100 Hours - The First Big Test

tjackson — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 03:00:00 -0500

The Democrats 100 Hours pledge is the first big test of our newly elected lawmakers. Can Congress enact common sense legislation that addresses the concerns of working Americans? Or are corporate lobbies so entrenched that they can fend off any effort to change?

The Campaign for America's Future helped launch the CAN Coalition to educate Americans about the substance and the importance of the 100 Hours agenda.

Here are the components of the Democrats 100 Hours pledge, and our assessment of them:

Implement the 9/11 Commission Recommendations
Raise the Minimum Wage
Make Healthcare Cheaper & Simpler
Make College More Affordable
Cut Multi-Billion Dollar Subsidies to Big Oil
Guarantee Social Security
Cut Links Between Lobbyists & Legislation (see more from democrats.org)

The objectives of the 100 Hours pledge are not the final goal. They don't represent everything that progressives want on every issue. But they are solid improvements with popular support. This agenda is an important first step to show what progressives stand for, not against, and to show that a progressive agenda can win in Washington.

Media Coverage

Liberal Coalition Eyes First Hundred Hours | Washington Post
December 8, 2006

Negotiating The Down Payment | TomPaine.com
December 8, 2006

Liberal groups target 86 districts for '100 Hours' campaign blitz | The Hill
December 8, 2006

Dems, Allies Plot Strategy | The Hill
December 8, 2006

2006 Post-Election
Poll Results: Americans Issue a Populist, Anti-War Mandate

Fired. Voters took a good look at Bush's one party rule in Washington and fired Republicans in the 2006 midterm elections. But they did much more than that. Before the pundits muddy the results with talk of the new more "conservative" Democratic legislators and the need for moderation, it is worth looking at what voters said.

» Click here for poll results, remarks and analysis!

» Read our new report, "Truth in Advertising: 2006 Campaign Ads Reveal Progressive Populism"

2006 Post-Election Poll Results: Americans Issue a Populist, Anti-War Mandate

tjackson — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 03:00:00 -0500

The Campaign for America's Future 2006 post-election poll-conducted in partnership with Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research-revealed the following: Beyond looking for a change in course in Iraq, voters are seeking legislators who will put government on their side, challenge entrenched corporate lobbies and policies, and put forth an economics that works for working people-from fair trade policies, to investment in education, to action on affordable health care.

The 2006 election marks the end of a conservative era, and the end of Bush's one-party misrule in Washington. Now the struggle begins for how best to deliver what the voters have asked for.

Poll Briefing Video

Highlights from the 11/9/06 Poll Briefing

POLL RESULTS: America's New Direction - Democracy Corps and Campaign for America's Future Post-Election Poll

Poll Presentation
PDF, 76 slides

Poll Remarks & Analysis by Robert L. Borosage

Poll Analysis by Stan Greenberg

Poll Instruments/Results
PDF, 23 pages

OPINION: A Populist Anti-War Mandate
Robert L. Borosage, 11/8/2006

Media Releases and News Coverage

MEDIA RELEASE: Poll: Democrats Have a Clear Mandate
11/14/2006

Silla Brush, "We Won! Now What the Heck Do We Do?"
U.S. News & World Report, 11/12/2006

Susan Jones, "'McCain Republican' Enters the Lexicon"
Crosswalk.com, 11/15/2006

Anne Thompson, "New Report Shows Progressive Populism Driving Force in Midterm Elections"
OpEd News, 11/14/2006

Edward Luce and Alim Remtulla, "Economic populism pays for Democrats"
The Financial Times (London, England), 11/11/2006

Jeanne Cummings, "Outcome Shakes Up '08 Calculus For McCain, Clinton and Others"
The Wall Street Journal, 11/09/2006

NEW REPORT: Truth in Advertising: 2006 Campaign Ads Reveal Progressive Populism

CAF analyzed how candidates in eleven contested, battleground-state races presented themselves to their constituents. The TV spots, speeches, websites and policy agendas of successful candidates were remarkably populist. This report explores what that means for the 110th Congress and '08 elections. See the report »

Report