It’s up, the text is here. The gist:

Jobs:

- Stop job-killing tax hikes

- Allow small businesses to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income

- Require congressional approval for any new federal regulation that would add to the deficit

- Repeal small business mandates in the new health care law.

Cutting Spending:

- Repeal and Replace health care

- Roll back non-discretionary spending to 2008 levels before TARP and stimulus (will save $100 billion in first year alone)

- Establish strict budget caps to limit federal spending going forward

- Cancel all future TARP payments and reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Reforming Congress:

- Will require that every bill have a citation of constitutional authority

- Give members at least 3 days to read bills before a vote

Defense:

- Provide resources to troops

- Fund missile defense

- Enforce sanctions in Iran

These are all good, but I suspect that the “repeal healthcare” will get the greatest amount of wear in the media. Up to now the GOP hasn’t said fully that it would work to repeal Obamacare, but with a majority of Americans calling for it, the GOP had to go with it.

What the reaction from fellow conservatives? The editors at NRO are pleased.

“All year long, conservatives have been pressuring Republicans to release a Contract with America for 2010 — an updated version of the campaign platform that the party unveiled before its 1994 sweep of Congress. Thursday morning, Republican congressmen are responding to that pressure by making a “Pledge to America.” The inevitable question will be: Is the pledge as bold as the Contract?

The answer is: The pledge is bolder. The Contract with America merely promised to hold votes on popular bills that had been bottled up during decades of Democratic control of the House. The pledge commits Republicans to working toward a broad conservative agenda that, if implemented, would make the federal government significantly smaller, Congress more accountable, and America more prosperous.”

UPDATE: Erik Erickson

“These 21 pages tell you lots of things, some contradictory things, but mostly this: it is a serious of compromises and milquetoast rhetorical flourishes in search of unanimity among House Republicans because the House GOP does not have the fortitude to lead boldly in opposition to Barack Obama.

I have one message for John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the House GOP Leadership: If they do not want to use the GOP to lead, I would like to borrow it for a time.

Yes, yes, it is full of mom tested, kid approved pablum that will make certain hearts on the right sing in solidarity. But like a diet full of sugar, it will actually do nothing but keep making Washington fatter before we crash from the sugar high.

It is dreck.”

I think Eric is nitpicking. Yeah there is much that is missing, but this isn’t 1994. We needed 800 plus pages back then to cover 40 years of Democratic control. We now only need 21 to remind people of what they already believe. It’s only taken Democrats 4 years to wipe out any clout they had with the American people, there’s not much we really need to “contract” with them. They’re moving to the right in droves and quite frankly are leery of “promises”.

Again if they can repeal Obamacare it would go a long way to showing America that they mean to do what they say.

The GOP can’t “talk” of returning the nation to conservative principles, he has to do it. They’ll get the chance come November. It’s time to walk the talk.