Jan Schakowsky Quotes

Americans are falling out of the middle class, not into it. And they deserve relief. I absolute support extending the Bush tax cuts for those who work the hardest and invest the most in our economy - the real drivers of American growth, the middle class.

We cannot get serious about helping the private sector create quality jobs without focusing first on the main drivers of our economy - the American middle class and those struggling to enter it.

Ten years ago I said, you know, my goal is to be able to get food on the table. What I'm trying to say by that is trying to create a vibrant, capable and effective middle class. The quicker and stronger that we can be able to do this, the easier it is for political reform to move forward.

We can go back to economic plans that are only designed to benefit the wealthiest among us, like Mitt Romney. Or we can keep moving forward with President Obama's vision for a growing economy that works for middle-class families in North Carolina and all across the country. For me, for North Carolina and for America, it's an easy choice.

You cannot have a strong, resilient economy unless you have a strong resilient middle class.

To reward work, to grow the middle class and strengthen the economy, to give millions of Americans the respect they deserve... It's time to raise the minimum wage.

We prefer paychecks to welfare checks for the American people and a robust middle class with rising wages.

Real Democrats don't abandon the middle class.

Together we will build an America where hope is a new job with a paycheck, not a faded word on an old bumper sticker.

Barack Obama knows that to create an economy built to last, we need to focus on middle-class families. Families who stay up on Sunday nights pacing the floor, like my dad did, while their children, tucked in bed, dream big dreams. Families who aren't sure what Monday morning will bring, but who believe our nation's best days are still ahead.

No matter how wealthy a few plutocrats get, we can never drive a great national economy. Only a thriving middle class can do that.

Our economy grows from the middle out, not the top down.

People everywhere in the world are hungry for economic opportunity. And it's about a lot more than being able to make money.

We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!

I'm a warrior for the middle class.

You can't run the economy on BMWs alone. If the average person is in a pickle, how do you have a healthy economy?

I will be a President for the middle class.

The real question is “What can we do to improve the earnings of lower- and middle-income Americans?” That’s about increased education and skills training, and that may require higher government spending.

As Ohio's working families continue to recover from the worst economic recession in our country's history, we need a president who's committed to growing our economy by lifting up the middle class.

I believe America thrives when the middle class thrives.

The key to a vibrant middle class is an abundance of jobs that pay enough so that workers can provide for themselves and their families, enjoy leisure time, save for retirement and pay for their children's education so they can grow up and earn even more than their parents.

The American people I talk to don't spend every moment thinking, 'How can I tax my neighbor more than they're being taxed?' They say, 'How can I get a good job? How can my kids get good jobs? How can seniors have a confidence in their future when they know that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are bankrupt?'

We should not chip away at the protections that have built the largest economy and the largest middle class in the world.

President Clinton's record of advocating for the middle class and creating millions of new jobs and opportunity for Americans is second to none. I'm looking forward to campaigning with him and talking about how we keep New Hampshire moving forward and build a strong, innovative economy with the best workforce in the country.

What is the deepest passion for me and for us is the historic investment in the middle class and in - as I say often because I was that guy growing up - the dreams of those who look up who want to get into the middle class. That I feel the strongest about.