These are OUR wedge issues; everyone but BushInc's Neo-Cons agrees with us

[Czolgosz]

The Pew Research Center recently completed a landmark study, Beyond Red vs. Blue, which analyzes demographic subgroups which comprise Republican, Democrat, and Independent voters. Here’s a link: <http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=943>.

This study confirms that the BushInc agenda is driven by Neo-Cons and is mainly at odds with most Republicans’ values (and of course it disdains all Independent and Democratic groups’ values). WE MUST PUT THESE ISSUES FRONT AND CENTER!

According to the study, the Neo-Cons (called “Enterprisers” in the Pew study) are generally rich and white (most are married male guns owning Fox News fans) and support the PNAC foreign policy as well as the corporatist/anti-consumer domestic policy including the elimination of both government social services and regulation corporate misdeeds. They compose just 9 percent of the population and only 1 percent voted for Kerry (they are a small group, but they are the most reliable right-wing voters and campaign contributors). Most interestingly, on many key issues, these Neo-Cons do not share the views of the other Republican voter groups the Social Conservatives (the 11 percent of the population who are church-going, immigration-hating Republicans) or the Pro-Government Conservatives (the 9 percent of the population who are poorer, nationalistic, Christian Republicans).

Here are our eight wedge issues:

1. UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE

Who favors government health insurance for all (even if it requires tax increases)?

23% - Neo-Con Republicans
59% - Social Conservatives Republicans
63% - Pro-Government Republicans
65% - All Americans

2. RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

Who favors raising the minimum wage?

46% - Neo-Con Republicans
79% - Social Conservatives Republicans
94% - Pro-Government Republicans
86% - All Americans

3. PROTECTION AGAINST JOB OUTSOURCING

Who is concerned about outsourcing American jobs?

43% - Neo-Con Republicans
67% - Social Conservatives Republicans
71% - Pro-Government Republicans
69% - All Americans

4. PROTECTING AGAINST CORPORATE ABUSES

Who thinks big corporations have too much power?

26% - Neo-Con Republicans
88% - Social Conservatives Republicans
83% - Pro-Government Republicans

5. REGULATING BUSINESS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC

Who thinks corporations have should be regulated to protect interests?

16% - Neo-Con Republicans
58% - Social Conservatives Republicans
66% - Pro-Government Republicans

6. PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT FROM INDUSTRIAL POLLUTERS

Who favors better protecting our environment from industrial polluters?

16% - Neo-Con Republicans
67% - Social Conservatives Republicans
61% - Pro-Government Republicans
77% - All Americans

7. NO DEFICIT EXPANDING TAX CUTS

Who thinks tax cuts are more important than reducing the budget deficit?

50% - Neo-Con Republicans
31% - Social Conservatives Republicans
37% - Pro-Government Republicans
32% - All Americans

8. UNILATERAL FOREIGN POLICY

Who supports Bush’s unilateralist foreign policy?

73% - Neo-Con Republicans
49% - Social Conservatives Republicans
40% - Pro-Government Republicans
37% - All Americans

We need to put these issues at the heart of our campaigns and in the news. This is an agenda we should all be able to get behind.

Join me in shifting the debate to our wedge issues. We should be asking BushInc every day why they won’t adopt these sound policies which are so widely supported by most Americans, including most mainstream Republicans.

I’ll be out working on a Democratic fundraiser today so, if you think this is useful information, please keep this thread kicked.

[Solon]

1. HOLY SHIT....

65% of Americans are RADICAL LEFTISTS, who would have guessed THAT?!?! (Response to first poll results.) :)

Seriously though, the problem is the Democratic party's lack of control over the debate at all. The Republicans have been controlling that for far too long, in such a lopsided way that its almost impossible for the Democrats to get the message out. The problem is that the GOP, for all practical purposes, owns the M$M entirely. Look at the average coverage of the Domestic Issues on any channel, and you see this is true.

[electropop]

47. It's all about the Meme Game

We need to use the highly successful Rove tactic: fax out one coordinated short message every morning, complete with a pithy phrase, which will be repeated ad nauseum all day (or week) by every single Dem on TV, radio, newsprint, or blog. This is the only way to punch through the media blockade. Try a few memes (one at a time).

