We, the citizens of the United States of America, call upon those seeking to represent us in public office to sign the Contract from America and by doing so commit to support each of its agenda items and advocate on behalf of individual liberty, limited government, and economic freedom.
1. Protect the Constitution
2. Reject Cap & Trade
3. Demand a Balanced Budget
4. Enact Fundamental Tax Reform
5. Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government in Washington
6. End Runaway Government Spending
7. Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care
8. Pass an ‘All-of-the-Above” Energy Policy
9. Stop the Pork
10. Stop the Tax Hikes
“I think (House Republican leaders) are definitely more credible now than they were in October 2008″ when many Republicans joined with many Democrats to support the Wall Street bailout, said Ryan Hecker [founder of the Contract from America initiative]. “They gain more credibility the more they listen.”
“I think it is great that House Republicans are listening to the people and borrowing from the tea party movement and the Contract from America project,” Hecker said in a press release. A handful of GOP lawmakers and candidates have signed onto the Contract from America since its inception, including Sens. Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn.
We enthusiastically applaud the efforts of GOP leaders to actively listen to the American people. We also strongly encourage you to use “America Speaking Out” as an additional tool to make sure your voice is heard. Visit their site. Register your name. Get involved. Review the ideas. Write comments. MOST IMPORTANTLY… CAST YOUR VOTES. It can be found online at: it can be found online at http://www.americaspeakingout.com/.
Tomorrow, House Republicans are launching a new initiative to “engage Americans across the country and give them a voice in creating a new agenda for Congress.” Called, “America Speaking Out,” the effort is led by Chief Deputy Whip, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
Ryan Hecker, founder of the Contract from America initiative said, “I think it is great that House Republicans are listening to the people and borrowing from the tea party movement and the Contract from America project”
[In an effort that looks vaguely familiar to other online initiatives,] House GOP leaders will roll out a new initiative on Tuesday that will become a central part of designing their policy agenda. “”America Speaking Out” will be our effort to engage the American people about their priorities for a new policy agenda,” said one GOP aide.
According to officials involved in the effort, “America Speaking Out” will focus on gathering feedback from Americans on what items that lawmakers should be focusing on in the future. GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) said on Monday “it’s part of a process of engaging Americans.”
The Republican initiative comes after the Tea Party movement put forward its own version of the GOP’s 1994 Contract with America, which they call the “Contract from America.” “We’ve been talking to them throughout the process, but that wasn’t the impetus of this,” said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is heading up the initiative. “We hope they’ll make those ideas a part of this process.”
Tea-party activists held rallies across the country Thursday, the deadline for filing federal tax returns, to highlight what they said were onerous taxes and a bloated federal government. The activists protested Democratic policies and displayed varying attitudes toward prominent Republicans. Some groups invited marquee conservatives, such as former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who addressed around 500 people in Austin, Texas.
“I’m honored that they’re looking at the process we used,” Hecker said Thursday as he set up for a Tax Day rally on the National Mall. “At the end of the day, if the Republicans come up with their own document and it’s a strong document, that’s good,” he added. “But I hope that our agenda is still a central part of what they’re doing. “Hecker said the growing popularity of the tea parties is a big reason why the Republican Party is opening up their document to grassroots input. “I think they recognize that they’ve lost some legitimacy,” he said.
