Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich told The Daily Caller that the Republicans’ new “Pledge to America” that was unveiled at an event in Virginia Thursday “is a significant boost for them, but it is not a homerun.”
With the November midterm elections approaching, the expected Republican resurgence has resurrected memories of another GOP takeover. It was 1994. There was a different president and a different set of challenges for proponents of limited government, but the premise was the same: retake the majority in Congress and do it by making a compact with the American people.
Only this time, it is House Minority Leader John Boehner leading the charge, instead of Newt Gingrich. So what does the former leader of the 1994 Republican Revolution and possible 2012 presidential candidate think of the GOP’s “Pledge”?
“It is a very positive step in the right direction,” Gingrich told TheDC by phone from Chicago. “The focus on jobs, the economy, spending…is exactly right.”
When asked about the comparisons to his own 1994 “Contract with America”, Gingrich said there are similarities, but 2010 is just not 1994 all over again.
“We’re totally different now. Nineteen ninety-four was a very different kind of year,” said Gingrich, who said he thinks the concern of the American public is greater today, which is why the current “Pledge” is a much more sober document.
“People all over the country are very distrustful of the way Pelosi and Reid have run things,’ said Gingrich.
Another difference is that Boehner’s “Pledge” is more of a political document than a government document, Gingrich explained, perhaps referring to the general consensus that the new document is high on rhetoric and light on real substance.
Overall though, Gingrich gives it a thumbs-up: “The ‘Pledge’ is a good idea and was very well done.”
The “Pledge to America” can be read here.