Culture of Corruption (this was the first one, repeated by Reid and Pelosi - a weak start but better than no coordination, and the meme is very good).

Corporate Criminal Cronyism

The disgrace in Iraq

The torture president

Traitors in the White House

Fiscal insanity

The Bush-Laden family

The GOP-mafia connection {Abramoff/Delay/Suncruz murder)

The Katrina president

[Czolgosz]

48. "The Bush-Laden family" lol

[bleedingheart]

2. this has been the DEMOCRATIC MESSAGE for many years

sadly voters are not very well informed and just listen to the idiot box in their living room instead of reading and researching the issues

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Cargo Cult Republicans have been conned to vote against their own interest

[emulatorloo]

10. Very important - survey of what Bush Voter believed about Bush

read if you havent

They thought he supports International Criminal Court, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Kyoto protocol, etc etc.

Plus of course that Saddam did 9/11

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/20263/

[Czolgosz]

38. Wasn't there another study that correlated such misinformation with Fox

News viewershio (whereas people who got their news from PBS were the least misinformed)?

[never cry wolf]

53. That was the PIPA report

I don't have alink to the report itself but I am sure it is easily googled. From a recent speech by Bobby Kennedy, Jr.:

If you look at the PIPA Report and I’ve known this for many, many years because I do 40 speeches a year in red states Republican audiences and there is no difference. When people hear this message and what this White House is doing and the Gingrich Congress, there is no difference between the way Republicans react and the Democrats react except the Republicans come up afterwards and say, “Why haven’t we ever heard of this before? I say to them, “It’s because you’re watching Fox News and listening to Rush.”

And 80 percent of Republicans are just Democrats who don’t know what’s going on .

I don’t know if any of you saw the PIPA Report which came out after the last election but it confirmed everything and this is kind of a digression but this whole talk has turned into a digression. The PIPA Report was done by the University of Maryland and it showed that there is no—you know all these Saturday morning gas bags, the political pundits you see on TV talking about the moral difference and the ideological difference between red states and blue states.

There is no difference.

The only difference is there is a huge informational deficit in the red states and I’ve known this for a long time reaction I get people and the PIPA Report confirmed that by going and asking people who voted for Bush and who voted for Kerry about their knowledge of current events. What they found that of the people that voted for Bush had the same ideology, the same basic values, they were just misinformed. 70 percent said that they believed that Saddam Hussein bombed the World Trade Center, 70 percent believed that weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq, 64 percent believed that President Bush strongly supported the Kyoto Protocol and strong labor and environmental standards in our foreign treaties and on and on.

When PIPA went back and asked them what they believed, there was almost no difference between what the Republicans and Democrats believed where America should be headed. The problem was a huge information deficit because the news media in this country is letting down American democracy and democracy cannot survive long without a vigorous news media.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0916-27.htm

[fearnobush]

35. The idiot box reports all the lies the Neo-Cons order them to air.

Ever hear, "Democrats have no good ideas" or vison, or new plan etc.
We have great tried and proven ideals and plans as well as a hundred times better vison then any backward walking Repuke. The Neo-Con installed media suppressed us on TV and on print and in public opinion. It's the media we need to take over not so much the Gov't. We cannot shift the paradigm without ending the 20yr in the works Neo-Conn plan to control the media.

[johnaries]

3. To all the DLC'ers who think we should move to the middle,

here you go. These are LIBERAL initiatives that the LEFT has been pushing for years.

The PIPA report on the 2004 election said much the same thing. The majority of Amreicans supported Kerry's stance on most issues over Bush's, but they just didn't know what the candidates stances were and in several cases thought they were reversed.

We don't need to shift to the Right or to the Middle - we just need to get the message out!

