Friday, September 24, 2010

A Pledge To America

Republicans have finally released their midterm agenda, aptly titled "A Pledge To America," and to put it simply - it sucks.

David Corn of Mother Jones wrote the following in response to the Pledge:
The House Republicans on Thursday released a manifesto outlining what they intend to do should they triumph in the coming congressional elections. The glossy document, which is adorned with photographs of the Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, and cowboys, is high-mindedly titled "A Pledge to America: A New Governing Agenda Built on the Priorities of Our Nation, the Principles We Stand For & America's Founding Values." And it offers few surprises: tax cuts for all (including the super-rich), slashing federal spending (without specifying actual targets), downsizing government, more money for the military (especially missile defense), and repealing the health care bill. It decries deficits—though it advocates proposals that will add trillions of dollars to the deficit. It calls for reforming Congress—but in non-significant ways (such as forcing legislators to place a sentence in every bill attesting that the legislation is connected to a principle in the Constitution). It's full of Hallmark-style patriotism: "America is more than a country." It's infused with tea party anger: Washington has plotted "to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and their values." It is likely to have little impact on the elections.
I read the pledge and was dissappointed by the vagueness - considering how invigorated the GOP's base has been these past two years, and the fact that the GOP has been unwilling to offer any meaningful legislation, I was certain that now was their time to give some details, but I was wrong.

The Pledge begins claiming the current administration has become "destructive" and then goes on to reference the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  I find it ridiculous that the Pledge then goes on to claim the Democrats are violating the will of the people - last time I checked, the will of the people was determined in 2008 when an overwhelming majority placed Democrats in the White House and in charge of both chambers of Congress.  The Pledge has the nerve to claim that the elected government has been actively trying to "overturn" the people's vote - isn't that what congressional Republicans have been doing?

The next part of the Pledge makes no sense - it claims that the government is made up of "self-appointed elites" who "enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many."  In reality, those "self-appointed elites" are publicly elected officials who probably don't share the same right-wing ideology, and those laws that were enacted "without... the input of many" are actually laws that were supported by a majority of our elected officials - the "many" referenced is actually the Republican minority.

The Pledge then goes on to talk about "rising joblessness" and "crushing debt."  While unemployment numbers dipped slightly in August, the recent slip comes after dropping over the last five months, and considering where America was at the onset of the recession, it is safe to say that America is slowly improving.  As for the "crushing debt," just ask the GOP about their plans to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy - it will contribute plenty to the nation's deficits and debts.

Also, to make the tea party happy, the Pledge has a blurb about the 10th Amendment.

The following is an excerpt from the Pledge where I found one of the biggest hypocrisies:
We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a robust defense, and national economic prosperity.

We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.
While the GOP pledges to "promote greater liberty," they are also willing to infringe on our liberties, particular homosexuals, and by claiming only true American values are derived from religious organizations - a slap in the face to atheists and those not affiliated with a particular church.

Basically, the GOP's pledge falls flat.  It is nothing more then a collection of conservative talking points picked out over the past year.  If you think about it, the GOP basically want to do nothing - they want to continue cutting taxes for the wealthiest of Americans and repeal the health care reform passed earlier this year.  Their pledge does nothing to differentiate themselves from the GOP of the last ten years - it is essentially a page of empty promises.

1 comment:

  1. Republicans in Congress have a new Pledge - the Pledge to America. Unlike the patriotism in the Pledge of Allegiance, it sees an America with less liberty and Justice for All. Click my handle to hear the new pledge. http://www.teapartytruthsquad.com/

    ReplyDelete

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