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House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt announces the Families First plan.
The Families First pages at the Democratic Congressional Committee and at the Minority Leader's page.
Richard Gephardt bio.
The Online NewsHour will have a Forum with a high-ranking Republican about the GOP's plans for the future in the coming weeks.
Although much of the current attention is on the Presidential election, this fall could realign Congress as well. House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO) and other Democrats are hoping to gain the 20 seats necessary to claim a majority in the House and unseat Newt Gingrich as Speaker. To organize and clarify the positions that will serve as the party's congressional platform, Gephardt and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle announced Families First.
Families First is a set of principles that would guide the agenda in a Democratic Congress. As Rep. Gephardt said in a recent interview, "[A]s we move toward this fall's Congressional elections, Democrats have an obligation to tell the American people not just what we stand against, but what we stand for. You see, Democrats don't want to merely win back the gavel. We want to deserve it."
The Families First proposal, an agenda jointly produced by Democrats in the Senate and the House, would offer government support for education, health care and tax breaks for "working families." Republicans have been quick to criticize the proposal, however.
Republican National Committee chairman, Haley Barbour believes the "Families First" agenda would really be "American families' worst agenda." He claims that in order for the Democrats' policy goals to work and still balance the budget by 2002, Democrats would have to slam American families with a half-trillion dollars in new taxes. This amounts to an increase twice as large as the Clinton 1993 tax increase, and would become the largest tax hike in history.
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt answered your questions about Families First.
A question from Matt Seegers of Chicago, IL:With the Contract with America and now the Families First proposal, it appears that Congressional elections are becoming more nationalized. Is Tip O'Neil's adage that "All politics is local" still applicable or will these elections continue to focus on large, national agendas?
Rep. Gephardt Responds:
Matt: There's no question that as the world becomes smaller, issues debated on a national level have a growing impact on congressional, and even state and local elections. But although Families First will be discussed on a national level, I'm sure that in each area, Democrats will choose different issues to focus on, depending on what's most important to the people there. Education may be a bigger issue in some districts, Medicare in another, and so on. Tip O'Neill's words still have a lot of truth in them.
But to follow up on something else you said -- I wouldn't describe Families First as a "large national agenda," for two important reasons. The first is that it isn't a "large" agenda. We deliberately made it a modest agenda, to make small changes in people's lives, ones that we knew we could get done. One of the big mistakes Republicans made with the Contract with America is that they tried to do too much too fast, and people revolted against it. The result is they've gotten very little done in the past year and a half.
The second reason is that it isn't really a "national" agenda. Unlike the Contract with America, which was created by Washington pollsters and insiders, Families First was developed from the grassroots up. Congressional Democrats from across the country spent months meeting with people back home, asking them what issues were important to them, and what Congress could do to make their lives a little easier. The result was an agenda that I think all Democrats -- and even many moderate Republicans -- can agree upon.
A question from Ari Rosberg of Buffalo, NY:
I think one of the major things that was so disappointing and disingenuous about the Contract with America was the fact that it was simply a House thing. There were no guarantees that the Senate would follow the House's lead and sure enough, they haven't. I noticed this is a joint endeavor between you and Senator Daschle, does this mean it is a Democratic Legislative Agenda or is it mere election politics ala the Contract.
Rep. Gephardt Responds:
Ari: You're absolutely right -- this is a joint House-Senate endeavor, and that is critical to its success. Tom Daschle and I worked together on Families First every step of the way, making sure that Democrats in both the House and Senate were involved in putting the agenda together. That cooperation will help us get this thing done in the fall, when we will hopefully have a Democratic Congress.
A question from Tracy Johnson of Fairfax, VA:
Obviously, Clinton's opposition to the Contract made it impossible to enact, so I am wondering have you heard any response from either President Clinton or Bob Dole about how receptive they would be to your agenda?
Rep. Gephardt Responds:
Tracy: Your question is a good follow-up to Ari's question. In addition to finding common ground among House and Senate Democrats on the Families First agenda, we also made sure that the White House was fully informed. Tom Daschle and I personally sat down with the President and Vice President to discuss our ideas, and they were very supportive. Much of the agenda is drawn from proposals the President has made -- like the cops on the beat program and two-year college scholarships for students who keep a B average.
As far as Bob Dole is concerned, I'd certainly welcome his endorsement of Families First. I'm not holding my breath, though. I think he's more interested right now in catering to the right wing of his party than in finding common ground with Democrats. But I hope we will find many moderate Republicans who'll support Families First.
A question from Ron Allen of Wichita Falls, TX:
The Democrats have had Congressional majorities for so long and never once tried to balance the budget. Now you say you're "ready to lead". Why should the American public believe you?
Rep. Gephardt Responds:
Ron: The deficit only became a big problem in the Reagan-Bush years. For 12 years, Republican Presidents talked about balancing the budget, but failed to propose one. President Clinton and congressional Democrats, on the other hand, have cut the deficit in half -- resulting in three straight years of deficit reduction, for the first time since the Truman Administration. The President has also put forward a plan to balance the budget in seven years, while still maintaining priorities important to the American people -- like protecting education, Medicare, and the environment. That's the kind of balanced budget Democrats are proposing in the Families First agenda.
A question from Mary Beth Budnyk of Pittsburg, PA:
It seems that the Families First agenda is essentially geared towards the middle class. Does this mean that in the face of limited resources, we must prioritize what sections of the society we will assist? Is this the end of the "Great Society"?
Rep. Gephardt Responds:
Mary Beth: Families First isn't the end of the "Great Society", but it's true that it doesn't include any big new government programs -- we know that's not what most Americans want. And you're right that Families First is designed to help middle class families get ahead.
But that doesn't mean leaving other families behind. Almost every Families First initiative will help all working families -- not just the middle class. Here are just a few examples: two-year college scholarships in the form of a tax credit (which will be refundable, in case a family's tax liability is less than the amount of the credit); putting more cops on the beat; expanding the safe and drug-free schools program; discouraging American companies from moving jobs overseas; requiring decent standards for the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink; cleaning drugs out of our schools; and preventing teen pregnancy.
A question from Fred Houlihan of State College, PA:
The Contract With America had very specific goals and came with a TV Guide insert checklist so anyone could easily score it's success or failure. Will there be firm criteria available to evaluate the success or failure of your plan?
Rep. Gephardt Responds:
Fred: We will be introducing legislation in the 105th Congress (1997-98) that encompasses the proposals in Families First. The bills will likely change somewhat as they pass through the Congress. That's because, unlike the Contract, we will go through an open democratic process with opportunities for public input, hearings, and other forms of deliberation on these bills, instead of just rubber-stamping them. But I think it's fair to say that the fate of those pieces of legislation will be a good barometer of the success of Families First.
And while we aren't running a TV Guide ad, we did set up a Web page so that people can read about Families First and offer their input. The Families First homepage is at http://www.familiesfirst.org/.
Click here for a forum menu.
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