The media gets a lot of criticism for having a left-wing bias, and maybe they (we) do, at least a little bit. One thing that is indisputable, however, is that the right is driving debate.

Talk about health care was, and still is, driven by what the act doesn’t have — “death panels,” socialism, deficits — and it isn’t driven by what it has. If liberals really controlled the media, you wouldn’t hear all of the dissenting voices, and you wouldn’t hear the poll results for the number of people who criticize it.

With all of this public support for the right, it’s a fairly safe bet that Republicans will retake Congress in a similar fashion to when they did it in 1994. (Then again, if Kansas taught us anything last week, the safe bet is never safe). If they do, they need to borrow a technique from their predecessors and sign a new “Contract with America,” featuring a few key points:

1. They need to vow to never pass a bill through the Senate with fewer than 60 votes. With all of the criticism Democrats are facing for “ramming” health care through Congress, Republicans need to ensure that they never commit hypocrisy.

Should Republicans pass a bill with fewer than 60 votes in the Senate, they are in effect “ramming” that bill through Congress and, who knows, pushing us towards socialism or fascism. Since they do not see a simple majority as democratic enough for their opponents, they should make sure to never accept just a simple majority for themselves.

Similarly, it would be nice if the president would always veto a bill, whether he or she is a Republican or Democrat, just to make sure Congress is not pushing legislation with just a majority. If it isn’t good enough for 60 percent of Congress, it isn’t good enough for America. That’s their current message, and they should stick with it.

2. They should vow never to run a deficit. This includes during extenuating circumstances such as wars, recessions, depressions, everything. Republicans need to make sure they never pass on a check to their children and grandchildren.

In 1994, the GOP did this. They ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and, in 1997, they passed it as a law (the Balanced Budget Act). Republican leadership under Newt Gingrich managed to turn a budget deficit into a surplus by the turn of the century.

Then, in 2001, something happened. I’m not talking about something in September. I’m talking about something in June. President Bush passed the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (a.k.a. the Bush Tax Cuts). Goodbye, budget surplus. Did this directly lead to a deficit? No. But President Bush and Republican leaders were unwilling to eliminate this costly law in order to pay for the wars that followed. Republicans never had the courage to raise taxes in order to pay for what was necessary, and they just passed the check to the next generation. Today’s GOP needs to make sure never to let this happen again.

3. Republicans need to react to the demands of the American people. They have criticized President Obama and Democratic leaders for not responding to what they claim to be the majority of Americans. Republicans will need to set an example.

In the past, the GOP has had problems with that. When President Bush was facing microscopic approval ratings and the Iraq War was the least popular thing since New Coke, they didn’t change anything. They didn’t push for pulling out of Iraq; they surged. Did the surge work? Maybe, but Republicans are describing the job of our leaders as doing what’s popular, not what they think is right. They should follow what’s popular, regardless of whether it agrees with their ideology.

Of course, they could do all of these things. They probably won’t, though. They’ll do exactly what the Democrats are doing right now: push legislation through Congress using any means possible (such as voting), raise the deficit, and do what their ideology – not poll numbers – tells them to.

It would be nice, however, if they would practice in the future what they’re preaching today. There’s nothing I would love better than to see a future Republican majority prove me wrong.

Jonathan Reed is the opinions editor of The Crimson White. His column runs on Fridays.