Saving America's Working Class - James Carville and Stan Greenberg with Ben Smith

Back in 1992, James Carville, then Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist, coined the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid.” We all know that the economy is, again, at the center of this year’s presidential race, but Carville has now refined the phrase further: “It’s the middle class, stupid.” He and Stan Greenberg argue that the political parties need to focus again on middle class Americans – who themselves need to get up and vote in their interest. As Carville and Greenberg see it, taking on the wealthy and powerful isn’t class warfare – it’s a matter of survival and good governance. At 92Y, Buzzfeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith asks Carville and Greenberg about their ideas, the key issues of the 2012 campaign and their new book, It’s the Middle Class, Stupid (Blue Rider Press, July 10).

James Carville is a political consultant, commentator, educator, attorney and media personality. He regularly appears on CNN’s “The Situation Room” and cohosts “60/20 Sports,” a weekly program on XM Radio. He teaches political science at Tulane University.

Stan Greenberg is a leading Democratic pollster and political strategist who has advised the campaigns of Bill Clinton, Al Gore and John Kerry, among others. He taught at Yale for ten years and is the author of six other books. He is CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a polling and consulting firm.