Upon last week’s unveiling of the “Pledge to America,” House Republicans received critiques from across the ideological spectrum. As commentators do so well, they quickly engaged in a round of mini-spats between those in support of the document, such as the National Review’s Rich Lowry, and those in opposition, like Ross Douthat at the New York Times. While it is interesting to read the breadth of opinion pieces about the Pledge, the most interesting — and important — data point is the extent to which the document resonates with the American people.
What do the American people actually think about the Pledge? Their perspective is, after all, far more important than that of the cognoscenti. To gauge this, Liberty Central conducted a poll that asked people to give the Pledge a letter grade — A, B, C, and so forth.
In just one week, more than 5,000 participants took the Liberty Central poll. Of these respondents, 37%, an overwhelming 20-point majority, graded the Republicans’ document with the score of an “F” because, as indicated by the hundreds of comments on libertycentral.org, it did not tackle major issues like entitlement reform, earmarks, and limiting government in a meaningful way. Voters are frustrated, scared, and running out of patience. They need concrete reassurance that the ship of state is being turned away from catastrophe and back toward prosperity. They want to see the restoration of their livelihoods, communities, and especially their country.
For these voters, choosing between Republican or Democrat commitments is not the issue. The main issue is whether a candidate is willing to make tough choices and return our federal government to one of limited, enumerated powers as spelled out in the Constitution.
The Contract served conservatives in the Class of ’94 well, and the Pledge could do the same for the Class of ’10, but it is important to remember that the dynamics and atmosphere are different in this cycle. In 1994, voters were similarly angry with Washington, but they did not have the same sense of trepidation and uncertainty that today’s voters have. This is a powerful combination that cannot be overlooked and conservatives should be warned: if they win the majority in November and are not seen as carrying out the will of the people, the electorate will quickly turn and their majority will be short-lived.
Accountability to the American people is critical.
One emerging sign of accountability is that more Republicans are listening to, and sounding like, members of the Tea Party. As the Contract from America’s Ryan Hecker told Time, the Pledge “is a great first step in the campaign for limited government and fiscally sound economic policy.” This is an encouraging signal about the increasing integration between the Tea Party’s ideas and those promoted by the Republican Party. Of course, as Tea Party groups expect to see more conservatives in Congress after the upcoming election, it is critical that their ideas continue to be integrated into conservatives’ governing policies.
It is also worth noting that 34% of Liberty Central’s respondents gave the document a score of “B” or higher, indicating that a strong core of voters does, in fact, support its ideas. If the people who vote in a new majority listen to the American people and reduce the size, cost, and reach of the federal government, through the ideas embodied in this document and others, then we will have surely moved beyond “business as usual.”
A document alone cannot accomplish this, only accountability can.
Sarah Field is the Director of Policy and General Counsel of Liberty Central, Inc., a non-profit organization whose primary objective is to harness the power of citizen voices, inform everyday Americans with knowledge, and activate them to preserve liberty.