Manifesto of Republicans’ Commitment to America

Manifesto of Republican Commitment to America

The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has published their election manifesto titled ‘Commitment to America’. This manifesto follows the usual style of election programs, with general statements on various topics.

This election program, with its specific title, is reminiscent of the famous election manifesto of the renowned Republican pioneer, Newt Gingrich. In the 1990s, Gingrich achieved great electoral victories by relying on the Contract with America manifesto, which was one of the most historic campaigns in America.

Now that the House Republicans have released this manifesto, it is clear that this declaration is broader in scope than the election program announced by the leadership of the party’s campaign committee, managed by Senator Scott. It is filled with conservative extremist agendas, even displeasing Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican Minority Leader.

Peace of mind in the House of Representatives

McCarthy, the leader of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, has published his simple election manifesto and has also presented its Spanish version. This comes at a time when there is more confidence for Republicans in the realm of House elections, and the serious pursuit of gaining the majority has led to a transformation in electoral districts, allowing Republicans in the House of Representatives to be on the verge of gaining the majority.

In the current circumstances, Democrats only hold 5 seats in this House, which is why McCarthy and the House elders are less sensitive to the quality of candidates and their statements during the campaign process. They have defeated many intraparty rivals with Trump’s support and have reached the final round, where they have used the most bizarre statements and foolish expressions in the campaign process, explicitly rejecting the results of the 2020 elections and making strange threats against the US government.

We will discuss these points further in the future. What is important is the current status of this simple one-page manifesto, which presents its specific promises in different sections, overshadowed by the polarization and division in American politics. This one-page manifesto avoids detailing policy and how to achieve its overall goals. In fact, it aligns with a maximalist approach that supports Trump’s supporters based on generating tension.

There is no insistence or explicit statement to defend the law and the rights of electoral institutions in this statement. There is no mention of foreign policy in this statement, and there is no reference to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. In social and cultural discussions, there is a special effort to avoid discussing topics such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights in this statement. However, the discussion of the presence of transgender individuals in women’s sports, which is a popular topic for conservative voters and has the potential to harass liberals, is included in this manifesto.

Official promises

The basis of the promises of Republican members of the House of Representatives to voters is confrontation with Democrats, and the foundation of this basis is dissatisfaction with the economic situation and high energy prices on one hand, and fear of crime and violence in America on the other hand. Many Republicans, including Mick McCarthy, pursue confrontation with Democrats in cultural and social issues such as education. One of their important achievements in the past year has been exploiting the dissatisfaction of many voters with the decline in the performance of American schools due to the coronavirus crisis.

Linking the discussion of education and school activities with cultural issues and the concepts and content of textbooks and educational materials has also strengthened their position. The insistence of liberals on introducing topics of racial justice and strictness and pressures on teachers and educational staff to adhere to new rules and norms, such as using updated terminology regarding racial issues, has created serious backlash among many Americans.

The main criticism, naturally, is anger over the dysfunction of schools prior to the coronavirus pandemic, and parents believe that instead of discussing specific racial and cultural issues, it is better to invest time and budget in improving the functioning of schools.

In the discussion of livelihood and economy, the manifesto does not provide many details except for emphasizing, in a serious and general manner, the strengthening of oil and gas production in America. This promise indirectly reflects a fight against Democrats and programs for increasing and developing renewable and clean energy sources.

Without insisting on questioning climate change, which was once the official position of Republicans, now they have indirectly raised this issue within the scope of emphasizing maximum industrial development and production in America. For many Americans, the impacts of developing clean energy industries mean losing their jobs, and their doubts in this regard have not yet been seriously addressed by the Biden administration and Democrats.

The enemy is not Russia, it is China.

One of the most interesting and key foundations of the political behavior of Republicans, which is well demonstrated in this manifesto, is the focus on confronting China and highlighting the threat posed by this country. This is in contrast to the lack of mention of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This particular approach, considering the strong relationship between American conservatives and Russia, is completely natural. It remains to be seen how this alliance with Russia, which will undoubtedly continue in the weeks leading up to the elections, will affect the approval of military aid to Ukraine by the United States, especially if they gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

What is of great importance in the Republicans’ alliance with Russia during this period is the upcoming important national elections in countries like Brazil, which will be held in October. The support of American conservatives and extremist structures worldwide, led by Russia, for Bolsonaro will play a significant role in the electoral developments of the most important country in Latin America.

I continued the discourse of Republicans on the subject of China and the recent crises in US-China relations, which is a continuation of the simplistic discourse of the Trump era. What Trump and his circle did was create a wall of simple propaganda against China, instilling fear and making scattered accusations about the coronavirus and, more importantly, China’s upper hand in trade with the US.

The reality, of course, was serious business connections between Trump and conservatives with Chinese structures, which were strengthened during the Trump years, and they all benefited from it. Trump himself had a friendly and serious alliance with Xi Jinping, and his businesses and his children achieved good results in China. Now, this overall narrative of demonizing China is sufficient for Republican campaigns.

What is not mentioned in this two-page manifesto

What the serious and controversial Republican programs for the days of having control over the House of Representatives are, and it is not simple in this two-page manifesto, are serious programs for igniting cultural and social polarizations with specific laws regarding racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights and similar issues. One of the important and serious programs of McCarthy and the Republicans is to gain the approval of Trump and extremists by holding investigative sessions about Biden’s son and other Democrats, which they have not mentioned in their manifesto.

The programs of reducing taxes for the wealthy, limiting Obamacare, and restricting the electoral participation of racial minorities, especially African Americans, with strict and childish laws, are the authentic and ancient programs of these people, which naturally they do not talk much about during elections. It is also unlikely that the Trump ring extremists, some of whom will definitely vote, will not sabotage America’s help to Ukraine in foreign policy.

The sensitive weeks of the US elections are passing while no Democratic expert or strategist has hope of maintaining the majority of this party in the House of Representatives, and they are expecting the manifesto and those programs that are not in it.

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