America’s Credit Unions, RealClearPolitics host middle class forum at RNC
WASHINGTON, DC (July 21, 2016) — A forum focused on the key issues affecting the middle class and the ways middle class voters will impact the 2016 presidential election took place at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland today. “Decoding 2016: The Middle Class Vote,” hosted by RealClearPolitics and sponsored by America’s Credit Unions, which consists of CUNA, our League partners and our member credit unions, featured prominent keynote speakers and panelists to discuss the topic in front of credit union members, members of the media and convention attendees.
“Credit unions represent over 100 million members – that’s one in three Americans,” said Richard Gose, chief political officer of CUNA. “Our over 6,000 member credit unions are inherently focused on the middle class and that’s why we’re here today. Any discussion on the middle class must include strengthening credit unions’ ability to serve middle class Americans. America’s Credit Unions couldn’t be more pleased to sponsor the thoughtful, engaging conversations that took place.”
CUNA launched its “Strong Credit Unions. Strong Middle Class.” grassroots campaign earlier this year, which focuses on educating all presidential candidates on the importance of credit unions and the benefits they provide to middle and lower-income individuals.
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, kicked off the forum with Carl Cannon, Washington bureau chief of RealClearPolitics, in a one-on-one conversation focused on tax policy and the implications of the election on everyday Americans. Norquist discussed current and former tax policies put forth by Congress and the administration through the years, how tax rates impact all Americans and the hardships the middle class face today.
A lively panel discussion moderated by Cannon followed, featuring Alex Conant, partner at Firehouse Strategies; Josh Kraushaar, political editor at National Journal; and RealClearPolitics’ Sean Trende, senior elections analyst, and A.B. Stoddard, associate editor. The panel discussed a variety of topics including how to define the middle class, how middle class trends have changed over the years, how the presidential candidates are campaigning to the middle class and where the path to economic mobility is today. Panelists then took questions on how a Donald Trump presidency will affect the middle class and how much tax policy will influence voter choice.
Following the panel, a one-on-one conversation between Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) and Cannon closed the event with a focus on public policy’s impact on the middle class. Rep. Woodall discussed how current tax policy and other economic policy impacts middle class Americans.
About CUNA
Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by 135 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org. To find your nearest credit union, visit YourMoneyFurther.com.
