FORCE MULTIPLIER TALKING POINTS
we'll be updating this list on a monthly basis, so check back often!
Let’s talk about the ECONOMY
“...it is remarkable that America has so far avoided a hard landing.
The economy is winding its way down a treacherous road from the highest peak of inflation
in 40 years. Defying conventional wisdom, it has managed to add millions of jobs....
a soft landing, once a faint hope, is now among the plausible alternatives.”
The Economist, 7/22/23
"The economy appears to be doing better than a lot of people realize."
Fortune, 12/12/23
ECONOMY Key Stats
• The unemployment rate has been under 4% for 23 consecutive months. With underlying inflation nearing the Federal Reserve's target of 2%, a recession is unlikely and a “soft landing” for the economy is a reality as we advance from the disruptive forces of the pandemic era.
• Inflation is falling without the spike in unemployment that many had predicted.
• Holiday spending increased by 3.1% in 2023 compared to ‘22 levels- an indication of increasing consumer confidence.
• Wage growth has outpaced inflation for the past 2.5 years.
• Bidenomics” works! Congressional Democrats and the Biden Administration have worked to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up. “Bidenomics” is based on three pillars:
* Making smart public investments in America.
* Empowering and educating workers to grow the middle class.
* Promoting competition to lower costs and help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive.
• The Biden Administration's “Invest in America” industrial policy agenda has led to a manufacturing boom across the nation, including about $600 billion in private investment in industries of the future. (Simon Rosenberg, Jan 1, 2024, Hopium Chronicles, “GOP Talking Points Evaporating...”)
• The GOP says: “The economy sucks.” FACTS: The stock market is at all-time highs; consumer sentiment is rising; economy booming; real wage growth is highest in decades. The President promised he would get us to the other side of COVID, successfully, and he has done it.
• The GOP says: “Inflation is killing us.“ FACTS: Inflation is now back to pre-pandemic levels in several measures; overall prices fell last month; gas/rents/mortgage rates are falling across the US; groceries increased just 1.7% over the last 12 months, less than in a typical 12 month period.
• The GOP says: “Biden has waged a war on American energy which created high gas prices.“ FACTS: High gas prices were caused by Putin and OPEC, and in 2023 domestic oil and renewable production broke records. America has never been more energy independent. This may be the stupidest of all current GOP allegations.
Lots to say about HEALTH CARE
“...despite higher healthcare spending, America’s health outcomes are not any better than
those in other developed countries. The U.S. actually performs worse in some common metrics
like life expectancy, infant mortality, and unmanaged diabetes.”
Peterson Foundation, “How does the US Healthcare system compare to other countries,” 7/23
“...the portion of Americans uninsured hit a record low of 8% in the first quarter of 2022 ..”
The Inflation Reduction Act gives Medicare the power to negotiate the price of certain medicines and is “expected to lower seniors’ out-of-pocket costs ...while saving the government nearly $100 billion through 2031.“ Bloomberg and The National Health Survey, 2022
"Democrats are “united behind the principle of universal access to high quality and affordable healthcare for all...” Hakeem Jeffries (NY, House Minority Leader):
Examples of Democratic Legislative Proposals (118th Congress, 2023-2024)
• H.R. 1692 Health Care Affordability Act of 2023 would extend tax credits for low-income taxpayers, reducing the cost of health care premiums.
• The Medicare for All Act of 2023 is sponsored by more than half the Democratic Caucus and 13 ranking committee members.
• House Democratic leaders are trying to force a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act which would protect abortion access up to the point of fetal viability.
• In July 2023, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA) and other House Democrats introduced the Abortion Justice Act which would require insurance coverage of abortions, improve immigrant families’ access to the procedure, and address systemic racial disparities in reproductive health.
• In July Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) introduced major legislation designed to overhaul the primary care health care system with a focus on increasing the health care workforce and ensuring everyone has access to the system.
CLIMATE CHANGE brought into focus
“The past eight years have been the warmest on record globally.”
World Meteorological Organization, 1/12/23
"The President’s big climate agenda has made America a world leader in the existential fight to control the Earth’s warming, and his broader investment agenda is already
bringing growth, investment and jobs across the US."
Simon Rosenberg, Hopium Chronicles, 7/19/23
"We have completely changed direction on our energy policy such that we actually have a chance to meet our climate goals, which was certainly not the case just a couple of years ago."
Sonia Aggarwal CEO, environmental policy firm Energy Innovation, NPR interview, (8/16/23)
"Across the country, a profound shift is taking place that is nearly invisible to most Americans. The nation that burned coal, oil and gas for more than a century to become the richest economy on the planet, as well as historically the most polluting, is rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels."
“The Clean Energy Future is Arriving Faster Than You Think,” New York Times 8/17/23
"The President’s big climate agenda has made America a world leader in the existential
fight to control the Earth’s warming, and his broader investment agenda is
already bringing growth, investment and jobs across the US."
S. Rosenberg, Hopium Chronicles, 7/19/23
Some Recent Climate Impacts By Democrats
• 170,000 clean energy jobs were created; 1.5 million new jobs are projected for the next decade.
• There have been $110 billion in private sector clean manufacturing investments in the last year including $70 billion in the electric vehicle supply chain and $10 billion for solar energy.
• Public and private investments stimulated by the Inflation Reduction Act and the bi-partisan Infrastructure Law are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately a billion tons by 2030.
• The US Dept of Energy projects that 80% of electricity in 2030 will come from clean energy sources.
• Electric vehicle sales have tripled since President Biden took office.
