The Enduring Revolution: How the Contract with America Continues to Shape the Nation [Hardcover]

Major Garrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005

To most observers—including many conservatives—the so-called Republican Revolution of 1994 was anything but revolutionary, and the Contract with America that propelled the GOP into power was just a gimmick.

But in The Enduring Revolution, Fox News national reporter Major Garrett turns this conventional wisdom on its head, revealing how the Contract with America and the Republican Revolution have changed our lives in startling ways. The Republicans have fundamentally altered our approach to taxes, national defense, terrorism, welfare, entitlements, health care, education, abortion, gun control, and crime, among other issues. Quite simply, America is a vastly different place after the Contract than it was before it.

If you think the 2004 elections re?ected a political realignment in this country, think again. That realignment occured a decade earlier; the Republicans’ victory in 1994 made George W. Bush’s election and reelection possible.

Based on exclusive interviews with more than fifty key players from both sides of the aisle, and complete with more than thirty pages of crucial, previously unpublished confidential documents, The Enduring Revolution offers the dramatic behind-the-scenes story of how the Contract with America came into being and how this one document has defined American politics for a decade. Garrett’s exhaustive research and remarkable access enable him to tell a story that will surprise even the most seasoned political observers.

In The Enduring Revolution, you’ll learn:

•How George W. Bush and John Kerry built much of their 2004 presidential campaigns around the Contract with America

•How conservatives angered by the recent growth of the federal government have overlooked critical Republican victories on spending

•How Bill Clinton’s supposed great achievements, welfare reform and a balanced budget, resulted directly from the Contract with America—and actually reflected his weakness as a leader

•How the Republican majority made the 2003 Iraq invasion possible years before our military campaign began

•How our intelligence community’s problems in the War on Terror would have been much worse had there been no Republican Revolution

Undeniably, Republican leaders from Newt Gingrich to Dennis Hastert have made critical mistakes—and Garrett provides the inside story on how and why those failures occurred. But he also reveals how the usual focus on setbacks ignores the jaw-dropping changes the Contract with America has produced.

The Enduring Revolution is a stunning reassessment of a crucial but misunderstood episode in our political history.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Garrett, a reporter with Fox News Channel, credits the Republican Contract with America of the 1990s with an unacknowledged yet profound and enduring impact on American politics even a decade later. The contract, promoted by Republicans elected in 1994 and led by Newt Gingrich, focused on a balanced budget, welfare reform, and strong defense, elements that have since been adopted even by Democratic politicians, including Bill Clinton and John Kerry. Garrett traces the strategy behind the contract, the deal making and politicking that brought it to fruition, and the successes and mistakes of its architects. Based on interviews with more than 50 key politicians of both parties, and previously unpublished documents, Garrett offers a new perspective on the contract aimed at challenging the legacy of the New Deal and the Great Society. Political junkies will appreciate this in-depth look at an important policy shift that has reshaped American politics and its implications for future political debate. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“An indispensable guide.” —George F. Will

“A talented reporter with a keen sense of history, Major Garrett convincingly argues that in 1994, when Republicans ended forty years of Democratic control of the House of Representatives, a new kind of conservative changed the dynamics of Congress and then the trajectory of American politics. This book is an indispensable guide to the transformed political terrain that continues to shape what Republicans want to do and what Democrats can do.”—George F. Will, Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist

“Major Garrett covered the events leading up to the Contract with America and the historic achievements that followed as aggressively as anyone in Washington. Now he has produced the most historically accurate account of the Republican Revolution, placing the reader in the middle of the action. He obliterates the Left’s attempts to explain away its policy failures by reporting how implementation of the Contract changed Washington politics and policy to the benefit of the country.” —Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House

“Major Garrett brings the Republican Revolution vividly back to life in this highly informed account of not only how it came about but also how its consequences reverberate to this day. A must-read for anyone interested in what is indeed the enduring revolution of our time.” —Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist

“Until I read The Enduring Revolution I thought I had lived and understood the Contract with America from start to finish. But this book is full of revelations even for those of us who thought we knew all about it. Most important, Major Garrett has explained the enduring legacy of the Contract.” —Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader

