Against Government: the Contract With America

As I write, in the summer of 1995, we do not know how many of the measures proposed in the Republican Contract With America will finally become law. But whatever the final legislative result, the Contract With America has already been a strikingly effective move in a campaign to restore Republican dominance in American national politics.

The Contract With America was presented by Republican House candidates on September 27, 1994. It has three parts. The first promises voters that Republican members of the House will do their best to enact it. The second lists proposed changes in the conduct of House business. The third outlines ten legislative goals focused on cutting taxes, balancing the federal budget, and reducing the federal role in social welfare provision. The full text of the Contract takes up only six pages in a book of the same title published by the Republican National Committee.

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