Is America Number One?
July 8, 2010
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In an op-ed published in The Hill newspaper, political strategist Mark Mellman asks is America no longer number one?
“In the midst of the day-to-day struggles Americans face to retain the dignity that comes with work, to keep food on tables, roofs overhead and medicines in cabinets, something broader has been lost,” writes Mellman. “A country that defined itself by its uniqueness, that exalted in being No. 1, is no longer the strongest economy in the world in the eyes of its citizens.”
“In the public mind, the cause of our economic decline is simple, clear and unambiguous – the withering of our manufacturing sector,” says Mellman in reference to a recent Alliance for American Manufacturing poll which found the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs to be the top concern among independents and working class voters. Results showed a majority believe the U.S. no longer has the world’s strongest economy – a title they want to regain.
Mellman says reviving the manufacturing sector will require widely supported changes in government policy that, for the time being, puts aside deficit worries and focuses more on job creation. “That is not to say voters do not care about deficits,” says Mellman. “It is to say they care about jobs even more and know that our economic future depends on a strong manufacturing sector.”
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