Amy Traub
Who Stood Up for the Middle Class in 2008?
When election time comes around, members of Congress can’t say enough about the middle class. They’re planning middle-class tax cuts, vowing to attract middle-class jobs, and promising to stay connected with their middle-class constituents. But what really happens once they’re in office?
The Drum Major Institute has tracked your representatives all year on TheMiddleClass.org. Now it’s time to hand out the grades.
Today, DMI releases grades for every U.S. Senator and Representative evaluating their votes on key legislation that impacts the nation’s middle class and Americans aspiring to a middle-class standard of living.
If there was ever a year the middle class needed good representation, 2008 was it. The economy plunged. Families lost their jobs and their homes. By September, the auto industry – responsible for 3.3 million American jobs – was reeling. College and retirement savings disappeared with the sinking stock market. In the face of economic calamity, Congress struggled to muster a response that truly addressed the scope of the problem.
While it would be unreasonable to expect a single legislative year to undo the consequences of more than a decade of bad policy, Congress’ inability to effectively address the home mortgage crisis, extend a lifeline to the auto industry, or pass a much-needed second stimulus bill before the end of 2008 has failed many current and aspiring middle-class Americans who will lose their jobs or their homes as a result. The minimally accountable bailout of the financial industry – ultimately approved by Democrats and Republicans alike – represents one of the greatest failures.
Still, the year brought small but meaningful gains to the middle class:
unemployed workers got the extension of benefits they urgently needed, the New GI Bill offered fresh opportunity to veterans, and the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act hiked Pell Grants for low-income students aspiring to the middle class. In the wake of massive recalls of dangerous toys, families shopping for their children had less to fear as Congress banned many unsafe products from store shelves. Funds to stabilize neighborhoods wracked by foreclosure were authorized by the House and ultimately signed into law as part of a separate bill. And with a glimmer of hope for the future, a majority of House members (although not the Senate) voted to override President Bush’s veto on expanding health coverage to low-income children, and voted to regulate the worst abuses of credit card companies.
After examining 13 bills in detail, the 2008 Congressional Scorecard assigns a grade to each member of Congress based on his or her support for the current and aspiring middle class. Overall, Congress managed to get a passing grade in 2008, but legislators could have done much better. 71% of Representatives and 62% of Senators earned a C or better. While this is a significant improvement from the 109th Congress, Americans striving to attain and hold onto a middle-class standard of living during a period of increasing hardship deserve a great deal more from their elected representatives.
Will they improve in 2009? Check TheMiddleClass.org to find out, or use our widget maker to import updated legislator scores and bill information directly to your own blog. Congress, your middle-class constituents are watching!
Amy Traub: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 8:14 AM, Mar 31, 2009 in
TheMiddleClass.org
Permalink | Email to Friend
