The Republican Party last week, created and outlined a 45-page document, which is titled “The Pledge To America.” This document is reminiscent of the Republican’s “Contract with America” in the nineties, when the Party took back over leadership of the congress from the Democrats. The Democrats now have a majority in both houses and the Republican are trying in the mid term election to win back the majority in congress.
With 5 weeks remaining until the general election, the leaders of the Republican Party have put together a mid-term strategy that they hope will help voters choose their candidates. There is a bitter divide in the country and the conservatives have identified that the problem is President Obama and his liberal ideology.
The ironic thing about the components of the Pledge is that both of the parties are fighting for many of the same things, but they both refuse to compromise. The Pledge is divided into five sections and the first section is economic revival and job creation. Since the very beginning of his administration, President Obama has tried to create new jobs and spur economic growth.
It would appear that the parties would be able to sit down and develop a bipartisan initiative, which would collectively help the economy and create new jobs. Instead it is the opposite, and both parties would rather discuss what the other is not doing, as opposed to what they are doing together.
The next section in the Pledge is healthcare and the Republicans want to repeal the present healthcare reform bill. The Republicans acknowledge that the healthcare system is broken, but they refuse to help improve the existing bill that was passed. This may be the reason many in the Democratic Party has identified the Republican Party as the party of “no.”
The other sections of the “Pledge to America” deal with government spending, congressional reform, and national security and are very unclear how the Republicans plan to implement their central ideas. The Republicans are promising a smaller government and rolling back spending but many do not believe that their ideas are doable and realistic.
It is easy to author a document with grand ideas but when it comes time to implement those ideas, there are other groups who may not agree with your ideas.
President Obama has gotten many of his campaign promises passed into law, but developing a plan to get the bill functional may still take another year.
As the candidates get closer to the general election the name calling and negative campaigning will intensify. The Republicans want an extension of Bush-era tax cuts but this would keep less money going to the budget, because the rich and special interests would not be forced to pay more taxes, even though they can afford it.
The Republicans want to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, end federally-funded abortions, and end future bailouts. The Pledge is getting a lot of coverage but their solutions are not solving the problems that they have identified.
Maybe the”Pledge to America” was a plan designed to have big ideas but not really solve any problems. Nevertheless, the “Pledge to America” was a plan to go after President Obama’s initiatives, stir up anger, and get financing from special interest. The divide is intensifying and the “Pledge to America” is an excellent political tool to use to help the Republican agenda.
The Democrats and President Obama need a strategy to counter the “Pledge to America.” Most Americans do not read and the “Pledge to America sounds good and most Americans are not happy with the way the country is being run.
