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For Democrats in Congress, a Return to the 'War on Poverty' 50 Years Later
For Democrats in Congress, a Return to the 'War on Poverty' 50 Years Later
Democrats are recommitting to reducing income equality ahead of 2014
By Lauren Fox
<...>
In the 50 years since Johnson called for a "War on Poverty" in his State of the Union address, Democrats have distanced themselves from discussions about class and inequality. In recent decades, they have spent a considerable amount of time talking about the middle class, but conversations about the poor, have fallen by the wayside...But with the 2014 election on the horizon, all of that is about to change. After decades of pressure to move to the middle, Democrats are rolling out a political agenda smaller in scale than Johnson's "War on Poverty," but equally as ambitious in today's partisan landscape. Democrats almost stumbled into its new strategy during the 2012 election when President Barack Obama was able to take Republican opponent Mitt Romney's comments and paint him as "out of touch." Now Democrats are hoping they can duplicate its success for the midterms.
<...>
Fifty years after Johnson's declaration, Democrats are reigniting a fight they hope can mobilize the liberal base and expand support among a new constituency. It is coming at a time when liberal policymakers like New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are gaining national notoriety and issues like increasing the minimum wage and extending long-term unemployment benefits are topping the Democrats' "to-do" list in Congress. Even Obama is expected to double down on the efforts in his State of the Union address later this month.
"There is a greater perception in this country that the middle class continues to decline, that we have more people living in poverty today than we do ever in the history of the United States and our childhood unemployment rate is the highest in the industrial world," says Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. "Reality has forced many Democrats to seize the issue. When you have more wealth and income inequality today than anytime since the 1920s, it is very hard to avoid the issue."
Of course, Democrats renewed focus on poverty doesn't come out of an abundance of goodwill. Observers point out that Democrats are banking on American sympathy for the cause as a way to change the subject from Obamacare, a policy that is increasingly unpopular among independents. Polling data shows, it might just work. While the census found that just 15 percent of Americans were living in poverty in 2013, the impacts of the poor's plight remain far greater. Between 2009 and 2011, while the economy was still struggling, one in three Americans experienced at least a short-term stint in poverty and more than 50 percent of Americans surveyed say they have at least one person in their family who is poor today.
- more -
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/01/07/for-democrats-in-congress-a-return-to-the-war-on-poverty-50-years-later
Democrats are recommitting to reducing income equality ahead of 2014
By Lauren Fox
<...>
In the 50 years since Johnson called for a "War on Poverty" in his State of the Union address, Democrats have distanced themselves from discussions about class and inequality. In recent decades, they have spent a considerable amount of time talking about the middle class, but conversations about the poor, have fallen by the wayside...But with the 2014 election on the horizon, all of that is about to change. After decades of pressure to move to the middle, Democrats are rolling out a political agenda smaller in scale than Johnson's "War on Poverty," but equally as ambitious in today's partisan landscape. Democrats almost stumbled into its new strategy during the 2012 election when President Barack Obama was able to take Republican opponent Mitt Romney's comments and paint him as "out of touch." Now Democrats are hoping they can duplicate its success for the midterms.
<...>
Fifty years after Johnson's declaration, Democrats are reigniting a fight they hope can mobilize the liberal base and expand support among a new constituency. It is coming at a time when liberal policymakers like New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are gaining national notoriety and issues like increasing the minimum wage and extending long-term unemployment benefits are topping the Democrats' "to-do" list in Congress. Even Obama is expected to double down on the efforts in his State of the Union address later this month.
"There is a greater perception in this country that the middle class continues to decline, that we have more people living in poverty today than we do ever in the history of the United States and our childhood unemployment rate is the highest in the industrial world," says Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. "Reality has forced many Democrats to seize the issue. When you have more wealth and income inequality today than anytime since the 1920s, it is very hard to avoid the issue."
Of course, Democrats renewed focus on poverty doesn't come out of an abundance of goodwill. Observers point out that Democrats are banking on American sympathy for the cause as a way to change the subject from Obamacare, a policy that is increasingly unpopular among independents. Polling data shows, it might just work. While the census found that just 15 percent of Americans were living in poverty in 2013, the impacts of the poor's plight remain far greater. Between 2009 and 2011, while the economy was still struggling, one in three Americans experienced at least a short-term stint in poverty and more than 50 percent of Americans surveyed say they have at least one person in their family who is poor today.
- more -
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/01/07/for-democrats-in-congress-a-return-to-the-war-on-poverty-50-years-later
Salt Lake City joins Phoenix in ending veteran homelessness
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/01/07/for-democrats-in-congress-a-return-to-the-war-on-poverty-50-years-later
Obama's inequality speech: telling the progressive story of American history
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/05/1260417/-Obama-s-inequality-speech-telling-the-progressive-story-of-American-history
10 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