[LincolnMcGrath]

9. k+ r

:yourock:

[emulatorloo]

11. PIPA link in my post above and here:

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/20263/

[johnaries]

15. Thanks for posting the link!

I was just too lazy to look it up again.
:toast:

[johnaries]

4. K& R. this needs to be on Greatest!. n/t

[Coastie for Truth]

6. Great strategy Guide -I can live with it.

[cally]

7. The problem is that too many voters don't make these their

highest priority. Americans have consistently supported environmental protection but won't change their voting habits to support candidates who are stronger on the environment. Dems need a coordinated strategy to highlight the differences between the parties on these because I don't believe most understand how different the parties are.

[toymachines]

22. If we could just vote the general will of the public....

we should vote on those issues and then have our legislators act in the direction we vote. That seems like a way to dictate the general will of the public and have the reps work out the details. Is there a system of gov that does this?

[hootinholler]

8. Why the cross post?

Wasn't GD-Pol enough?

Just asking
-Hoot

[Czolgosz]

23. I posted in GD

on my way out of the house, but threads disappear from the first page in GD so fast that I reposted in GD-Pol before logging off because I was worried it would slip off of the GD first page before anyone saw it.

[Cleita]

12. Good post.

And thanks for putting it together. It's going into my files. :-)

[DanCa]

13. No stem cell research?

[Czolgosz]

25. That's a great point. Stem cell research is a great issue, but it doesn't

divide the demographic subgroups that compose the Republican coalition (but it sharply divides the Republicans from the Independents):

[Coastie for Truth]

26. What it divides are

people with "family histories" of diseases mentioned in connection with stem cell research from people without such "family histories."

I am a Type 2 Diabetic, at least third generation; we already have three Type 2 diabetics in the next generation. This is a LITMUS TEST issue for me.

[Czolgosz]

41. If Dick Cheney had a daughter with type 2 Diabetes or some other condition

that we might cure with stem cell research, he'd be on the other side of this issue. Why is it Republicans need a gay family member to understand the gay rights issues (or a husband afflicted with Alzheimer's in order to understand stem cell issues, etc.), but most Democrats don't need to have a directly affected family member to understand the issue.

[TroubleMan]

14. Excellent post....recommended

nt.

[progressoid]

16. Wow, interesting numbers. - givnin' this one another vote.

[sadiesworld]

17. I think many DUers will want to save this information.

The conversation about left/right/moderate often obscures the fact that most US citizens agree on these basic points. Of course, it is not a corporate-friendly agenda so there are those who would intentionally seek to muddy the waters, IMO.

It should be the basis for a REAL Contract With America but you better believe that it is not the type of agenda that the DLC would support.

It's nice to see a poll finally confirming common sense.

[LincolnMcGrath]

18. Careful, the dlc militia will come down on you like a ton of...

well mostly just attack you personally with little substance and even less commonsense. lol

[Tigress DEM]

19. Hmmm? 100% Support of Chimpy a thing of the past even from Neo-Cons

1. UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE

Who favors government health insurance for all (even if it requires tax increases)?

23% - Neo-Con Republicans

WAS THERE *ANY* NEO-CON SUPPORT OF GOVERNMENT HEALTH INSURANCE WHEN CLINTON WAS BANGING THE DRUM? AND YET, MANY STUDIES HAVE COME OUT SHOWING HOW MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE IT IS TO not HAVE GOVERNMENT HEALTH INSURANCE. EVEN RICH WHITE MEN WHO WATCH FOX CAN FIGURE OUT THE BOTTOM LINE IN THIS EQUATION.

2. RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

Who favors raising the minimum wage?

46% - Neo-Con Republicans

EVEN LESS SUPPORT HERE - AGAIN THE BOTTOM LINE PROBABLY - IF THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD TO FEED, CLOTHE AND SHELTER THEMSELVES, EVEN IF THE POOREST AMONG THEM DIE OFF AND SAVE TAX DOLLARS, WHO IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUY THE STUFF THAT MOST RICH WHITE MEN ARE SELLING?

3. PROTECTION AGAINST JOB OUTSOURCING

Who is concerned about outsourcing American jobs?

