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The Hill
Poll: Dems
missing mark with swing voters
By Alexander Bolton
03/30/14
A new political advocacy group has teamed up with former Sen. Jon Kyl
(R-Ariz.) to argue that the economic inequality agenda of Senate
Democrats is a loser with swing voters.
That might be why some centrist Democrats facing uphill campaign
battles have kept their distance from the Democratic leadership’s
agenda items.
The group, Each American Dream, which has a starter budget of $1
million, has commissioned a poll showing that 67 percent of swing
voters believe expanding businesses and creating jobs is the best
strategy for reducing economic inequality, not raising the minimum wage.
Fifty-nine percent of swing voters said reforming the welfare system
would best reduce income inequality.
The survey of 1,200 voters nationwide was conducted earlier this year
by Frank Luntz, a prominent GOP pollster, and has been shared with
Republican and Democratic congressional offices.
“The idea is to get survey information that helps make the case and
then help to educate policymakers about the benefits of wealth creation
and success,” said Kyl, who is the honorary chairman of the effort.
While Senate Democratic Policy Chairman Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has
tried to rally Democrats around a populist economic agenda centered on
raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, Each American Dream is
quietly talking with centrist senators about protecting the interests
of employers and high-income earners.
Kyl says Democrats, including Schumer, are more receptive to his
arguments than they publicly acknowledge.
“Last time I checked, Chuck Schumer represented Wall Street, and I
don’t think that he would confess to the constituents on Wall Street
that he has turned his back on them so that he can help raise the
minimum wage of average workers,” Kyl said. “He understands as well as
anyone the role that wealth creation plays in a healthy economy. It’s
the essence of economic growth.”
Schumer joined Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other
Democratic leaders in rolling out their 2014 agenda, “A Fair Shot for
Everyone.”
The agenda includes the minimum wage boost; the Paycheck Fairness Act,
which promotes equal pay between men and women; a plan to improve
college affordability; and a tax hike on the wealthy.
Kyl said those proposals would have little impact on the economy,
contrary to the promises of Democratic leaders.
“When you’re so narrowly focused, as my Democratic friends are, on
increasing the minimum wage, on this sort of gender equality thing —
that may appeal to some people but the reality is its not going to do
very much for economic growth,” he said.
The Luntz survey revealed that 58 percent of voters, including 60
percent of swing voters, are dissatisfied with income and wealth
distribution in the United States, a finding that corroborates other
polling on the economy.
However, only 28 percent of swing voters said they believe the solution
is to ensure broader access to good schools and college education,
according to the Luntz poll. Only 21 percent of swing voters viewed
raising the minimum wage as the most effective remedy.
The survey found that 43 and 42 percent of Democrats, respectively, saw
improved access to education and a higher minimum wage as the best way
to combat income inequality.
Schumer acknowledged this week that the Democratic agenda is designed
to rev up the liberal base...
Read the rest of the article at The Hill
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