Third Way Perspectives
Posts Tagged ‘middle class’
A Message That Actually Works — Until It’s Scrambled
September 23rd, 2010
This piece was originally posted on The Huffington Post.
In “A Message That Actually Works,” Mike Lux laments efforts by Democrats to frame the upcoming election as a choice between going back to the Bush economic plan or moving forward with President Obama’s. He used the poor performance of what he referred to as a “Third Way-style” message in a recent Democracy Corps poll as evidence that the approach is a dud. With all due respect to Mr. Lux, calling the polled message “Third Way-style” is like calling a soufflé an omelet because they both contain eggs. Even though there’s a common ingredient, different combinations produce wildly different dishes. We think ours is the winning recipe.
To keep the 2010 midterms from repeating 1994, Democrats can learn from Reagan
September 20th, 2010
This piece was originally published in The Washington Post.
“We are going to lose the House and the Senate.”
Those were the opening words of a memo that I faxed to my then-boss, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), on Labor Day in 1994. Schumer was still in the House, I was his legislative director, and my prediction was based on one overarching idea: The Democratic Party had lost its way. Our national agenda had been hijacked by the parochial agendas of aggrieved special interest groups. And as a result, we were badly misfiring with the middle class.
For energy reform advocates, lessons from health care
August 2nd, 2010
This piece was originally published in The Washington Post.
With the United States struggling to recover from a job-killing recession, a Democratic president asks a Democratic Congress to pass sweeping reform of a major sector of the economy. “We can no longer afford to continue to ignore what is wrong,” he explains. “We must fix this system, and it has to begin with congressional action.” The public, however, rejects this plea. The proposal dies in Congress, and recriminations begin. Chastened and disappointed, advocates regroup and seek a new path forward.
Looking forward – beyond November
June 18th, 2010
This piece was originally published in Politico.
By: Gov. Jack Markell and Jim Kessler
From Nevada to South Carolina, from Kentucky to Maine, a new political reality is dawning. As establishment Republicans bend over backward to appeal to the most extreme tea-party-type elements of their base, they’ve upended last year’s conventional wisdom that an anti-Democratic fervor was beginning to sweep the nation.
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Three Ways the Health Reform Package Helps Control Costs
March 22nd, 2010
This piece was originally published in Reuters.
Among the many unfair accusations leveled at the health reform package just passed by the House is that it “does nothing” to control soaring health care costs.
In fact, nothing can be further from the truth.
What Would Art Vandelay Do?
March 11th, 2010
This piece was originally published on The Huffington Post.
U.S. businesses and many in Congress have long complained that our export promotion and export enforcement efforts are not strategic, well-coordinated or well-funded. Increasing U.S. exports is a vital part of promoting economic growth that benefits all Americans, including the Middle Class. There is much work still to do to ensure that the United States has smart, progressive policies in support of trade. However, the Administration’s new export agenda is an excellent start.