43% - Neo-Con Republicans

BOTTOM LINE - A LOT OF THE JOBS BEING OUTSOURCED ARE WHITE COLLAR JOBS AND ONLY THE CEOS WHO MADE MILLIONS OFF OUTSOURCING FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THIS WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

4. PROTECTING AGAINST CORPORATE ABUSES

Who thinks big corporations have too much power?

26% - Neo-Con Republicans

1/4TH OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE CHURCHES WOULD THROW THEM OUT OF THE BUILDING IF THEY SPOKE ILL OF BUSH.... CAN SEE WHO IS REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHIT STORM WE ARE ENDURING - BIG MONEY CORPS BUYING GOVERNMENT PROTECTIONS AT THE EXPENSE OF ALL OF US.

88% - Social Conservatives Republicans
83% - Pro-Government Republicans

BIG NUMBERS ON THIS ISSUE AMONG OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY OR MAY NOT REMEMBR SOME OF THEIR HISTORY CLASSES AND THE STRUGGLES AGAINST MONOPOLIES.

5. REGULATING BUSINESS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC

Who thinks corporations have should be regulated to protect interests?

16% - Neo-Con Republicans

ENCOURAGING. MAYBE MORE NEO-CONS ARE REALIZING HOW THEY ARE VOTING AGAINST THEIR OWN INTERESTS WHEN THEY GO LOCK STEP.

6. PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT FROM INDUSTRIAL POLLUTERS

Who favors better protecting our environment from industrial polluters?

16% - Neo-Con Republicans

ENCOURAGING HERE TOO. NUMBERS MAY BE SMALL, BUT MAYBE SOME OF THESE NEO-CONS KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON AND ARE THEREFORE SCARED FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN.

7. NO DEFICIT EXPANDING TAX CUTS

Who thinks tax cuts are more important than reducing the budget deficit?

50% - Neo-Con Republicans

TOUGH CROWD ON THIS QUESTION. STILL IT ISN'T TALKING ABOUT WHICH TAX CUTS - IF IT HAD SPECIFIED THE TAX CUTS THAT ARE BENEFITING THE TOP 5% VS TAX CUTS IN GENERAL... SEE EVEN ABOUT 30% OF ALL AMERICANS RESPONDED FAVORABLY IN WHATEVER CONTEXT WAS USED.

IT USED TO BE AN 80/20 RULE... 80% OF THE PEOPLE HAVE 20% OF THE MONEY - THE TOP 20% HAVE 80% OF THE MONEY AND PAID ABOUT 80% OF THE TAXES. NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT 80% OF THE MONEY BEING HELD IN THE HANDS OF THE TOP 5% WHO CRY ABOUT PAYING 50% OF THE TAXES. THEN YOU HAVE THE BOTTOM 10% WHO PAY MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE EVEN INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO ARE EXEMPT OR GET TAX BACK --- BUT THE GROUP IN THE MIDDLE, THE VANISHING MIDDLE CLASS ARE MAKING UP FOR THE ELITE WHO SKIP OUT ON PAYING, BUT ARE BEING TOLD IT'S THE BOTTOM 10% CAUSING THE PROBLEM.

31% - Social Conservatives Republicans
37% - Pro-Government Republicans
32% - All Americans

8. UNILATERAL FOREIGN POLICY

Who supports Bush’s unilateralist foreign policy?

73% - Neo-Con Republicans

THEY LOVE A WAR AND IT AIN'T THEIR KIDS DYING ANYWAY. DID I MENTION KOOLAID?

49% - Social Conservatives Republicans
40% - Pro-Government Republicans
37% - All Americans

^^^ THESE NUMBERS ARE LOOKING BETTER THOUGH.

[Czolgosz]

44. I agree that these numbers seem soft for the right wing agenda when

you consider that the levels of support have risen so high even among a group that voted only 1% Democrat in the last presidential election.

[Armstead]

20. kick

innerestin post

[Jim__]

21. The problem is that they are only wedge issues if they can be used

to divide the Republican vote. If Republicans use other issues to determine how they vote, then the fact that they agree with the dems on this doesn't matter.

