Subject: [big campaign] New Huff Post from Creamer-Jobs Bill Good Politics for Democrats
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:15:29 EDT
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Real Factor in Midterms: Too Few Jobs, Not Too Much  Spending 

“I know we should provide more money for state government to prevent  
hundreds of thousands of teachers, police, and public workers from being laid  
off, but I just can’t vote for one more bill that increases the deficit.”   
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that – or something similar  
about other job creating programs from a Member of Congress – I could 
probably  retire.  
Many Democratic Members of Congress are convinced that it is bad politics  
for them to support more spending on jobs, if it isn’t “off set” by other 
cuts  or increases in revenues.  They’re  convinced by polls that show great 
public concern over “government spending and  the deficit.”   
But they are dead wrong about the political consequences of the choices  
before them.   
There is one factor driving the  anger and unhappiness that is so palpable 
in the electorate: people are worried  about the economic prospects of their 
families.  They are frightened about their  futures.  They worry that their 
 children may have less economic opportunity than they did.  
And there is only one “political  message” that really addresses this 
sense of economic insecurity.  Voters have to see things actually  getting 
better for their families and their neighbors.  They have to see their 
brother-in-law  finally get a job.   
Yesterday, Economist Alan Blinder published a piece in the Wall Street 
Journal that clearly stated  the case that the economic policies undertaken by 
the Obama Administration and  Democratic Congress have done an enormous 
amount to create new jobs – and to  rescue the economy from the potential of 
another Great Depression.   
There is no  doubt that this is true.  Of course  it’s hard to get credit 
for avoiding disaster.  But more importantly, the everyday  economic 
circumstances of everyday people – while they are definitely improving  – aren’t 
improving enough to make them feel hopeful.   That’s why the single most 
important thing  Democrats in Congress can do to improve the political climate 
this fall is  anything that creates or saves more jobs.  
Don’t get me wrong. There are many things that Democrats can do to take  
back the political momentum in the midterm elections.   
We can make certain that the debate presents the voters with a choice of  
paths to the future, not just a referendum on the status quo.  Do we want to 
go back to the failed Bush  economic policies that favored Wall Street, Big 
Oil, and Insurance Companies and  that devastated the Middle Class and Small 
Business?  That is a very resonant message.  The polling shows that most 
Americans  understand that the policies of the Bush years – and the Wall 
Street banks were  the real culprits that cost eight million Americans their 
jobs.  We have to constantly remind them that  the Republican alternative 
involves going back to the bad ole days of  yesteryear.  
We can make a strong case that if the Republicans are the Party of “No”  
now, Republican control of Congress would deliver gridlock.  Remember many 
voters who are angry at  what they perceive as inaction (notwithstanding the 
health care bill, stimulus  bill, and Wall Street reform bill) – not too much 
action. 
And increasingly, focus groups show that there is much unease that many  
Republican candidates are simply extremists. 
Polling and focus groups show that these are very compelling messages for  
the fall.  And they will be  strengthened mightily when we put meat on the 
bones – when we spell out exactly  the policies that the Republicans would 
like to put in place. 
A lot of swing voters find it easy to fall for the Republican posturing  
about “government spending” until we drive home the fact that they want to  
eliminate Medicare and replace it with a system of vouchers – or privatize  
Social Security.  
All of these are important  elements for a successful Democratic strategy 
in the fall.  But to deal with the underlying sense of  anxiety and anger, 
nothing will work besides actually creating more jobs – more  short term 
economic opportunity.  
Less than five  months before Election Day there are very few ways for 
Congress – or the White  House – to affect the jobs situation in November.  
Most new government action takes months  to actually kick in.   
There is,  however, one, that does not.  Providing money – and guarantees 
of funding – for state and local  governments will actually prevent the 
destruction of hundreds of thousands of  jobs. With the assurance of Federal 
funding, states and localities can act  immediately to keep people working – 
with incomes that keep them buying the  products that keep other people 
working.  
If the Congress  does not act, hundreds of thousands of Americans will be 
laid off.  That is horrible politics for Democrats  – particularly Democrats 
in swing Congressional Districts.  
With the economy actually creating jobs, the last thing we need are  
massive state and local layoffs that offset that job creation.  That would involve 
snatching economic  defeat from the jaws of victory. 
And contrary to the Republican blathering that “only the private sector  
can create real jobs,” there is no one that would argue that teachers, 
firemen,  police officers, emergency medical personnel, and the people who build 
and  maintain roads do not do “real jobs.” These are jobs performing some of 
the most  economically vital tasks in our economy – and if they are not 
done, real damage  will be done to the present economy and the future prospects 
of our children.  
The Democratic leadership in both Houses – and the White House –  
understand this political and economic reality clearly.  But fear of voting to “
increase the  deficit” has infected many Members of the Democratic caucus so 
completely that  they risk failing to take actions that can actually improve 
their own chances  for reelection. 
Voters will not remember or care whether they vote for this or that  
funding bill that “increased the deficit” -- and the Republicans will say they  
voted to increase the deficit no matter what they do.  What the voters will 
remember is how they feel about the  overall direction of the economy and the 
jobs situation. That feeling is the  starting place for any other message 
that Democratic incumbents will try to  communicate this fall.  
The fact is that voting for jobs is always good politics.  
Democratic Members of Congress can’t let Republicans frighten them into  
doing something that is both bad for the economy and bad for themselves  
politically.  Congress needs to pass  a robust jobs bill – including aide to 
state and local government  now. 
Robert Creamer is a long-time  political organizer and strategist, and 
author of the recent book:  Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can  Win, 
available on _Amazon.com._ 
(http://www.amazon.com/Listen-Your-Mother-Straight-Progressives/dp/0979585295/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213241439&sr=8-1)

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