Inside the Beltway: Shrinking: 51 percent of Americans now ‘middle class’ - down from 63 percent

NEWS AND OPINION:

And yet another poll focuses upon a cultural moment with political implications. Gallup reveals that the middle class is truly shrinking: Fifty-one percent of Americans now describe themselves as middle class, down from 63 percent seven years ago; 48 percent say they are “working or lower class,” up 10 percentage points since 2008. Among Republicans, 55 percent say they’re middle class, down 12 percentage points; 49 percent of Democrats say the same, down 10 percentage points.

Such numbers could prompt political strategists to recalibrate their thinking.

“The term ’middle class’ still resonates with politicians, many of whom are certainly not hesitant to use it to describe those voters their policies are designed to benefit,” points out Frank Newport, director of the Gallup poll. But that may not be enough in an era of microtargeting and nuanced voter outreach.

Mr. Newport notes that Hillary Rodham Clinton used the term “everyday Americans” to describe her target market, which likely irks Republican rivals. But it could also be a teachable moment for the GOP.

“Perhaps Clinton and her strategists are aware that fewer Americans these days see themselves as middle class, prompting the use of more inclusive terminology in their campaign rhetoric,” Mr. Newport suggests.

There could be something to this, perhaps, as most dictionaries list such words as “bourgeois,” “conventional,” “mainstream,” “ordinary” and even “plain-vanilla” as acceptable synonyms for the middle class — none particularly catchy in a campaign pitch.

 

THE GOP’S GAY LITMUS TEST

Is it politically prudent for Republican presidential hopefuls to say they’d attend the wedding of a gay family member or friend? A new poll suggests this is the canny thing to do. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday finds that 68 percent of Americans overall say they’d attend the same-sex wedding of a loved one; 80 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of independents and 56 percent of Republicans agree.

“The poll’s results suggest Republicans who stake out strong opposition to gay marriage could be on shaky political ground if their ultimate goal is to win the White House,” says Jeff Mason, White House correspondent for Reuters.

“Adamant opposition is popular with the party’s conservative wing, whose support is critical in the presidential nominating process. The question of whether or not a candidate would attend the gay wedding of a loved one has become an increasingly common litmus test for candidates on the issue,” he adds.

So far, and with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio plus Govs. Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal and John Kasich say they’d attend the event, as did Rick Perry. Sen. Ted Cruz has allowed so far that he has never attended a gay wedding, while Rick Santorum said he would not attend.

“Though a right-leaning, anti-marriage position may appeal to important conservative voters in states with early nominating contests such as Iowa and New Hampshire, that stand could hurt an eventual nominee in the general election, in which cross-party appeal and independents play a larger role,” Mr. Mason observes.

All of this is not going unnoticed.

“This is getting ridiculous. Here’s the real answer: If they had their way, none of these candidates would attend a same-sex wedding, because all of these candidates believe that same-sex marriages should be illegal,” declares Mo Elleithee, communications director for the Democratic National Committee.

EMAILS? WHAT EMAILS?

No, it’s not Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emails in question this time. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration revealed in a message late Tuesday that it had recovered some 6,400 emails tied to then-IRS Director Lois G. Lerner from 2010 to 2012, when some conservative groups had been flagged by the agency over their application for the tax-exempt status. A big story? Well, not for NBC, ABC and CBS.

“Despite a combined eight hours of airtime on Wednesday, all three network morning shows ignored the revelation,” reports Scott Whitlock, an analyst with Newsbusters.com, a media watchdog. “ABC’s ’Good Morning America,’ NBC’s ’Today’ and ’CBS This Morning’ all avoided this development. Instead, the networks made time for frivolous, unimportant topics.”

He consulted with a previous study conducted by the Media Research Center and released in March that found this was the established pattern with the broadcasters. As of March, ABC had not aired anything on the IRS email matter in 10 months, NBC in six months and CBS five months.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Taptic Engine”

— A Chinese-made component in the new Apple Watch, found to have a defect that will delay the new techno toy’s rollout. But what is it?

Here’s how Apple itself describes the feature: “We found a way to give technology a human touch. It’s called the Taptic Engine — it taps you on the wrist whenever you receive an alert or notification, or press down on the display. Combined with subtle audio cues from the specially engineered speaker driver, the Taptic Engine creates a discreet, sophisticated, and nuanced experience by engaging more of your senses. It also enables some entirely new, intimate ways for you to communicate with other Apple Watch wearers. You can get someone’s attention with a gentle tap. Or even send something as personal as your heartbeat.”

STOP HILLARY PAC GETS URGENT

“Stand with Gowdy not Hillary. The full weight of the Clinton machine is out to crush Rep. Gowdy,” declares a new online petition organized by the Stop Hillary PAC, a Virginia-based political action committee that has accrued some 825,000 supporters.

“We don’t have a moment to lose; Trey Gowdy has summoned Hillary Clinton to appear before the Select Committee on Benghazi for a fully transcribed interview under oath. Trey Gowdy is forcing Hillary’s hand, and now he’s in danger. Sign your pledge,” the petition says.

Some are not happy about the outreach, which was generated by the group alone.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat and ranking member of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, issued the following statement on Thursday, specifically referencing the Stop Hillary PAC.

“This shameless new fundraising effort reveals just how closely intertwined the Benghazi Select Committee is with Republican political attacks against Hillary Clinton,” he said. “Raising political cash off the deaths of four brave Americans is offensive and sickening, and Chairman Gowdy should put an end to it immediately.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 94 percent of American small business owners have employee-appreciation programs such as company outings, flexible hours and spot bonuses.

• 85 percent work more than 40 hours per week on average.

• 30 percent work more than 60 hours per week.

• 70 percent say their biggest concern is health care costs; 69 percent cite “effectiveness” of government leaders.

• 64 percent say their businesses are still recovering from the 2008 recession.

• 63 percent believe revenue will increase in the next 12 months.

• 54 percent have never given themselves a raise, or haven’t had a raise in two years.

Source: A Bank of America survey of 3,700 U.S. small business owners conducted March 4-27 and released Wednesday.

• Churlish remarks and chatter to jharper@washingtontimes.com.