Re: Contract From America
 

[quote=12thMan;665070]While it could be a backlash against both parties, their views, "principles", and rhetoric are mainly aligned with Republican ideology. There's no question about that. I would also ask myself, where was the Tea Party when the previous administration grew the size of government, passed legislation (namely Medicare Part D) without paying for it, and funded the Iraq war almost entirely through debt and budgetary supplements? All of which added significantly to the current deficit. So for them to suddenly come out and rail against big governement, the ballooning deficit, and universal healthcare is curious at best.

On a separate but somewhat related note, it appears as though Sarah Palin is making her bed with the Tea Party, which is just fine by me. The only problem -- a major problem -- with that strategy is that at some point she's going to have to tact to the middle on some issues be considered a serious candidate.[/quote]
Great question. The tax cuts + increased spending definitely didn't do us any favors.

Re: Contract From America
 

[quote=12thMan;665070]While it could be a backlash against both parties, their views, "principles", and rhetoric are mainly aligned with Republican ideology. There's no question about that. [B]I would also ask myself, where was the Tea Party when the previous administration grew the size of government, [/B]passed legislation (namely Medicare Part D) without paying for it, and funded the Iraq war almost entirely through debt and budgetary supplements? All of which added significantly to the current deficit. S[B]o for them to suddenly come out and rail against big governement, the ballooning deficit, and universal healthcare is curious at best. [/B]

On a separate but somewhat related note, it appears as though Sarah Palin is making her bed with the Tea Party, which is just fine by me. The only problem -- a major problem -- with that strategy is that at some point she's going to have to tact to the middle on some issues be considered a serious candidate.[/quote]

I honestly think it is a backlash against both parties. I think while GW was in office during his second term, there was a sense of you cant really do anything right now except wait for him to leave. There was a lot of disgust and outrage by republicans while he was in during his second term because of the over spending, privacy intrusions, and his foreign policy intervention.

I think the start of the Tea Party stuff can be linked to Ron Paul's success during the Republican primary's. Because he was saying so many things that resonated with Goldwater type Republicans. I also think that by some states banning his participation during the primaries (i think S. Caroline), and by conservative media personalities largely dismissing him it helped flame the fire.

So while nowadays the Tea Party movement can be called a backlash against Obama's spending spree and socialist ideology i think it all started as a backlash against the Republicans because they embraced what GW was doing and offered GW Jr. type candidates for the 2008 election, all the while dismissing a fiscally conservative and socially liberal candidate that struck a cord with Goldwater Republicans and young people.

Re: Contract From America
 

[quote=tryfuhl;664784]Every dept of the government should find ways and submit reports on how they can help the overall budget reduce

Everything from less expensive furniture, travel and entertainment expenses, etc

If we expect it from the banks that we bail out, we should expect it from the fed that we're bailing out as well.. states shouldn't be exempt either[/quote]

Last year the President ordered such a review from Cabinet members and each government agency. It was met with skepticism, but at least he's trying to address the issue.

[url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30313409/]Analysis: Obama saving money the easy way - White House- msnbc.com[/url]

Re: Contract From America
 

I got this email the other day and thought others may be interested:

Have your Representatives Signed the Contract fromAmerica?


Thank you all so much for taking part in our initiative to achieve real economic conservative and good governance reform in D.C. Our launch on April 15th was very successful, and in the last week, a number of candidates and elected officials signed the Contract fromAmerica, including Sen. DeMint (R-SC) and Utah Senate Candidate Mike Lee. However, we need YOUR help to successfully convince elected officials and candidates that they need to listen and follow our mandate.

Below are a series of activities you (and your membership if you are the leader of a grassroots organization) can do to make a real difference in this grassroots effort...

Get Candidates/Elected Officials to Sign the Document

1.) Call the members of Congress in your district and surrounding districts, as well as your Senator and candidates for Congress/Senate of all parties. Ask them to sign the Contract from America (which you can send to them by email, by cutting and pasting the Contract at [url]www.contractfromamerica.orgor[/url] faxing/mailing them a pdf version of the contract at [url]www.contractfromamerica.org/documents[/url]. Give them 2-3 days to review and then call again, asking if they will sign. If they say yes, have them return a signed copy of the Contract from America to you, which you should email to us. In addition, ask if they will take a photo of the signing or a video statement of support, which we will put on our website. Please let us know if an Elected Official/Candidate signs or says that they will not sign by sending us an email.

2.) If you are a director of a coalition group, and a candidate/elected official chooses to sign, you should request they send out a press release, and you should send a press release as well, with your name as the media contact person. A template for such a press release is available to download at [url]www.contractfromamerica.org/documents[/url]. Again, please let us know if a candidate/elected official decides to sign.

3.) You can find the various candidates/elected officials in your district and State on this site: [url=http://www.politics1.com]Politics1 - American Politics, Elections, Candidates & Campaigns[/url]. Most of the candidates' websites (where you can get contact info, etc.) are linked to that page.

Other Things you Can Do

1.) Write an op-ed/letter to the editor to your local newspaper. We will have a template op-ed which you can use and modify as you wish up soon at [url]www.contractfromamerica.org/documents[/url]. You should mention in your letter that Sen. DeMint has signed the Contract, and that your congressman/candidates should follow in his grassroots conservative footsteps.

2.) VOLUNTEER! If you have some available time and would like to help us, please let us know. For this project to be a success, we need the help of thousands of people. Please let us know via email if you would like to assist.