• A $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law provided funds to enhance the power grid, buy electric school buses, and build a national network of electric vehicle chargers.
• Electricity from wind is expected to triple and solar generation to increase seven to eight fold by 2030. WH.GOV, 8/16/23) Climate Agenda Progress: First Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act
• President Biden, working with Democrats in Congress, signed a trio of laws during his first two years in office that allocated unprecedented funds for clean energy:
* The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act set aside billions of dollars for semiconductors vital to automobile manufacturing.
* The Inflation Reduction Act, now one-year old, is widely considered the most ambitious attempt to fight climate change in American history. There is, of course, a lot more to do.
* Senate Democrats have proposed the “Environmental Justice for All Act of 2023” addressing the disproportionate harmful effects of pollution on Black, Brown and Indigenous communities to ensure that they can fight back against polluters.
Discuss the facts about GUNS
“Guns killed a record number of U.S. children in 2021”
Washington Post, 8/23/23
"Democrats believe that we can reduce gun violence while respecting the rights of gun owners.... we believe we should treat gun violence as the deadly public health crisis it is."
Democratic National Committee, Party Platform
"For some reason I’ve heard less about the crime news, but it’s also remarkably good.
F.B.I. data shows that violent crime has subsided: It’s already back to 2019
levels and appears to be falling further."
Paul Krugman, New York Times, 1/1/24, “Is America on the Mend?”
Some Recent Gun Safety By Democrats
• In 2022, the bipartisan “Safer Communities Act” signed into law by President Biden, is one of the most significant steps Congress has taken to reduce gun violence in decades, providing new tools to prosecute gun traffickers. This Democratic-initiated legislation was supported by just five Senate Republicans and 14 House Republicans.
• The Biden Administration’s 21 Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence” include:
* keeping dangerous weapons and shooters off the streets
* keeping guns out of the wrong hands [no idea why this bullet is red or how to change]
* making progress to reduce community violence
* providing law enforcement with tools needed to reduce gun violence
* addressing the root causes of gun violence The White House, 7/11/22
* An Executive Order was issued that strengthened: the use of “red flag” laws, holds gun industry accountable, and enhances law enforcement efforts to identify and apprehend shooters.
The White House, 3/14/23
* S. 2, the Assault Weapon Ban of 2023, was introduced last January. It has yet to pass in the Senate.
• In 2023, House Democrats attempted to force House votes on three Democratic proposals: an assault weapons ban, Bipartisan Background Check Act, and Enhanced Background Check Act. Republicans have blocked all these initiatives.
Pushing hard for CIVIL RIGHTS
“There are some areas where we have made great progress ...But, in many other areas,
America is in great trouble. Great inequality and discrimination still exist in our school systems,
our criminal justice system and other aspects of our lives...”
A. Jenkins, Co-Founder, The American Opportunity Project, PBS.org. Civil Rights Today.
Recent Progress Civil Rights By Democrats
• On his first day in office, President Biden signed Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, launching a “whole government approach to equity.”
• On his first day in office, President Biden rescinded the Muslim Ban established by his predecessor.
• On 6/21/23 Democrats in the House and Senate introduced the Equality Act. If passed, the Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, economic status, sex, and national origin, to further prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
• Last June, Democrats in the House and Senate proposed The Economic Inclusion Act of 2023.
If passed, it would restore aspects of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 like expanding the meaning of “public accommodations” in discrimination cases and easing the burden of proof for plaintiffs in discrimination
Good news on POLITICAL TRENDS + POLLING + MEDIA
“We keep over performing beyond expectations and norms-in such disparate places
as Alaska, Florida, Kansas and Ohio. New geographic and demographic real estate is available
to pro-democracy forces and Democrats now. May we have the foresight and determination
to take advantage of this historic opportunity.”
S. Rosenberg, Hopium Chronicles, 8/10/23
"A solid base of small donors fueled fundraising in the second quarter of 2023.
More than 1.6 million unique donors gave seven million contributions to 13,392 campaigns.
A strong base of donors is funding the work of the campaigns, causes,
and issues that rely on small-dollar donations."
ActBlue Blog, 7/24/23
Recent Good News Outcomes for Democrats
• Wisconsin: Liberal Judge Janet Protasiewicz won a seat on the state Supreme Court, flipping the body’s ideological majority. That outcome could impact abortion cases and have implications for state redistrictions in this critical battleground state.
• The Montana: State Court ruled in favor of young people who alleged the state violated their rights to a “clean and healthful environment “ by promoting the use of fossil fuels. The ruling is one of the strongest decisions ever addressing climate change in this coal producing state. Washington Post.com, 8/14/23
• Ohio: In a special election in early August, 57% of voters defeated a Republican-sponsored referendum which would have made it difficult to place an abortion rights amendment on the November ‘23 ballot. Columbus Dispatch, 8/8/23.
• About 45 cases across 27 states challenge Congressional and legislative maps as discriminatory and/or the result of partisan gerrymandering. Final maps will impact most, if not all, 2024 races.
• While appeals and remapping continue in many cases (e.g., North Carolina,) litigation to date has resulted in redrawn maps in Alaska, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina. Critical states like New York and Florida remain unresolved. “Redistricting Litigation Roundup,” Brennan Center for Justice, updated 7/7/23.
The Big Political Picture This Election Cycle:
• Joe Biden is an effective president whose actions improve the lives of most Americans.
• The country is better off
• The Democratic Party is strong
• And they have Trump
S. Rosenberg, Hopium Chronicles, 8/23