branches of government for the past 6 years, and two of the three for the last 12 years, and you still have Senator Frist blaming the Democrats for the $9,000,000,000,000.00 debt.

Brazen, lying a$$holes! Of course, we know that.

My two brothers who were raised in a strong union Democratic household, switched over to the "dark-side" in part, because of the "Claptrap on America" and hate radio (They both had jobs that required them to spend a lot of time on the road in their cars).

They've slowly come around, but I remember how excited they were about this document, and about how finally there was going to be reform in government. They were "suckers", and when I point out that it's been 12 years since the Republicans promised "fiscal responsibility" and we have now trippled the debt since the "command in thief" took office, they hang their heads in shame.

I told them then, what Molly Ivins tells us now; "Watch what they do, not what they say"

[tritsofme]

19. The GOP caucus did term limit committee chairmen and the Speaker

To three terms and four terms respectively.

But passing the gavel from one crook to another doesn't make that much of a difference.

[Yupster]

22. You need to understand that the senate and House

of Representatives are two separate bodies which have no controll over each other.

The fact that the House banned proxy voting doesn't have much to do with Senator Frist having a handful of proxy votes since he's a senator, and not a House member. Old Strom was a senator too.

Same thing with term limits for committee chairs. Thomas is quitting the House because he's term limited out of his current committee chairmanship.