Why Republicans don’t need a Pledge

Second, the reality is that the Republicans will not have a governing majority. This helps explain why several planks of the pledge are straightforward counterpoints to legislation that Democrats have passed. THEY did that, and WE will undo that. There is no affirmative vision for governing because such affirmations are the kiss of death this year. The Pledge is not aimed at a majority at all — it is aimed at the energized plurality that has embraced economic libertarianism and is prepared to be motivated by the sense that Republican leaders in Congress do share their values after all.

Thirdly, Republicans don’t need a Contract or a Pledge. Their base is energized. The Democratic base is not. The folks who are going to vote arguably know Republicans stand for the stuff in the pledge because Republicans have been talking about this stuff since the beginning of the cycle. Arguably, it gives Democrats more of a defined target, something that they can redirect attention to. Arguably, had the Republicans been able to produce a more substantive governing document, they would have made it harder for Democrats to demagogue.