海角大神

Democrats need bigger economic message, pollster warns

When President Obama took office, Americans by a 2-to-1 margin said government should be doing more. Six years later, 54 percent said government was trying to do too much.

Monitor Breakfast

Americans remain strongly negative about the economy and about prospects for the next generation, according to a George Washington University Battleground Poll released聽Thursday. 聽

Some 77 percent of registered voters are either very worried or somewhat worried about current economic conditions, the poll found. In addition, 56 percent describe the economy as either 鈥減oor and staying the same鈥� or 鈥済etting worse.鈥�

Such negative views were devastating to Democrats in last month鈥檚 midterms, in which Republicans swept Senate, House, gubernatorial, and state legislative seats across the country. Democrats were also hurt by failing to articulate a 鈥渂old economic agenda for the country鈥� 鈥� an element that鈥檚 essential to holding onto the White House in 2016, says Celinda Lake, Democratic pollster on the Battleground Poll.

鈥淲e must have a bigger economic message and a bigger economic frame,鈥� Ms. Lake told reporters at a breakfast hosted by 海角大神. 鈥淢inimum wage, equal pay, paid sick days 鈥� all very popular proposals, but just not up to the robustness of the concern that people have about the economy.鈥�

Predicting who will win the 2016 presidential race could end up being simple. 鈥淭ell me who鈥檚 ahead on the economy the day before the election, and I鈥檒l tell you who鈥檚 going to be president,鈥� Lake says.

Security and stability are also key political themes, with the rise of the Islamic State and Ebola. 聽

鈥淵ou see women more worried about terrorism, and they鈥檙e going to be looking for a president who can reassure them on this security-stability dimension, that they think can be a strong hand and in charge, with a focus on the future,鈥� Lake says.

鈥淚 think we have a very strong potential nominee who is very reassuring to women,鈥� she adds, alluding to Hillary Rodham Clinton, not yet a candidate but heavily favored to win the Democratic nomination if she runs.

The Battleground Poll also analyzed how voters feel about the role of government today. When President Obama took office nearly six years ago, Americans by a 2-to-1 margin said government should be doing more. Six years later, in the exit polls for the聽Nov. 4聽election, 54 percent said government was trying to do too much.

鈥淚t was a total reversal of what we had seen when Obama came into office,鈥� said Ed Goeas, Republican pollster on the Battleground Poll, at the breakfast.

The 2008聽Battleground Poll found聽that 52 percent of registered voters say the federal government should do more to solve problems, versus 43 percent, who said government is doing too much. And therein lies a message for the GOP, Mr.聽Goeas says.

鈥淲hat I鈥檓 telling my Republican friends out there is that this is very similar to what we saw when [Ronald] Reagan got elected 鈥� that there was the argument of a leaner, more efficient, more effective [government],鈥� he says.

鈥淚t is not, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go back to Obama鈥檚 approach to role of government,鈥� but it is very much a, 鈥極K, we鈥檙e going to give Republicans a chance, we do recognize that they鈥檙e in control of some things, to come up with some solutions.鈥� 鈥�

Goeas also spoke glowingly about both the forming field of Republican presidential candidates, as well as the crop of incoming Republican senators, some of whom he advised in their campaigns.

鈥淲e have coming into the Senate probably the strongest, best group of freshman senators I鈥檝e ever seen,鈥� Goeas said. 鈥淚n state after state after state, we nominated the right person. We did not nominate any crazies.鈥�

The more the country sees of these new Republican senators, 鈥渢he more people like [Texas Sen.] Ted Cruz are going fade into the background.鈥