By Richard Gose
Senior Vice President of Political, CUNA
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Gose, right, speaks with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd. (Photo provided by CUNA.)
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Elections tend to be somewhat predictable. When times are good, and we as a nation are prosperous, we have “status quo” elections. When times are not so good, we often have “change” elections. In 2008, you can count on change.
Already in this election cycle, four incumbents have lost their primary elections – three Republicans and one Democrat. There would have likely been more, if not for twenty-six retirements by incumbents. Both President Bush and Congress have a historically low approval rating. Everything from gas to groceries costs more. There is no hiding the fact that all Americans are feeling a pinch, and some a punch, in the current economy.
Politicians are tasked with finding the solutions to the problems that voters face. The debate rages on with how to fix the economy, and there is the issue of security and the war. It is a given that this election does not set up well for Republicans, but Democrats are not out of the woods by any means. In fact, according to GOP pollster Jan van Lohuizen, “…the biggest problem for incumbents of both parties is that they are seen as part of the problem in an anti-Washington environment.” He went on to add that energy policy is a “classic example of politicians not acting,” and that this is hurting the Democrats, as many don’t realize that Republicans do not control Congress.
How can credit unions help in an environment like this? Credit unions by nature bring a key credibility to one of the major issues of this election: the economy. Our members trust us and know that their money is safe with us. They know that credit unions are about helping people who are down on their luck, especially in tough economic times. Most importantly, and which has been proven by over a decade’s worth of consumer and voter research by CUNA, credit union members know that their credit union’s right to exist and to serve its members is critical to their personal pocketbooks.
So how do we translate this credibility on economic issues into an electoral advantage for candidates friendly to credit unions? Fortunately, credit unions have a unique opportunity under federal election law to engage in political activity. By utilizing “partisan communications,” credit unions may communicate with their members to advocate election or defeat of a federal candidate. Nationally, 44 percent of registered voters are credit union members. As a movement, we have not yet used this significant advantage to the fullest extent possible.
In a battleground state like Michigan, the average voter can expect to be bombarded with hundreds of television commercials, radio ads, robo-calls and recorded messages from now until November. The cumulative effect of this deluge is a lot of white noise that makes it hard for any single message from any candidate to truly break through, and ultimately most voters are turned off. The most effective message for a campaign, then, is one that is just a bit different and unexpected, and from a trusted source.
That is where credit unions come in. Who better than us to step above the fray, telling our members why a candidate is important to credit unions, and by extension, their families’ financial well-being?
Credit unions exist to serve our members. Educating and mobilizing our members for candidates who are willing to support credit unions and the members we serve is really just another way we can fulfill our mission of service. And by doing so, credit unions have a real opportunity to impact some of the change that voters seem so desperately hungry for this election season.
Richard Gose has been with CUNA since 1998. He works with state leagues to develop a number of programs and services to help credit unions and their members improve their legislative and political standings. One of the many innovations Gose has pioneered is Hike the Hill.
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Regulatory Affairs
