by James Gambone

Created on: May 14, 2008

How Obama Can Reach Out To the Working Class

As a person who grew up poor, working class, and then middle class in Pittsburgh, PA, had a 200+bowling average in high school, and still supports Barack Obama, I have been very disappointed with the campaign's inability to connect with disgruntled older, white working class Democratic and independent voters. Here are a few concrete suggestions on how to reach out to them.

Many of these Democrats and Independents have parents who are on Medicare and live on fixed incomes. The people 50+ are not that far from being in the same position. Congress recently passed the prescription drug entitlement and "modernization" bill. It has been terribly flawed and creates worries among millions of seniors and their Boomer children and grandchildren every renewal period. An older person has to wade through over 70 different drug plans on the internet or on hard copy, and choose the one that best suits them. A major problem with the program is the federal website for the program has been, and still is, difficult to navigate, has legibility issues, and most important, provides incorrect information. What if Barack stood before a group of fixed income seniors and their working class older children and grandchildren and said this: "My younger computer geeks have been working on the issue of your prescription drug benefits and they have created an easy to use website that has absolutely correct information. After this meeting, a group of younger people will show you our new website, and on day one of my Presidency, with the help of my younger Obama volunteers, we will replace the current website and make sure every one of you gets the best prescription program that meets your needs This is a real solution to a real problem, and it happened because young educated people, working with those who sacrificed so they could get a higher education, are changing the way Washington works."

Or, another issue that worries older, working class families is how Obama really feels about the soldiers who are currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of these young people are the grandsons or granddaughters of working class or poor parents. We now know the current Administration made no real budget or program plans to cope with the large number of physically and mentally wounded soldiers coming back from these two wars. What if Barack Obama met with a group of returning soldiers, their immediate families, and their working class grandparents and

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