[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H2316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              POLL DOUSES CONTRACT AND GINGRICH REVOLUTION

  (Mr. BONIOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, every morning Republicans come to this floor 
and read Newt Gingrich's Contract With America.
  But this morning's New York Times throws a bucket of ice water on 
both the contract and the Gingrich revolution.
  In a poll released this morning, the American people say that the 
contract is:
  Too extreme, too mean spirited, and out of touch with the priorities 
of the American people.
  When asked what our priorities should be the American people say: 
jobs, health care, and crime.
  Yet, after 55 days of Republican rule, and after casting over 150 
votes, we have not passed a single amendment that deals with jobs or 
health care.
  And nearly 6 of 10 Americans say the Republican idea to pull 100,000 
police off the streets is a bad idea.
  Mr. Speaker, this poll confirms what we have always known: The 
Contract With America will not make a dime's worth of difference in the 
lives of middle-class families.
  Republicans can talk about the contract all they want.
  But the longer we go, the more it becomes clear: Americans do not 
like what they are hearing.

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