Election 2006: A Progressive Analysis

Election 2006: A Progressive Analysis

November 9, 2006

The American people on Tuesday delivered a powerful rebuke to President Bush and his strategic vision. Exit polls show that voters had many issues on their minds—Iraq, corruption, terrorism, and the economy—and in each of these cases, the message was clear: change the course. Below is a quick progressive analysis of the 2006 elections:

• This election showed the emergence of a progressive majority. Some have argued that the election results were actually an endorsement of conservatism. This analysis is seriously flawed. According to a Media Matters analysis of the 27 candidates who (as of the morning of Nov. 8) had unseated majority Republicans or won open seats previously held by the majority party, all support a core progressive agenda. All 27 candidates back raising the minimum wage, advocate changing course in Iraq, and oppose efforts to privatize Social Security. In fact, the significant shift on Tuesday was the collapse of the "Reagan Coalition" voting bloc that had been nurtured by the conservative movement for 20 years. Majorities of every income category under $100,000; six in 10 of both moderates and independents; all non-college educated voters; and the majority of Catholics—all voted for change. In other words, the so-called Reagan Democrats—economic-minded, working class voters concentrated heavily in the Rust Belt—returned home to the progressive movement.
  
  
• America voted for an agenda focused on the common good. Voters on Tuesday rejected the redistribution of wealth to the top and demanded a return to policies that benefit the common good. Progressives pledged to advocate policies that help the middle class and the least fortunate among us to get ahead: raising the minimum wage; addressing the nation's health care crisis by expanding coverage and laying a basis for structural reform (such as allowing employers and individuals to buy into Medicare); and reforming the Medicare prescription drug benefit, so that Medicare is able to offer its own drug plan with lower prices negotiated directly with the pharmaceutical industry. This common good sentiment was evident on the state level as well. Six initiatives to increase the minimum wage all passed. Major tax cuts, along with strict tax and spending limits, in six states all failed.
  
  
• Americans voted for effective and honest government. Tuesday's election also reflected a strong desire to change how Congress works for the American people. Forty-two percent of voters said congressional corruption was "extremely important" to their vote, more than any other single issue, and progressives campaigned on far-reaching lobbying and ethics reform packages. Progressives also pledged to work cooperatively with their political opponents for effective, bipartisan results. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has pledged to restore minority party rights in the House denied under Republican rule, including ensuring a "full amendment process that grants the minority the right to offer its alternatives," and committing "at least one-third of committee budgets and office space" to the minority party.

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