WASHINGTON, D.C.—One segment of the electorate that was especially fired up about the presidential election was the working people. Surveys show that they strongly supported Obama.
Many unions led a nationwide mobilization and outreach effort that reached millions of working families across the country to elect Barack Obama and other Democrat candidates. They saw Barack Obama as better able than John McCain to help the working man or woman achieve the “American Dream,” which seems to be slipping away for many, according to “Change to Win.”
“Change to Win” is a coalition of seven unions, which had endorsed Barack Obama in February. The group held a news conference on Nov. 6 at the National Press Club to describe their efforts to get out the vote for Obama. Union workers and spokespersons were joined by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake and economist Lawrence Mishel, who gave their interpretations of the meaning of the election results.
“Barack Obama scored a decisive victory, winning among working Americans 51 percent to John McCain’s 39 percent, with 10 percent either not sure or voting for a third party candidate,” said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, which conducted the sixth American Dream Survey—a telephone survey of 900 non-supervisory workers nationwide, during, and just a few days before the election. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 percent.
Among young workers, the difference is even wider: Obama with 58 percent to McCain’s 34 percent.
“Solid majorities [of working Americans] believe it is Barack Obama over John McCain who [had] the best vision for restoring the American Dream, 54 percent versus 27 percent,” said Ms. Lake.
The American Dream survey determined that the American Dream includes: having a job to support a family, being able to ensure children have the opportunity to succeed, having a secure and dignified retirement, and having affordable quality health care.
[caption id=”attachment_76251″ align=”alignleft” width=”320″ caption=”WORKERS FALLING BEHIND: Dr. Lawrence Mishel, economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute, said the solution to the nation
