Posted on 05/10/2006 1:23:34 PM PDT by truthfinder9
Lots of people bemoan the fact that the Democratic Party does not connect with white middle class voters, but few of the complainers offer workable solutions.
Third-Way, a "center progressive" think tank made up of former Democratic Congressional and White House staffers, has now addressed this issue with some real insight.
In a study released on May 4, Third-way notes that Democrats believe they are talking to middle class voters but that their message is all wrong. The study then makes some very specific suggestions on how to solve the problem.
Let’s review the bidding.
First, middle class is defined as household income between $30,000 and $75,000 a year. Obviously this figure could go higher in some parts of the country, depending on cost of living factors.
In 2004, John Kerry lost middle class white voters by 22 points and Congressional Democrats lost middle class white voters by 19 points. Kerry lost all middle class voters as a group (including whites, Blacks and Hispanics) by 6 points.
This was not an aberration but part of a trend. In 2000, Al Gore lost middle class white voters by 15 points and Congressional Democrats lost them by 14 points. In 1996, Congressional Democrats lost middle class white voters by 12 points.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What's that? There's a "Third Way"?? Wow! Maybe that's the solution to all our problems!!
Add to list:
People don't like the Gay Agenda being shoved in their face.
People don't like Nannies telling them they are bad for trying to take care of their children.
People don't like rich elites who never worked a hard day in their life telling them that "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
expanding the tax deductibility of college tuition,
promoting innovation,
tax simplification,
creating incentives for telecommuting,
and revising the way that IRAs and 401(k)s work
are designed to help individuals take advantage of opportunities and manage risk.
Woo-Hoo! That's some bold thinking!! A platform like that will surely capture the hearts of minds of the voters!
Well, I'm pretty sure the middle class got their message, and reject it.
scratchin my head ? didn't Rats claim the middle class is gone ? only rich and poor exist ? 2 Americas..yada, yada, yada
. . . and doesn't say what percentage of that group is over the age of 20 . . .Per Thomas Sowell, that number is quite small; to craft policy to help that group at the expense of the economy in general is to establish a "wino veto" which holds the general welfare hostage to a tiny special, and not especially virtuous, interest.
The liberals know that. That's why they want to import a whole new base of useful idiots.
I love these lame attempts by the socialist liberals to appeal to middle class Americans. What a pathetic bunch of unimaginative losers.
The Democrats are the party of political correctness. Whatever far out left wing causes people have, they have a home in the Democratic party.
Republicans aren't perfect - far from it - but there is far more common sense thinking in the Republican party than the Democratic party.
The Democrats are the party of hysteria and emotion on many issues. Republicans have policy positions for different reasons that they can at least explain. Democrats have policy positions based on hysteria about saving the planet or on the emotions about not wanting to discriminate against anyone. Like same sex marriage or global warming, no attempt is made by Democrats to think through whether the proposed policies are good for society. Emotions and hysteria are the policies.
And Democrats are the party of the Manhattan/Washington/Hollywood/San Francisco elitists. These elites just don't connect with the middle class.
And so Democrats just don't connect with the middle class.
Now that is a policy that would attract votes. In a big way. The true answer to that challenge would be a flat tax or national sales tax, but making college tuition deductible would be pretty close to a lot of people's price.
Anyone who works and is in the "middle class," who claims to be a democrat is delusional. This party has campaigned against us since at least 1972. They do not support lower taxes. They do not support life. They do not support a strong national defense. They do not support religious freedom. They do not support the secind amendment. They do not support freedom.
I don't care what some of them say--we know they lie like hell and I don't see it stopping--the lies are in fact becoming more outrageous.
"Conservatives have made huge political strides by defining and grouping under the label of “culture” a basket of divisive but otherwise entirely unrelated issues like abortion, guns, gay marriage and religion. While conservatives should not get to define American values, progressives have for too long stood idly by and allowed them to do so."
I bet if you went back and looked at his career in the House, you would find he introduced few (if any) bills with these goals in them, and when Republican bills with these goals in them came up for a vote, he voted against them. Over and over and over. As would about 98% of Dems would vote today.
Just my educated guess...
Did the conservatives group those together or is it just that the pro-abortion, anti-gun, pro-gay marriage and anti-religion groups always seem to show up together supporting the Democrats?
Yes, more small-bore Clintonism, an economic policy version of midnight basketball.
Memo
From: Howard Dean, DNC Chairman
To: Middle Class Americans
re: A heartfelt appeal to you...
We hate you.
Yeeeearrrrgh!
Howard
p.s.: vote for us... PLEASE!!!
p.p.s: Give us money too.
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