These are potential wedge issues. But, only if the Dems can get people to vote based on these issues. And the problem has been that come election time the repubs have been able to set up highly charged emotional issues - flag burning, gay marriage, abortion, the war on terror - and get their base to vote based on these issues.

[Czolgosz]

40. We need to get ballot referenda on these issues (just like the Reptiles

pushed ballot initiatives on gay marriage). Ballot initiatives stir people's interest, and if we have minimum wage initiatives, health insurance initiatives, job outsourcing initiatives on the statewide ballots for election day, the people who want these policies will see it's our candidates who are supporting those issues and their candidates who would rather give tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy and the corporations while funding a never-ending line of no bid contracts for Halliburton.

[bklyncowgirl]

24. Convince the Poor Republicans that they have nothing in common ...

with the Rich Republicans who are using them and you may get some to vote for Democrats and others of the more extremist religious variety to go with a populist conservative third party.

The Miers debacle is proving that there are real rifts within the GOP. Social conservatives went along with all the tax cuts and cronyism in the hopes of getting one of their own on the Supreme Court. Bush went back on his word--or at least seems to them to have done so and they are pissed.

[sandnsea]

27. "Enterprisers" are small business owners

They may be few, but they are very influential because of local politics and because they brainwash their low-income employees into fearing they'll lose their jobs. They're the ones who are out there during elections, jabbering away non-stop, creating a popular local "brand" and herd-affect for Republicans. The "Enterprisers" influence elections more than any other group of Republicans, no matter the numbers.

[Czolgosz]

32. Here is how the Pew defines the "Enterprisers"--sounds like Neo-Cons to me

9% OF ADULT POPULATION

10% OF REGISTERED VOTERS

PARTY ID: 81% Republican, 18% Independent/No Preference, 1% Democrat (98% Rep/Lean Rep)

BASIC DESCRIPTION: As in 1994 and 1999, this extremely partisan Republican group's politics are driven by a belief in the free enterprise system and social values that reflect a conservative agenda. Enterprisers are also the strongest backers of an assertive foreign policy, which includes nearly unanimous support for the war in Iraq and strong support for such anti-terrorism efforts as the Patriot Act.

DEFINING VALUES: Assertive on foreign policy and patriotic; anti-regulation and pro-business; very little support for government help to the poor; strong belief that individuals are responsible for their own well being. Conservative on social issues such as gay marriage, but not much more religious than the nation as a whole. Very satisfied with personal financial situation.

Key Beliefs:
Most corporations make a fair and reasonable amount of profit (General Population 39%, but Enterprisers 88%)
Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy (General Population 31%, but Enterprisers 74%)
Using overwhelming military force is the best way to defeat terrorism around the world (General Population 39%, but Enterprisers 84%)
Poor people today have it easy because they can get government (General Population 34%, but Enterprisers 73%)

WHO THEY ARE: Predominantly white (91%), male (76%) and financially well-off (62% have household incomes of at least $50,000, compared with 40% nationwide). Nearly half (46%) have a college degree, and 77% are married. Nearly a quarter (23%) are themselves military veterans. Only 10% are under age 30.

LIFESTYLE NOTES: 59% have a gun in the home; 53% trade stocks and bonds, and 30% are small business owners ­ all of which are the highest percentages among typology groups. 48% attend church weekly; 36% attend bible study or prayer group meetings.

2004 ELECTION: Bush 92%, Kerry 1%. Bush's most reliable supporters (just 4% of Enterprisers did not vote)

MEDIA USE: Enterprisers follow news about government and politics more closely than any other group, and exhibit the most knowledge about world affairs. The Fox News Channel is their primary source of news (46% cite it as a main source) followed by newspapers (42%) radio (31%) and the internet (26%).





I know a few small business owners (and I'm a small business owner), and these views seem more Neo-Con than the views held by the any of the small businesses owners I know.

[ruggerson]

28. None of these are wedge issues

They are policy positions. Good one, but policy position. Wedge issues are about strategy and finding hot buttons to make the public FEARFUL of the other side.

