The Economy: Red Said, Blue Said

The Red Perspective: Kathryn Biber Chen
When courting voters on economic issues, the secret is finding a balance between soft-hearted empathy and hard-headed bean-counting. Too much of the former is Hillary Clinton bragging, “I have a million ideas. The country can’t afford them all.” Too much of the latter is Newt Gingrich attempting to kill Big Bird. The sweet spot is somewhere between Bill Clinton’s “third way” and George W. Bush’s “compassionate conservatism”—the nexus of welfare reform and “feeling” voters’ pain, and tax cuts and Medicare Part D.

First. While good, practical ideas are important, genuine understanding of the middle class plight must come before eggheaded white papers. Candidates must say plausibly: I identify with your problems, with your impending foreclosure, with your tax burden, and with your medical bills. This is the opposite of the “government-knows-best” mentality that has plagued the Democratic Party during my lifetime. Voters detest patronizing elitism, which often masquerades as sympathy. And they can smell a fraud.   

Barack Obama recently learned this fact when he described Pennsylvanians by saying, “It’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” Or, as Bill Kristol smartly translated, “Religion … it is the opium of the people.” It was fitting that this comment was lobbed from the rarified air of a fundraising event in San Francisco, where Mr. Obama was presumably trying to explain to baffled donors why blue-collar Pennsylvania voters could possibly support someone other than him.          

Second. American voters—even Democrats—are fiscal conservatives at heart. They know big-government programs won’t fix economic woes. They instinctively clutch their pocketbooks when candidates like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton propose “solutions” to economic troubles. They agreed with Ronald Reagan when he famously cracked, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Candidates must give voice to these important concerns.     

In November, voters will gravitate to the presidential candidate who has fought for smaller, not bigger, government; lower, not higher, taxes; and less, not more, red tape. A candidate who understands that the American economy can be hindered by governmental meddling more than it can be helped. These principles are the hallmark of the Republican Party, and its candidate, John McCain.

During this election season, DivineCaroline is presenting a twice-monthly column on politics from two points of view: one red, one blue. Each month you can read what Democrat Erin Egan and Republican Kathryn Biber Chen have to say about the issues. To make sure you never miss a Red Said, Blue Said column, just click on the author’s name at the top of the story, then select “Be notified when writer publishes” at the top of the page. We’ll send you an email as soon as a new column is published.