“A revelation. Major Garrett, one of America’s best reporters, has produced a truly honorable and significant study, based on smart analysis and rock-solid research.” —Douglas Brinkley, director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies, University of New Orleans

“A veteran and fair-minded Washington reporter, Major Garrett presents a provocative and important thesis: the 1994 congressional elections and the Contract with America fundamentally reshaped U.S. politics and marked a cultural and political revolution that reverberates today. Whether one agrees or not with his argument, Garrett offers a valuable behind-the-scenes look at critical and dramatic events that helped define the divisive politics of twenty-first-century America.” —David Corn, Washington editor of The Nation

“This book is a revelation. The political establishment needs to read it, but that may be too much to hope for. Too bad for them. They will be missing a terrific read. The inside story of the government shutdown of 1995 alone is worth the price of the book.” —Brit Hume, host of the Fox News Channel’s Special Report with Brit Hume

“The Enduring Revolution shows how the Contract with America has reverberated through our politics ever since 1994, shaping how Democrats as well as Republicans approach issues ranging from taxes to missile defense. It is also a crackling good read.” —Michael Barone, coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Crown Forum; First Edition edition (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400054664
• ISBN-13: 978-1400054664
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,287,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Winning Ticket, May 15, 2005

By 

The Sanity Inspector (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enduring Revolution: How the Contract with America Continues to Shape the Nation (Hardcover)

This is a somewhat turgid but solid piece of reportage on how the Contract of America came about, its brief career on the national stage, and then how its goals seeped into the platforms of both parties.

I seriously doubt that Bill Clinton wanted to pass things like welfare reform, before the Contract With America started gathering momentum. Thanks to Clinton's astounding political skill and his lack of principles, he was able to outmaneuver the flat-footed GOP, pass much of their platform with him taking the credit, and easily win re-election in '96. Gingrich was ousted, Clinton's impeachment scattered the chesspieces, and that seemed to be the end of it. But a scant eight years later, John Kerry and the other Dems were forced to pay lip service to the goals of the CWA, in order to stay competitive.

Author Major Garrett avoids most polemics, instead concentrating on the political wrangling that went into reconfiguring the Republican Party post-Reagan, and the crafting of the CWA. One rather funny scene has a key backer being called to his office door late at night, still in pajamas, to sign off on a compromise draft.

Again, the thorough reconstruction of the events of this time are the book's real value, and as such it can be read with profit by Americans of all political persuasions.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a spy novel., February 13, 2005

By 

Steven F. Albrecht - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Enduring Revolution: How the Contract with America Continues to Shape the Nation (Hardcover)

Major Garrett's book has brought the Republican Revolution back into the light it so richly deserves. His coverage of the pre and and post-Reagan Movement reads more like a spy novel, with twists and turns and personality clashes, than a book of politics. This is the book to buy if you want to know why you have more money in your paycheck, the best military in the world, and ethical leadership.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Contract" still lives, and so do we, February 15, 2005

By 

Steve (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enduring Revolution: How the Contract with America Continues to Shape the Nation (Hardcover)

Major Garrett's book is a fascinating and detailed recollection of a history only 10 years old. There was a lot in this book, including some amazing memos at the end that were circulated in 1993 and 1994 between the key players.

This book made me think about how prior to the Contract we never heard the left talk about tax cuts. Once an election was won by running on tax cuts, the left has adopted tax cuts as a campaign issue, though they are always much smaller than the cuts the GOP proposes.

Had the 1994 election not happened, the United States would probably have become the property of the Chinese Communists who funded the Clinton campaigns (my opinion, not that of the author). The GOP stopped the Impeached President Clinton from doing away with national security and intelligence funding and who knows what else. Clinton was more concerned with getting re-elected than standing for the left wing issues he ran on, so he was willing to cave quite often when the GOP was about to deliver the death blow to Clinton.

The Enduring Revolution is not a puff piece promoting the GOP. Garrett is critical of both parties and of some individuals on both sides of the aisle. Give the book a try.