The nation’s Democrats are unveiling their own version of “The Contract with America” — the list of promises Republicans made in 1994 enroute to winning control of the U.S. House. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat, says the Democrats have dubbed their package of promises “Six in ’06”
Harkin says number one on the list is “real security.” Number two is jobs and better pay, followed by college access for all, energy independence, affordable health care and retirement dignity. “Those are the broad outlines,” Harkin says. “There’ll be more specifics as we go along.’
This week, on August 5th, Harkin and other Democrats will fan across the country to hold news conference outlining the details of their six promises. Harkin says he and the other Democrats running for congress will hold their news conference in Cedar Rapids.
The Republican’s 1994 “Contract with America” was announced six weeks before the November election that year and promised Republicans would take action on a variety of issues if they won a majority in congress, such as reforming the welfare system and passing a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.