The Winston Group

Politico reports on the GOP leadership retreat that took place in Baltimore over this past weekend, and states that there was a general goal to unify under one message. Among diverging opinions on what that message should be, The WG’s David Winston presented evidence that it should remain on creating jobs:

Perhaps most striking was Winston’s messaging advice: It showed that GOP talking points over the past year have been largely useless. A recent poll that he presented in a slideshow indicated that when considering the 2012 election, 58 percent of the country thinks the phrase ““Where are the jobs?” is more important than what the size and role of government should be, which registers at 37 percent.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/

Stephanie Slade, one of the WG’s project directors, released her first full-length op-ed in US News and World Report today, giving her thoughts on how the US should address income inequality.

But what people often fail to recognize is that the state is itself the tool by which the haves keep the have-nots without. Removing their secret weapon would, in fact, level the playing field for all participants in a way no amount of government intervention ever could.

To read the full piece, turn to usnews.com

USA Today writes about the latest Republican debate in Michigan, where candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry failed to list the third of three government entities that he would get rid of if voted for President. The WG’s David Winston says this slip-up wasn’t going to help Perry’s already slipping poll numbers:

The debate performance didn’t help, Republican pollster David Winston said.
“It was a very difficult thing to watch,” he said. “Anything is possible but this is a really deep hole.”

To read more, turn to usatoday.com

The Olympian writes about the 4th allegation claiming sexual harassment to come out against Republican candidate Herman Cain, just as his poll numbers were doing well. The WG’s David Winston states that likely Republican voters may not necessarily take this news to the polls:

“The electorate is following this election very closely and they are going to think through every piece of information that is put in front of them in the most thoughtful way they can,” he said. “This is an election where everyone is concerned about direction of the country

Read more: The Olympian

Today’s National Journal features an article that outlines the unwillingness of some Democratic lawmakers to align with the Occupy Wall Street movement, hesitant to take on their populist message that may alienate voters. Democrats know that although voters generally support taxing the rich, voters don’t like the idea of raising taxes, especially during a struggling economy, as The WG’s David Winston points out:

“Even if you’re talking about taxing some other group, at some point, voters think, ‘It’s going to come back to me,’” said David Winston, a Republican pollster. “It’s like opening Pandora’s box.”

To read the full article, turn to nationaljournal.com

The Republic’s Kathleen Hennessy reports on Republican lawmakers’ less than enthusiastic feelings about the GOP 2012 presidential candidates. The WG’s David Winston explains what the candidates need to focus on in order to get more support:

“The challenge for the Republican presidential field is to stay on topic, to let the No. 1 issue be the No. 1 issue,” said David Winston, an adviser to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

To read more, go to therepublic.com

The New York Times’ Saturday edition reported on the effect that President Obama’s efforts abroad have had on his favorability numbers, and whether his wartime success will help his political future. The WG’s David Winston stated that Obama is ignoring the most important issue, which will affect his re-election possibilities:

“Foreign affairs is important, but when placed against the scale of the problem with jobs and the economy, it’s dwarfed,” said David Winston, a Republican strategist. “It’s the equivalent of a house on fire: he’s fixing the window while the rest of the house is burning down.”

To read the full article, click to nytimes.com