"Part of the mythology of American politics," says John Nichols, "is the theory—or really the fantasy—that the ‘Contract with America’ engineered by Newt Gingrich back in 1994 was responsible for the Republican sweep of House and Senate elections that year." The truth is not that simple, says Nichols, but that’s not stopping Republicans from revamping this statement of vague principles for a new election season. But in it’s particulars, this year’s reinvention of the "Contract," the so-called "Pledge to America," demands dramatic cuts to the federal budget, cuts that can only come from one place: social security. How can progressives fight back against the GOP’s latest attack on America’s social and economic future?

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