[Czolgosz]

42. I think wedge issues are more useful to drive a wedge between various

subgroup coalitions within the opposing party, but I suppose they could also be used to vilify the opposing party. I think these issues would serve better as issues which would drive a wedge between the Neo-Cons and the rest of the Reptilican Party as opposed to serving as hot buttons that would make the public fearful of the other side.

[jody]

29. Are the statistics presented in a way that misleads careless readers?

For example,
QUOTE
1. UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE

Who favors government health insurance for all (even if it requires tax increases)?

23% - Neo-Con Republicans
59% - Social Conservatives Republicans
63% - Pro-Government Republicans
65% - All Americans
UNQUOTE

Assume Republicans, Independents, and Democrats make up about 33% each of the voting population.

Then Democrats might have a stat of 75-80% in favor of "government health insurance for all (even if it requires tax increases)".

That statement is speculative but it seems to suggest that the survey data needs to be grouped into Independent and Democrat classes as a minimum if one is going to discuss strategy on wedge issues.

[maine_raptor]

30. Good point, but

As I read it (the OP), this is a breakdown of Republican sentiment. And it does suggest areas were the more hard-core Repubs can be broken away from the pack. But to truly build a wedge issue, you noise level will have to be elevated.

[jody]

31. Understand but in general, Independent voters are closer to we Dems than

are any of the Repug subclasses.

If that's true, then one might identify those wedge issues that are most vulnerable for persuading to vote for Dem candidates and focus on them as a strategy.

[Czolgosz]

36. It's a pretty thorough study and I summarized the results to highlight

the extent to which EVEN MOST MAINSTREAM REPUBLICANS favor some of the common sense policies which we favor and BushInc nevertheless refuses to implement so that these widely popular issues may present us with WEDGE ISSUES that can be used to split apart the Republican coalition.

With respect to the health insurance part of the study, here's a link:

<http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=948>.


Here are the Pew results displayed graphically:




Here is the discussion of the Pew results:

Health Insurance
Solid majorities of every group, with the sole exception of Enterprisers, favor a government guarantee of health insurance for all Americans, even if it means raising taxes. Across the electorate, support for guaranteed health insurance ranges from 55% among Upbeats and 59% among Social Conservatives to 90% among Liberals. By contrast, Enterprisers strongly oppose guaranteed health insurance for all, if it means higher taxes (76% oppose, 23% favor).

[confludemocrat]

52. This Poll/recent polls show poll-driven approach is BANKRUPT

Latest data on Iraq war support is different than Pew poll, what gives? These numbers are highly fungible as we can tell by now. About 60% don't see it in a favorable way now only a few months after. The gay marriage issue is changing out from under us.

This applies to ALL issues, dont delude yourself. It's principles and values that will drive the coming debates. Poll-driven approaches a la Clinton leads nowhere.

The idea of universal health care has been pushed by speaking to reality and values and principle and has come to the forefront that way, not by checking whether it was agood issue to push. These issues we care about cabn be pushed on an appeal to idealism, using idealism.

[mom cat]

33. WE ARE THE REAL MAJORITY. The center IS the LEFT!

[Neil Lisst]

34. Czolgosz, I was certain I'd replied to this, but ...

Czolgosz, I thought I'd replied to this thread, but I don't see a post. There are so many threads, I suppose it's easy to get them confused.

We have many issues on which we are strong, as the data in your original post demonstrates.

We have to formulate our talking points, and start driving them home.

[Czolgosz]

37. Link to thread discussing how we can bring these issues to the forefront

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5003761&mesg_id=5003761>

[bloom]

39. Katrina may be the key

Most people can see that something like that could affect anyone and those with the least - it affects the most.

And yet here you have Republican officials saying, ""Hurricane relief not government's responsibility" and young Republicans saying, "oh yeah - I didn't think of it that way..."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5013837&mesg_id=5013837

This is the time to get everyone on board with the idea that helping people in need is a reasonable role for government - but you need people in charge who believe that - not (like what we have now) people who don't.

[berni_mccoy]

43. kick!

Excellent work.

This needs to get out to the Dem Strategists IMMEDIATELY.

