Is the GOP ready for prime time?

All signs point to big Republican gains in November, enabling the GOP to implement its agenda. But what agenda is that?

David Frum

After the Republican triumph in 1994, the party commissioned a poll to ascertain the popularity of the "Contract with America," the policy platform that had been aggressively promoted by GOP candidates. The surprising finding? Three-quarters of voters had never heard of the Contract.

Democrats did not bother with any kind of party platform in 2006, the year they recaptured both Houses of Congress. Now in 2010, the GOP has seized a huge lead in the polls without anything like an updated contract.

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David Frum is editor of FrumForum.com and the author of six books, including most recently COMEBACK: Conservatism That Can Win Again. In 2001 and 2002, he served as speechwriter and special assistant to President George W. Bush. In 2007, he served as senior foreign policy adviser to the Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign.