GOP Plans to Unveil New "Contract"
The Hill reports:
Republicans will unveil their new "Contract with America" in Virginia on Thursday, less than two months before election day.
The GOP, which polls show has a strong chance of winning back the House this fall, is culling the list of election-year agenda items from its "America Speaking Out" program. A spokesman for that project confirmed House and Senate GOP leaders will introduce the new contract on Thursday.
The new contract, modeled after the 1994 "Contract with America" — credited with helping Republicans win the House in 1994, which they held until 2006 —is intended to highlight what the Republican party would stand for if it were to return to power in Congress. For much of the last two years, Republicans have won points from voters chiefly by opposing the Obama administration's agenda.
GOP leaders have already hinted at some of the ideas that could be included. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), for instance, has called for a two-year freeze in tax rates and a reduction in spending to 2008 levels. President Obama and Democratic leaders want to extend most tax cuts, but would raise taxes on families with incomes above $250,000 annually and individuals who earn more than $200,000 a year.
Republicans have also pressed for repeal of the healthcare reform law, and for replacing it with new reforms. Some GOP figures have also called for repealing Wall Street reform.
Social conservatives have said they're confident their views will be well-represented in the document.
Independent projections suggest Republicans could win more than the 40 House seats they need to re-take the House. Republicans are also expected to increase their numbers in the Senate, though winning a majority in the upper chamber would be more difficult.
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