We’ve just released the results of our most recent American Dream Survey — this one focusing on the action agenda that is at the heart of the new progressive majority.
You can download the complete survey topline (PDF) or a memo summarizing its findings (PDF) for the details, but here’s a few findings that I thought were worthy of note:
Economic insecurity: 58% of respondents believe it likely that a member of their family or someone they know will lose their job over the next year; 52% believe it likely that a member of their family or someone they know will lose their health insurance over that same period.
A progressive vision of the American Dream: 59% of respondents define the American Dream as a good job, affordable healthcare, and a secure retirement, with government acting as a partner; only 31% define it as being free from government interference and excessive taxation. (To look at this from another angle, only 25% of respondents agree with Ronald Reagan’s formulation that “government is the problem,” with 66% saying instead that “government has to be part of the solution.”)
A demand for action: 62% of respondents agree with the statement “The time to act on health care, energy, and education is now. When we don’t take action these problems get worse and cost much more,” with just 30% taking the opposite position that “[w]e should not spend billions on major reforms in areas like health care, energy, and education unless we first stabilize the economy and can keep spending low.”
Desire for faster, more ambitious reforms: While working people give President Barack Obama broad approval (65% favorable, 26% unfavorable), and Congressional Democrats receive a much higher approval rating from them (49%) than do Congressional Republicans (32%) or corporate CEOs (17%), they’re not convinced that the Congressional majority is acting ambitiously enough to solve the nation’s problems — only 30% rate the job done so far by Congressional Democrats as “excellent” or “good”.
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The "more ambitious reforms" are being held up because Barak needs about 4 or 5 more Democratic senators to achieve some convincing legislative victories. if you are voting for a Republican Senator and are also desire more ambitious reform, there is an intellectual disconnect occurring. These are mutually exclusive events, my friends. We need Al Franken; and we need Sens. Snowe and Collins to change parties. Absent that scenario, then we will have to wait for the next election cycle and elect more Democratic Senators. That's it in a nutshell.
Posted by R. Perrino on June 5, 2009 at 10:20 PM
Posted on June 5, 2009 at 10:20 PM