We Can't Afford Job-Killing Cuts

As we urge our leaders to put us back to work, we must keep in mind that the final debt deal passed in August already cut an enormous $900 billion out of our economy, which could cost 2 million Americans their jobs. The super committee in Congress now faces a choice: keep tax giveaways to millionaires and big corporations OR keep middle-class jobs.

CORE MESSAGE

We can't afford more job-killing cuts.

Connect: The best way to handle the debt is to grow our economy -- and that means putting Americans back to work.

Explain: When politicians cut investments in our roads, schools and life-saving research, Americans lose their jobs. When they gut Social Security and Medicare, they take money out of our pockets and customers out of our stores. All these things mean less hiring.

Define: Republican policies are hurting American businesses and the rest of us too.

Expose: They're demanding exactly the opposite of what our economy needs. They want the President to fail more than they want Americans to succeed.

Discredit: If they really cared about the deficit, they'd get rid of wasteful tax giveaways for millionaires and big corporations that already have more money than they can spend.

Core values: It's unconscionable for politicians to put partisan politics and ideology before what's best for our country. We can't afford more job-killing cuts.

Words to use: Job-killing cuts, Middle class, Tax giveaways
Words to avoid: Entitlements, Discretionary spending, Stimulus

ATTACKS AND REPONSES

"We can't spend our way out of this debt."

• The best way to handle the debt is to grow our economy -- and that means putting Americans back to work.
• When politicians cut investments in our roads, schools and life-saving research or gut Social Security and Medicare, they take money out of our pockets and customers out of our stores - and that means less hiring.

"We can't tax our way out of this debt."

• Here's the reality: experts, including conservative economists, agree that spending cuts alone are not enough. We need serious solutions, not irresponsible tax pledges.
• Politicians have some nerve making working families pay for more wasteful tax giveaways for millionaires and big corporations.
• When Presidents Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton told millionaires and big corporations to pay their fair share, it led to millions of new jobs and strong economic growth.

"Raising taxes kills jobs."

• The choice is crystal clear: we can lay off millions of Americans OR we can ask millionaires to pay their fair share in taxes.
• We tried it their way under Bush and all it led to was the slowest job growth since World War II and record deficits.

"All Democrats do is tax and spend."

• Right now, taxes are the lowest they've been in more than 50 years.
• President Obama has already signed 34 separate tax cuts for American families and small businesses.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

JOBS

• America's small businesses drive our economy by creating new jobs, but they can't create jobs if their biggest business problem is weak sales. That's exactly why we can't afford cuts that take away jobs and customers from our stores.
• More cuts could weaken the economy at an especially pivotal time.
• Americans want our leaders to focus on creating jobs. But Republicans in Congress have tried to do the opposite and eliminate nearly 7 million jobs this year alone.

TAXES

• Numerous polls show that 2 in 3 Americans say we should raise taxes on millionaires to reduce the deficit. But all Republicans on the "super committee" have pledged not raise taxes under any circumstances.
• All of the Republican hopefuls running for the White House said they wouldn't even consider raising just $1 in taxes for every $10 in spending cuts to lower the deficit.
• Even though 3 in 4 voters want to raise taxes on Big Oil and private jet owners, Republican politicians want to give trillions in tax breaks to millionaires and corporations and protect billions in giveaways to Big Oil.
• Corporate profits are at an all-time high, but corporations are paying lower taxes than ever.
• The richest 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined. They also pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than average Americans like their secretaries.

SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID

• Social Security and Medicare are the keys to middle class economic security for millions of seniors, children, people with disabilities, and veterans.
• Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid enjoy broad and strong support among the American people. More than three-quarters of Americans don't want to cut them even to reduce the deficit.
• Social Security doesn't add a penny to the deficit, while Medicare and Medicaid actually have lower administrative costs than private insurance.

We develop messaging by aggregating, analyzing and distilling polling, tested messaging, and expert recommendations, and monitoring the media to identify what is and isn't working.  See here for some of the experts and organizations we draw on.