Pledge to America: A Republican Manifesto for Change

With just a few weeks to go before election time, political parties in the U.S. are busy campaigning and convincing people about how good their intentions are. In particular, Republicans have been drawing strength from the dismal performance of the economy and the allegedly poor mishandling of the Obama administration. They blame Democrats for implementing policies and projects that only add up to the already bloated budget deficit of the United States. The Stimulus Package for example, was deemed a failure and was no near to creating jobs for the people. They are now more than determined to regain control of the U.S. Congress and implement change in it.

In an effort to convince the people about how clear and concise their plans are for the nation assuming that they get the majority vote after the election, Senior House Republicans have drafted a 21-page document entitled “Pledge to America” which they say will guide them after regaining power in Congress. Republican Kevin McCarthy of California uttered the words, “The land of opportunity has become the land of shrinking prosperity ... Our government has failed us”. He also added “We will take back our country. We will restore for a better future. This is our pledge to you”.

The “Pledge to America” contained numerous proposals which aim to cut on taxes and excessive spending. It also indicates their intentions in cutting down government regulation. With regards to President Obama’s health care reform law, Republicans aim to full repeal it. The documents also mentioned an end to the stimulus program which is widely considered a total failure. Various high-profile Republicans have shown their strong support for the pledge including the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Haley Barbour, and other Senate Republicans.

With recent polls showing massive dissatisfaction to Obama’s administration, concern for the economy and anger towards government officials, the document shows a clear agenda to change the way how Congress works. They want every bill to be cited to its constitutional authority such as requiring every bill to be made public for three days before undergoing any votes. Meanwhile, Democrats claimed that the GOP agenda was mere recycled ideas and will only contribute to the troubles of the nation. Recent polls clearly show that Republicans have a higher chance in regaining the majority this November compared to Democrats.