U.S. priorities = progressive priorities
The Pew Center recently released a poll on what issues are of most importance to the U.S. public. The headline for their report is "No Clamor for Amendment From Flag-Waving Public," which is clearly true. But the poll reveals some other useful information for progressives.
Here's the list, in order of how many rate the issue "very important":
Notice anything interesting here? For starters, the top 5 issues are all ones that currently work strongly in favor of progressives.
Outside of the top 5, there's another whole set of issues that over 50% of the public rate as "very important," and are issues on which progressives, and only progressives, are leading the way: jobs, energy, the environment, minimum wage. In fact, aside from taxes and terrorism, you have nothing that any self-respecting conservative would campaign on -- and even those are debatable.
Indeed, the only disheartening finding of the poll for progressives is that "global warming" is festering at the bottom of the barrel with other "who cares" issues like repealing the estate tax and, apparently the biggest non-issue of all, banning gay marriage.
I think this list mirrors the reality most people encounter when they talk with people in their neighborhood, workplace, church, or anywhere else about the burning issues of the day.
People care most about progressive issues. So why aren't progressives winning on them?
Here's the list, in order of how many rate the issue "very important":
Notice anything interesting here? For starters, the top 5 issues are all ones that currently work strongly in favor of progressives.
Outside of the top 5, there's another whole set of issues that over 50% of the public rate as "very important," and are issues on which progressives, and only progressives, are leading the way: jobs, energy, the environment, minimum wage. In fact, aside from taxes and terrorism, you have nothing that any self-respecting conservative would campaign on -- and even those are debatable.
Indeed, the only disheartening finding of the poll for progressives is that "global warming" is festering at the bottom of the barrel with other "who cares" issues like repealing the estate tax and, apparently the biggest non-issue of all, banning gay marriage.
I think this list mirrors the reality most people encounter when they talk with people in their neighborhood, workplace, church, or anywhere else about the burning issues of the day.
People care most about progressive issues. So why aren't progressives winning on them?
1 Comments:
Campaigns are not about issues in a vacuum. Basically, conservatives have been very good about being able to make a campaign be about someone's vote on issue x. About, generalizing that one issue where the progressive appears to be out of step with voters and making it into a defining character issue. Meanwhile, too often, progressives take the fight on in those very terms rather than refocusing debate on their strengths.
It doesn't help that the media in its desperate attempt to show it is balanced provides equal coverage to the top-five issues discussed by the progressive and the issues highlighted by the conservative (even when the latter are at the bottom of the pile).
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