The Contract with America was a set of specific promises made by House Republicans before the 1994 election. It was based on conservative ideas and helped Republicans win a majority in the House. The contract avoided controversial issues and set out specific changes to be made within certain timeframes. Some laws were passed, but critics saw it as a political ploy. The contract was tested in focus groups and was seen as a unique approach to national politics.
The Contract with America was a statement drafted in 1994 by a number of prominent House Republicans and signed by nearly every House Republican at the time. It was a comprehensive list of promises Republicans had made to the American people if they won a majority in the House of Representatives during the 1994 election.
Unlike a number of previous campaign promises, the Contract with America set out very specific promises and goals. It was edited by Larry Hunter with assistance from Robert Walker, Richard Armey, Bill Paxton, John Boehner, Jim Nussle, Tom DeLay and Newt Gingrich. He drew heavily on ideas advanced by the conservative Heritage Foundation, as well as specific points made in Ronald Reagan’s 1985 State of the Union Address.
House Republicans submitted the contract about six weeks before the 1994 midterm elections, during the first Clinton administration. It was a way for Republicans to really band together and run together as a group, across the nation. It worked, no doubt, and Republicans swept the House for the first time in four decades. In many ways, the triumph of the Contract with America has been seen as a culminating triumph for the modern conservative movement, demonstrating the strength of their bloc.
The Contract with America, while outlining many specific policy decisions, has intentionally avoided addressing the most controversial and divisive issues in the political world. Notably absent from a conservative doctrine like the contract was any mention of burning issues like school prayer or abortion.
The contract with America stipulated specific changes in pre-established periods of time. On the first day of a Republican majority, for example, they pledged to hold votes on eight separate reforms. They also pledged to introduce ten bills within the first hundred days, covering things like term limits, tort reform, and tax cuts.
The Republican majority indeed drove most of the bills to the floor, even if the vast majority died there. However, some important laws have been passed. This included the Taking Back Our Streets Act, the American Dream Restoration Act, which gave a $500 discount per child, the Job Creation and Wage Enhancement Act, which cut capital gains and gave a variety of incentives to small businesses, and the National Security Restoration Act, which reduced the number of US troops serving at the United Nations.
Critics of the contract saw it primarily as a political ploy, albeit a very successful one. In many cases it has been called a distraction to the middle class, presenting IOU promises so full of holes that they were certain to be shot down or largely ineffective in the long run. The Republican Party tested The Contract With America in many different focus groups, overseen by pollster Frank Luntz, finding various components that they tested with over 60% approval ratings and removing any sections that were viewed less favorably. For this reason it has been seen as a somewhat cynical attempt to influence public opinion with little regard for actual politics.
Whatever the rationale behind the Contract with America, it appears to have played a part in the Republican majority in the 104th Congress. It was certainly a unique approach to national politics, and while nothing on the same scale has been attempted since then, a number of elements have since been recycled by both sides to varying degrees.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