3.) Call-in to your local talk radio show and discuss how congressmen in your area and state need to sign the Contract fromAmerica.

4.) Sign the Contract yourself at [url=http://www.contractfromamerica.org]Contract From America[/url] and forward the link to your family, friends, and co-workers, for them to sign as well. Recruit your membership and others to make calls to the candidates and elected officials.

5.) Donate to our cause. Please click here if you wish to donate $5 or an amount of your choosing.


Thank you all for being part of this grassroots, bottom-up initiative. We will update you with further action items in the upcoming weeks and months.

Regards,

The Contract fromAmerica team
---------------------


Visit the Contract fromAmerica website at [url=http://www.contractfromamerica.org]Contract From America[/url] for details.
Please also join our Facebook group at [url=http://www.facebook.com/contractfromamerica]Contract from America | Facebook[/url]. Follow us on Twitter by clicking here.

Re: Contract From America
 

Okay it looks like the 10 with the most votes are:

Protect the Constitution
Reject Cap & Trade
Demand a Balanced Budget
Enact Fundamental Tax Reform
Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government
End Runaway Government Spending
Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care
Pass an ‘All-of-the-Above” Energy Policy
Stop the Pork
Stop the Tax Hikes

Re: Contract From America
 

I really wanted "Protect Internet Freedom" and either “Government Transparency” or “Let us Watch”.

Are any of these 10 principles all that demanding? Kind of shocking most of them are blown off in the first place.

Re: Contract From America
 

Is this "Contract from America" or "Contract from Conservatives?"

Re: Contract From America
 

[quote=saden1;703011]Is this "Contract from America" or "Contract from Conservatives?"[/quote]

This isn't the Drunk Thread. Come back when you have a point that makes sense.

Re: Contract From America
 

[quote=Buster;703028]This isn't the Drunk Thread. Come back when you have a point that makes sense.[/quote]

There there Buster, there there...keep trying, you'll eventually get it.

Re: Contract From America
 

Besides these two how can anyone really disagree with the other 8? Maybe two more people may want to tweak some but other then that its pretty fundamental stuff.

Reject Cap & Trade
Repeal & Replace goverment health care


The left jokes and bashes the teaparty or like they like to call them teabaggers because the movement is gaining speed and they know that. Even with all the liberal bad press its just not working.

Re: Contract From America
 

so a tea party candidate will eventually end up in office? not in this life time. i think most of the people laugh at the hypocrisy of the tea party timing. not at the objectives

Re: Contract From America
 

[quote=mlmpetert;664379][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]This thing is being put together by the Tea Party Patriots. Contract From America is a play on Pelosi’s Contract With America. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]In my mind Tea Party values sum up to Fiscally Conservative, Socially Liberal and truly encompasses both Democrat and Republican values. A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Here is a good chance for you to vote on the most important issues to yourself and hopefully have this interest group make sure those issues are heard by your elected officials. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[URL="http://www.contractfromamerica.com/"]Contract From America[/URL][/quote]

Sounds good, why didn't they think of this before? I tell you those tea party folks have coem to save the day . Hooray!!!!!!! Utopia 2010 baby!

Re: Contract From America
 

From a email this morning:

Statement on the Republican “Pledge To America”
The Contract from America Foundation ([URL="http://www.contractfromamerica.org"]www.contractfromamerica.org[/URL]) made the following announcement today regarding the newly released Republican “Pledge to America”:

We are pleased that the Republicans were so heavily influenced by the message of the grassroots Contract from America that their “Pledge to America” includes many of our Contract’s planks, including the top-voted idea to “Protect the Constitution” by requiring every bill to cite Constitutional authority, rejection of Cap and Trade, the imposition of meaningful spending limits, repeal of government-run health care, and extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. We are also pleased that they so admired the Contract’s model of allowing for real citizen input that they created their own website, America Speaking Out, to approximate the same function. This is evidence that Republicans are beginning to listen to the millions of ordinary Americans that are fed up with Washington’s ways.

Republican Congressmen, Senators, and candidates should still sign the Contract from America, which boldly tackles the challenges of fundamental tax reform, passage of a balanced budget amendment with a supermajority requirement for any tax hike, and real earmark reform.

The Contract from America is handed up from the true grassroots in this country. After garnering nearly half a million votes in less than two months, the Contract from America is a blueprint that reflects what the people want for their future. If Republicans sign the Contract, they will prove that they are listening to the will of millions of grassroots activists that have protested the unconscionable expansion of government.

Over 300 candidates have signed the Contract from America, including Senators DeMint and Coburn, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Representative Michele Bachmann, and Senate candidates Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, Sharron Angle, Joe Miller, Jerry Moran, Dino Rossi, Ron Johnson, John Boozman, Kelly Ayotte, and John Raese.

[URL]http://www.thecontract.org/wp-content/uploads/PRESSRELEASE_PledgetoAmerica_09222010.pdf[/URL]

Re: Contract From America
 

Read the "new" contract and the numbers don't add up. Tax cut, check, spending cuts, check, war funding, check, cut any stimulus money left, check, debt reduction, punt? Lots of pizzazz and sound bite ideas, short on details and mathematics. What an absurdly criminal and down right insulting bunch.

Re: Contract From America
 

Here's an image from the contract, can you guess what's [URL="http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-cohn/77893/lying-graphs-republican-style"]wrong with it[/URL]?

[IMG]http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/gopspendingasshareconomy.jpg[/IMG]