Ripon Forum


Vol. 48, No. 3

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In this edition

by Lou ZICKAR Twenty years ago this fall, 367 Republican candidates from all around the country gathered on the West Front steps of the U.S. Capitol and signed the Contract with America. At the time, it was an historic moment because it helped give Republicans control of Congress for the first time in four decades.

The Contract with America: Where It All Began

The Contract With America is a story of political perseverance. Its real antecedents were in the formation of the Conservative Opportunity Society in 1983. That group, brought together by Newt Gingrich, had as its mission the transformation of the House Republican Conference and ultimately taking control of the House.

The Contract with America: The Power of a Positive Message

In the months leading up to the 1994 Contract with America, then Republican House Whip Newt Gingrich used the pollster he trusted most to develop the content – himself. Yes, the Gingrich team conducted a handful of focus groups but the bulk of the public opinion input that drove the Contract’s 10 major points […]

The Contract with America: A Model for Campaigning… and Governance

Shortly after more than 350 men and women from around the country joined together to sign the Contract with America, a panicked House challenger phoned me. He had just received a call from the political director of the RNC telling him that embracing the Contract was a sure path to defeat and if he wanted […]

“It gave people something to vote for.” – Q&A with Haley Barbour

When Haley Barbour became Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1993, the prospects for the GOP’s future looked rather grim. The party was coming off an election that saw it lose the White House for the first time in 12 years, and Democrats were led by a charismatic young President who came to town […]

“A Contract for Today”

When 367 Republicans signed the Contract with America on September 27, 1994, they were not only signing onto a document that would help guide them in their campaigns, they were also signing onto a governing agenda that would help guide the party after the election. At the time, providing such an agenda was important. After […]

Republicans, Energy & the Environment

At a time when Republicans are being criticized for showing indifference toward the environment, it is worth noting that the party has a rich legacy on the issue on which party leaders can build. The GOP’s great conservation legacy began with the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, who set aside the Yosemite Valley for the […]

The President’s Shortsighted Policy on Coal

As the Environmental Protection Agency wages its war on coal, it seems that the U.S. is exporting hypocrisy. With U.S. greenhouse gas emissions plunging due to our abundance of cheap natural gas, the dirty little secret is that coal exports are beginning to boom.

The Red Tape Factory

Since President Obama moved into the White House in 2009, his administration has been churning out spools of red tape. The Environmental Protection Agency is the administration’s biggest red tape factory, issuing more economically significant rules than any other agency and contributing to making energy prices more expensive.

Leading from the Front on Energy

Recent events such as the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the crisis in Ukraine demonstrate that it is in our national interest to assume global leadership. The idea that “energy independence” would somehow free us from global responsibilities and promote the benefits of isolationism now ring hollow as the […]

States, Not Localities, Should Control Fracking

This past June, the New York State Court of Appeals issued a ruling that could have repercussions in all 50 states. In a 5-2 decision, the Appeals Court ruled the towns of Dryden (in Tompkins County) and Middlefield (in Otsego County) are allowed to ban fracking completely. The way they can do this is through […]

Ripon Profile of Mike Pence

From the September 2014 edition of The Ripon Forum, the Governor of Indiana and presumptive 2016 VP nominee discusses his record in the Hoosier State and the need for Republicans to offer a “positive alternative” to the failed policies of the Democrats.

“It gave people something to vote for.” – Q&A with Haley Barbour

Haley Barbour HeadshotWhen Haley Barbour became Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1993, the prospects for the GOP’s future looked rather grim.

The party was coming off an election that saw it lose the White House for the first time in 12 years, and Democrats were led by a charismatic young President who came to town armed with hope and a theme song by Fleetwood Mac.

On the Hill, Republicans had been out of power for nearly four decades.  But instead of resigning themselves to their minority status, Republicans decided to present the American people with an alternative.

Led by Barbour at the RNC and then-Minority Whip Newt Gingrich in the House, Republicans spent the better part of the next 18 months carrying on a dialogue with the American people about what Congress would look like if the GOP were in control.

They sent out questionnaires.  They held town meetings.  They asked people what they thought.  And then six weeks before the 1994 mid-term elections, they gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to sign the Contract with America and tell people exactly what they intended to do.  The rest is history.

The Forum spoke recently with Governor Barbour about the Contract and its role in the ‘94 elections, as well as the issues and messages that he believes Republicans should focus on this year.

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RF: How important was the Contract with America to the Republican Revolution of 1994?

HB: The Contract with America was very important in 1994, not only because of the policies it promoted but because it gave people something to vote for.

RF: As Chairman of the RNC, you famously placed an ad in TV Guide so that all Americans could have a copy of the Contract if they wanted. In this age of Facebook and Twitter, if you were marketing the Contract today, how would you sell the document and get your message across?

HB: We took out the ad in TV Guide because we thought it was the most broadly circulated publication targeting middle class and working class families at the time. That was our target audience, and they voted very strongly for Republicans in 1994.

Frankly, I’m not even sure if they still publish TV Guide. But I do know that any marketing campaign you undertake today has to incorporate social media, which means reaching people not only though the printed page, but through their iPads and iPhones, as well.

RF: Along those same lines, if you were writing a Contract with America for 2014, what are some of the ideas and policy proposals you would include?

HB: In the Contract with America, we emphasized the issues and policies that united us as Republicans – smaller government, less spending, lower taxes, rational regulation, a market-based economy, safe streets, peace through strength, strong families.

The Contract with America was very important in 1994, not only because of the policies it promoted but because it gave people something to vote for.

Today, we would talk about policies that lead to economic growth – job creation that results in higher incomes for more people; a policy that leads to abundant, affordable american energy; a tax policy that saves American businesses from the highest income tax rate in the world and establishes a territorial tax system so these same businesses don’t have to pay incomes taxes twice.

A Contract with America for today would be consistent with the same principles, but the issue set would be different.

RF: Given the fractious nature of today’s GOP, do you think it would be possible to get Republicans to support a Contract?

HB: The fractious nature of today’s GOP is mostly about tactics, not policy. The vast majority of Republicans agree on most of these issues.

In fact, I think 90 percent of people who consider themselves Tea Party voters agree on almost every issue with people who consider themselves regular Republicans. It’s the tactical stuff that has created the fissures.

RF: What message – or messages — do you believe Republicans should campaign on this fall?

HB: I think we should emphasize economic growth, job creation, higher incomes, and a health care system controlled by doctors and patients instead of federal bureaucrats.

The fractious nature of today’s GOP is mostly about tactics, not policy. The vast majority of Republicans agree on most of these issues.

We can’t tolerate two percent economic growth if we expect our children and grandchildren to live in the same country we grew up in – a country with unlimited opportunity for all and more prosperity and freedom than the world has ever known.

RF: Finally, what is your prediction for November 4th – how will Republicans do?

HB: I think Republicans are more likely to win the Senate than not, but we’re not shooting fish in a barrel. I think we will make gains in the House, and about break even on Governors. Right now, there are 29 Republican Governors and 21 Democrats. It’s going to be hard to improve on that.