Report: America Now A Center-Left Country

By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service

Overall, Americans politically lean center-left, and a new generation of young people, 45 million 18 to 29 year old who are eligible to vote, desire more governmental presence in their daily life, according to a recently released report by Campaign for America’s Future and Media Matters for America. Entilted “America: A Center-Left Nation”, the report tracks the political ideology of large swaths of Americans since the election of President Barack Obama last November.

“The notion that this is a center-right country continues to be a staple of the media,” said Robert Borosage, co-Director of Campaign for America’s Future, at a press conference in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.

This notion from the mainstream media “cuts through the way issues are reporting on a regular basis, on a daily basis, whether you are talking about health care, whether you are talking about the economy, or any of the major social issues,” said Eric Burns, President of Media Matters for America and co-author of the report. He added that “the orientation of the media’s reporting, the framing of the issues are always ten degrees to the right of really from where the American people stand.”

“The media has the responsibility to understand where the American people are in terms of their views on these issues so that they can more accurately report what the real tensions points are... The vast majority of Americans support some sort of nationalized health care plan but that is not reflected in the reporting,” Burns said.

More progressive ideas and a stronger presence of the federal government are sought by a new generation of young Americans who are more racially diverse, progressive and politically active.

Heather Smith is the Executive Director of Rock the Vote, which registered 2.6 million people to vote last year. This generation “not only made a great entrance on election day in 2008 but will continue to play a major role in shaping politics and the direction of our country,” Smith said. This generation has grown up “with a fallen economy, outrageous college debt, two wars, hurricanes, the September 11 attacks” and they “understand the real need for a government and are more likely to save our government’s investment” in health care or education, she said.

The Budget: A "Transformative Package"

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

This afternoon, on the eve of President Obama’s 100th day in office, progressive leaders addressed the budget and how it will improve health care, clean energy and education.

The campaign to Rebuild and Renew America Now!, a coalition of 116 national and over 700 state and local progressive, labor and advocacy organizations working together to pass the President’s budget held a press conference this afternoon and said they are confident that Congress will do what is best for the American people, and that is to pass it.

Alan Charney, the Program Director for US Action said that the budget is “transformative.”

“This blueprint totally reverses the failed economic policies of the past and sets us on a road to long term recovery,” said Charney

Tom McMahon, the Acting Executive Director of Americans United for Change criticized the Conservatives and blamed them for leading our nation into one of the most deepest recession in decades.

“Their best and in fact, only prescription for this ailing economy is more and more tax breaks for big corporations that have outsourced American jobs and more tax breaks for multi-millionaires that never manage to trickle down to anyone else and more short change investments in things that will actually grow the economy, like health care and education,” said McMahon.

The coalition members said that a clean energy legislation, health care reform and education are the most pressing issues that they hope the budget will improve.

“Congress now has the choice to stand up for our students and vote for a budget that works or they can continue to play into the pockets of the student lenders,” said Carmen Berkley, the President of the United States Student Association (USSA) and the United States Student Association Foundation (USSAF).

Berkley said that student lenders are ruining credit and dreams of students who are wanting to go to college.

Berkley also said that by eliminating programs that don’t work, like the family federal education loan program, it will put $94 billion more into the Pell grant program for students.

“We know that Congress will make an investment in students this week that works for students and their families,” said Berkley.

The United States is now a "center-left nation"

Robert Borosage, Co-Director of the Campaign for America's Future (CAF), said the 2008 election is proof that the U.S. is now a "center-left nation" at a news conference by the CAF today. He backed up his point by saying that on core issues like the economy, foreign policy, and social issues, "Moderates increasingly stand with liberals."

Borosage praised the Obama campaign, saying they had "rewrote the book" on how campaigns are run. He went on to say that Obama had devoted more funds to its ground game than any previous presidential election. Borosage also said Obama's campaign had greater contact with voters utilizing all aspects of media than McCain's. He concluded his remarks adding that Obama's campaign was "far more effective" than McCain's in the last 72 hours before the election.

Stan Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Stan Greenberg said that the 2008 presidential election amounted to "essentially a 10-point swing from the 2004 election." He added that the increased voter turnout among minorities and young people has created a "new alignment" electorally.

Greenberg also claimed than Obama also did better among many existing groups in 2008 than Kerry did in 2004. According to his research, white younger non-college women voted 28 points higher for Obama than they did for Kerry in 2004. He said that the under 30 electorate voted Democrat 26 points higher in 2008, and moderates voted Democrat 20 points higher than in 2004. In regard to the economic debate, Greenberg said, "Republicans lost." He said that they "joined the argument and made the case for the status quo," which led to voters preferring the Democrats on the issue.