Corinne Ramey

They Talk the Talk, But Can They Walk the Walk?

The presidential candidates know that to win an election, they have to talk about the middle class. John Edwards had a 36 hour "Marathon for the Middle Class" prior to the New Hampshire primary, and Clinton includes "Strengthening the Middle Class" as one of the featured issues on her website. All this middle class rhetoric is great, but what have these candidates done for the middle class in the past? These candidates can talk the talk, but have they walked the walk?

Thanks to TheMiddleClass.org, you can see how the candidates voted on bills that effect the middle class. The site presents analyses of domestic legislation that have a significant impact on the middle class, legislators' voting records, and links to videos, blog posts, and reports about each bill. As TheMiddleClass.org says, what is good for the middle class is good for the nation.

"The middle class is more than an income bracket. Over the past fifty years, a middle-class standard of living in the United States has come to mean having a secure job, the opportunity to own a home, access to health care, retirement security, time off for vacation, illness and the birth or adoption of a child, opportunities to save for the future and the ability to provide a good education, including a college education, for one’s children. When these middle-class fundamentals are within the reach of most Americans, the nation is stronger economically, culturally and democratically...The middle class is strengthened when more poor people are able to work their way into its ranks. In a nation that is increasingly polarized between the very wealthy and everyone else, DMI sees the poor and middle class as sharing many of the same interests. Simply put: what strengthens and expands the middle class is good for America."

Still a little overwhelmed by actually having to look at different bills and compare them to the candidates' votes? Well, the website makes that easy, too. You can build a widget that displays the percentage ratings of whichever legislators you choose. The ratings quantify what percent of the time the candidates voted for the middle class position. The widgets are constantly updated when new legislation is passed, so you can post one on your website to keep track of any changes.

I built a widget with the ratings of Presidential candidates Obama, Clinton, Kucinich, Paul, and McCain. Obama and Clinton, who both have an 100% so far, have a good history of voting for the middle class. Kucinich comes in a close second, at 87% (he voted against SCHIP, claiming that the bill should have had wider coverage), and Ron Paul and McCain lag behind with a 27% and 50% respectively.

Stay tuned! Final letter grades for the site will be released in February. And while you're waiting, build a widget!

Corinne Ramey: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 1:01 PM, Jan 15, 2008 in Election 2008 | TheMiddleClass.org
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