Seeking Real Talk on Cleveland Debate Stage

In Cleveland, as LeBron says, "nothing is given, everything is earned," so earning respect here will require something beyond defaming Mexican immigrants as "rapists" (Trump), claiming U.S. foreign policy would march Israelis "to the door of the oven" (Huckabee), or comparing Wisconsin labor protestors to ISIS terrorists (Walker).
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Tomorrow, within biking distance of my office and home, the Republican candidates gather to discuss and defend their vision of America. On stage will be men who govern the states where I was born (New Jersey), met my husband, married, and became a mother (Wisconsin), and raised my kids from infants to teens (Ohio).

In Cleveland, as LeBron says, "nothing is given, everything is earned," so earning respect here will require something beyond defaming Mexican immigrants as "rapists" (Trump), claiming U.S. foreign policy would march Israelis "to the door of the oven" (Huckabee), or comparing Wisconsin labor protestors to ISIS terrorists (Walker).

At Policy Matters Ohio, we ask how to make our communities more vibrant, equitable, sustainable and inclusive. To my own governor and the others, I pose three questions raised by our research, and examine their records for clues on answers.

Will you help incomes and wages keep up with productivity? In Ohio, we've been particularly bludgeoned by falling wages and weak job growth, but America has a national problem with jobs. As the Economic Policy Institute has repeatedly shown, American workers are more productive than ever, but those returns no longer go to most Americans. Between 1948 and 1972, U.S. hourly worker productivity nearly doubled (growing 92 percent) and average hourly compensation grew the same (91 percent). But since 1972, productivity more than doubled again (up an additional 148 percentage points since 1972, 240 percent higher than in 1948). Yet wages are essentially unchanged since 1972, up a mere 11.5 percentage points, now just 108 percent higher than in 1948.

Answer so far: Conceding that poor, working families have unmet needs, Chris Christie wisely raised New Jersey's Earned Income Tax Credit. But "solutions" from most of these candidates would worsen wages: get rid of unions (Walker succeeded, Kasich failed); shout "you're fired" (Trump's line); slash revenue, fire state workers and raise tuition (Jindal, Kasich and Walker). Ohio, with constant tax slashing, still has fewer jobs than before the recession, while the nation has added 2.5 percent to its job base.

How will you reverse climate chaos and fix environmental disasters? Ohio is lucky to have ample water, little threat of hurricanes or forest fires, and a climate cold enough that warming can sound almost desirable. But fertilizer run-off and hotter lake temperatures sludged Lake Erie with algal blooms that pushed toxic green slime in Toledo's tap water last summer; fracking has led to scores of earthquakes previously unheard of here; and Ohio has sprawled, leaving fewer carbon-absorbing greenfields and sapping city vibrancy.

Answer so far: Nearly every Republican candidate - except Governor Kasich - is in partial or full climate change denial, eager to increase pollution and fossil fuel consumption. They've called climate change a "Trojan horse" (Jindal), "bullshit" (Trump), a "beautifully concocted scheme" (Santorum). Bush conceded "it may be real," but then retreated. Kasich froze Ohio's clean energy standards, declined federal money for low-pollution, job-creating, high-speed rail, and maintained microscopic transit spending. But Kasich wants to more adequately and reasonably tax fracking; admits there's global warming; and supports converting waste heat from factories into power, a smart innovation in a manufacturing state (and a good way to begin adhering to the federal Clean Power Plan).

You're in Cleveland, one of America's poorest cities. What will you do to make sure Americans can meet basic needs? We're the richest country on the planet, wealthier than ever, but our poverty and inequality exceed many poorer nations. Still, our basic safety net means some essentials are secured. Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, EITC, food aid and cash assistance all have critics on the left and right, but together they prevent the starvation and destitution that plagued us before their establishment.

Answer so far: Almost the entire Republican field opposes Obamacare and many endorse stingier approaches to cash, food and medical assistance. Jindal, Perry and Walker refused Medicaid expansion, leaving billions of federal dollars in DC. Though Christie took expansion, NJ Policy Perspective found that his federal Medicaid plan would cost NJ thousands of jobs and billions of dollars while cutting coverage. Ted Cruz personally gets Obamacare while he shut down the government to prevent you from doing so. Under Jeb Bush, Florida privatized Medicaid in ways that reduced prenatal care, immunizations and more. Walker's approach to one recent budget featured slashing billions from education, health, and services. So Kasich and Christie embracing math (take free money) looks like genius. But Kasich's compassionate image is oversold: the feds offered to let hungry adults in high-unemployment Ohio get food stamps beyond a time limit - Kasich refused that for urban counties and most of the state (while accepting it in some rural counties).

Clevelanders like to keep things real. We'll expect insults and antics Thursday night. But when it comes to questions that affect lives in Ohio and America, will we get answers?

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