strategy and research | April 10, 2008
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Democracy Corps and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner recently completed a national survey that focused on voters’ attitudes toward the economy. The survey of 1,000 likely voters showed that to really make 2008 a change election, Democrats need to shift their approach on the economy to advance a new middle class populism.
In their comprehensive analysis of the survey, Al Quinlan, Mike Bocian, Stan Greenberg, and James Carville outline an economic message strategy for Democrats that 1) recognizes that cleaning out the corporate special interests in Washington is the starting point, 2) puts the squeezed and disappearing middle class as the main object of their work, 3) focuses on policies that address rising costs and outsourced jobs as the central economic problems, 4) advocates tax cuts as a for whom proposition instead of a “for-or-against” proposition, and 5) demonstrates an openness to break with convention and gridlock – to work with businesses and both parties – to get things done for the country.
The core economic message Democrats and progressives should offer is built off this narrative: We need urgent action on the economy to get prices down and keep jobs in America so the middle class can prosper. We have to retake government from the big business special interests that assure wasteful spending on tax breaks for oil and drug companies while the middle class is squeezed by rising costs for gas, health care and college. It is critical that we break with convention and take action on the economy. We have policies that will get gas prices and health care costs down, and we will partner with businesses that want to create jobs here. We will work with both parties to invest in emerging industries and American jobs, particularly alternative energy, solar, wind and bio-fuels. We need new economic policies that work for the middle class.
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