GOP Shouts Out “Pledge to America”

By: Steven Bianco
Posted In: News

With Congressional mid-term elections in November drawing near, the economy as well as the controversy over continuing the Bush tax cuts has been on nearly every voter’s mind. On Sept. 23, Congress passed a new free market bill in an attempt to recharge profitability in the private sector through tax deductions for small businesses, as reported by The New York Times. At the same time, the piece of legislation provides minor industries a loan fund of $30 billion to encourage expansion. However, Republicans still have little faith in working with Democrats, continuing to reference the United States’ daunting 9.6 percent unemployment rate while roundly claiming that President Obama has continuously discouraged free enterprise. In capitalizing on the administration’s slowness towards improving the dismal financial situation in the United States, the GOP has authored a “Pledge to America.”

Introduced by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) during a rally at a Virginia lumber warehouse on Sept. 23, the detailed 45-page document seeks to reverse nearly all of the measures supported by the president since his inauguration into office. Such policies include the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the $398 billion health care bill passed just months ago in March, and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. “Before I served in Congress, I ran a small business, and I learned firsthand how government gets in the way of job-creation in our country” stated Boehner during the “pledge’s” presentation. After this, he proceeded to say “the policies that have come out of Washington have created massive uncertainty for job creators, and the American people are suffering as a result.” With this, the Republicans insist that the spending legislated by the Democrat-controlled Congress has not proved efficient in improving the nation’s In essence, the “Pledge to America” maps out an expansive agenda that Republicans would desire to satisfy if they were elected as the majority in Congress come Nov. 2. This political plan brings back memories from the GOP’s 1994 “Contract with America,” staged to oppose the Clinton Administration. However, Newt Gingrich’s praised “Contract” took up only one page with a few simple statements. The new Republican “Pledge to America” comprises a lengthy set of propositions covering a range of topics from fiscal plans to national security. By reference of USA Today, proposals include rolling back spending to save the U.S. $100 billion within the next year, repealing the Healthcare and Education Reconciliation act of 2010, and making the Bush tax cuts, which favor the wealthy, permanent.

In response to the GOP’s goals, Democrats claim that Republicans will most likely draw the country back into the troubling era of George Bush if they succeed. “The Republican agenda will take us right back to the exact same agenda that failed middle-class families” stated House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, according to USA Today. Whether or not the Republican Party would be able to improve the state of the economy or ensure future prosperity, the end result will be up to voters in November. Immediately following the announcement of the presentation of the “Pledge to America” on Sept. 22, President Obama released a statement himself on the idea of a Republican takeover of Congress. As reported by ABC News, Obama said, “Make no mistake: The Republicans running for Congress, they want the next two years to look like the eight years before I took office.”