Smiley launches nonprofit Rescuing the American Dream

ARLINGTON, VA - On Wednesday April 18, Tiffany Smiley – nurse, veterans' advocate and former U.S. Senate candidate who ran a competitive campaign in deep blue Washington last election cycle – launched Rescuing the American Dream, a 501(c)(4) dedicated to developing, promoting, and effectively communicating solutions that will directly help American workers and their families.

“It’s clear that Washington D.C. isn’t working for working Americans, and there is a massive disconnect between what is being discussed inside the beltway and what is affecting the lives of everyday Americans,” said Rescuing the American Dream Chairman Tiffany Smiley. “We’re going to talk directly to Americans–especially those most hurting in the Middle Class–about their fears, hopes and beliefs. That way, we can develop policy solutions based on their real life concerns and communicate them in a way that is relatable and understandable. This is the way forward–this is the pathway to rescue the American Dream and preserve it for generations to come, and that’s exactly what we plan on working to achieve.”

Rescuing the American Dream conducted a unique, expansive survey of 2,000 registered voters across the country, and asked open ended questions directly to voters about their fears, hopes, and beliefs–and the results were eye opening.

• Americans still believe our country is the best in the world—and want to keep it that way. A vast majority of voters–71 percent–believe that the United States currently is the best country in the world. What’s more–a whopping 81 percent of voters believe it is important that America remains the best country in the world.

• However, they also overwhelmingly believe we’re headed in the wrong direction. 70 percent of all voters believe our country is headed in the wrong direction, clearly demonstrating that there is a major disconnect between Washington D.C. and the rest of America.

• Big government and a wildly unstable economy are primarily to blame. Voters overwhelmingly stated that the government was the biggest reason the country is on the wrong track at 34 percent – followed by the economy at 24 percent. This clearly shows that policies in Washington D.C. are failing – and 40-year high inflation and an unstable economic climate are the main drivers of Americans’ pessimistic outlook.

• Voters indicated lowering costs on essential goods, making healthcare more affordable, and reducing taxes are the top three policy solutions that could benefit them. 47 percent identified lowering essential costs as their top policy solution — followed by lowering healthcare costs at 34 percent and lowering taxes at 29 percent. While families are struggling to afford groceries, fill up their gas tanks and buy essential goods, the data also shows that the healthcare system is unaffordable and unattainable for too many in our country. Addressing these issues would benefit the health and wellbeing of countless Americans across the country.

• Education remains a top priority for American families. When it comes to education, there is a strong desire to address school safety and protect our children when they are in the classroom. 58 percent of voters say making schools safe from violence is the most important educational issue, while 47 percent say it’s keeping politics out of the classroom. It’s clear voters want us to prioritize school safety and get back to focusing on reading, writing, and arithmetic – all necessary skills that will help them attain success in the future.

• And a vast majority of Americans believe in the value of a non-traditional education. A whopping 72 percent of Americans believe that getting a vocational education with job skills and training is a better way to get ahead in the current job market–with only 16 percent of those surveyed who prefer a traditional college degree.

Methodology: The national survey was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates from March 29th - April 3rd, 2023 with a sample size of 2,000 registered voters. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.2% for all registered voters nationwide and +/-2.6% for the middle class.

To read the full national survey memo, visit rescuingtheamericandream.org. Rescuing the American Dream will compare how Americans and Washington D.C. view these challenges, connect real-life experts with the policymakers who aim to disrupt it, and fight for solutions that will benefit everyday Americans.

About Rescuing the American Dream: Tiffany Smiley serves as Chairman of Rescuing the American Dream. This past election cycle, Tiffany sought public service for the people of Washington state in the United States Senate. Throughout the campaign, she was a tireless advocate for policies that would expand economic opportunity for American workers and their families. After a grueling campaign last November, Tiffany knew that there was still an opportunity to stand up, do what is right, and fight for meaningful policy solutions that benefit working class Americans – leading her to launch Rescuing the American Dream. 

Blaise Hazelwood serves as Executive Director of Rescuing the American Dream. Blaise founded Grassroots Targeting in 2005, and has helped elect 16 Governors, 26 Senators, and over 95 Congressmen. Blaise previously served as Executive Director of America Next, a Section 501(c)(4) dedicated to winning the war of ideas, from 2015-2018. She is best known for revolutionizing Get Out the Vote efforts by developing and implementing the 72-Hour Program. She brought the national voter file online for the first time with Voter Vault and spearheaded Team Leader, an interactive national volunteer database.