[AuntiBush]

45. This Just Goes To Prove that Most Americans "think alike!"

And Neo-Con's can, and should go STRAIGHT-TO-HE$$ for screwing our country for generations to come!

[Kurovski]

46. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS OUT OF THE MAINSTREAM.

It's worth shouting out very, very loudly.

[Czolgosz]

57. Here are some minimum wage details we should be shouting

Since 1997, Congress has increased its own pay 7 times but has not increased the minimum wage once.

Congressional Representatives make $28,500 more per year than they made in 1997.

A person making minimum wage earns $10,700 per year working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, which is still $5,000 below the poverty level for a family of three.

7,300,000, or 72% of the adult work force, would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage (including 1,800,000 working parents with children under 18 years old).

Adjusted for inflation, the value of the minimum wage has fallen off more than one quarter since 1979.

The minimum wage would have to be $8.70 to have the same purchasing power it had in 1968.

In the four years after the last minimum wage hike, the economy added 11 million jobs.

4,300,000 Americans have fallen into poverty since 2000.

[sadiesworld]

49. kick

[The Stranger]

50. Forget it.

You first have to get some media that is not coopted by the fascists. You next have to wake up the American people from their long terrorism-patriotism-xenophobia slumber.

Until that happens, you could enslave them and they would not mind.

[McCamy Taylor]

51. These are JOHN EDWARDS issues. Have always been his.

[Czolgosz]

54. Absolutely. We need to hear more from John.

[julialnyc]

55. in every democratic campaign CRONYISM should be repeated

as much and as often as possible!

Leaders should have experience, not just good friends

[Czolgosz]

56. Every campaign should also remind who voted against a higher minimum wage

The issue of raising the minimum wage was most recently raised and voted on back on March 7, 2005.

Here is how the Senators voted (a "yea" vote was to increase the minimum wage, a "nay" vote was against raising it):

Akaka (D-HI), Yea
Alexander (R-TN), Nay
Allard (R-CO), Nay
Allen (R-VA), Nay
Baucus (D-MT), Not Voting
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Bennett (R-UT), Nay
Biden (D-DE), Yea
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea
Bond (R-MO), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Brownback (R-KS), Nay
Bunning (R-KY), Nay
Burns (R-MT), Nay
Burr (R-NC), Nay
Byrd (D-WV), Yea
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Chafee (R-RI), Yea
Chambliss (R-GA), Nay
Clinton (D-NY), Yea
Coburn (R-OK), Nay
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Coleman (R-MN), Yea
Collins (R-ME), Nay
Conrad (D-ND), Not Voting
Cornyn (R-TX), Nay
Corzine (D-NJ), Yea
Craig (R-ID), Nay
Crapo (R-ID), Nay
Dayton (D-MN), Yea
DeMint (R-SC), Nay
DeWine (R-OH), Yea
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Dole (R-NC), Nay
Domenici (R-NM), Yea
Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Ensign (R-NV), Not Voting
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Feingold (D-WI), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Frist (R-TN), Nay
Graham (R-SC), Nay
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Gregg (R-NH), Nay
Hagel (R-NE), Nay
Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Jeffords (I-VT), Yea
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Kennedy (D-MA), Yea
Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Kyl (R-AZ), Nay
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Yea
Levin (D-MI), Yea
Lieberman (D-CT), Yea
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Lott (R-MS), Nay
Lugar (R-IN), Nay
Martinez (R-FL), Nay
McCain (R-AZ), Nay
McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Mikulski (D-MD), Not Voting
Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Murray (D-WA), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Obama (D-IL), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Yea
Reid (D-NV), Yea
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Santorum (R-PA), Nay
Sarbanes (D-MD), Yea
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Smith (R-OR), Nay
Snowe (R-ME), Nay
Specter (R-PA), Not Voting
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Stevens (R-AK), Nay
Sununu (R-NH), Nay
Talent (R-MO), Nay
Thomas (R-WY), Nay
Thune (R-SD), Nay
Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Warner (R-VA), Nay
Wyden (D-OR), Yea