‘A Pledge to America’

Republicans may not have any ideas, as the Democrats are fond of saying, but they do have plenty of momentum and, now, a pledge. Instead of a “Contract With America” it’s “A Pledge to America,” and, because we’re still taking baby steps here, the Republican leadership is not urging any Republicans to actually make the pledge.

The plan will be unveiled Thursday by House Minority Leader John Boehner and a few friends and colleagues and, according to The Washington Post, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure sort of pledge:

While more than 180 GOP candidates signed the Contract, there will be no push to get this year’s Republican challengers to take the Pledge. Instead, party leaders are encouraging candidates to pick the ideas that best fit their district.

The saddest thing about the document is its lack of ambition. Republican lawmakers say they differ from the Democrats in that they want to reduce the size of government, but the proposal, as evaluated by the Post, would cut a mere $100 billion from government programs. It would actually allocate additional funds to the military, where much of our tax dollars go to die, for the purposes of (sigh) missile defense.

The draft pledge also states the GOP’s intention to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care plan and replace it with something along the lines of what Republicans wanted — liability limits, portable coverage and a permanent ban on taxpayer funds for abortions.

Just what we need: A zombie rebirth of the endless health care debate that refuses to die. — PZS