As we move closer to the primaries and the general election a new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds American’s number one issue is the economy. With a mortgage crisis, a weakened dollar, the loss of jobs from trade, endless recalls of food, toys and household goods from lead and disease, Americans seem to be moving away from fears on Iraq & terrorism to their wallets and pocketbooks.

In any other election year this would be the Republicans time to shine. They could grab ahold of the tax issue and start clubbing the Democrats over the head. After two terms of George Bush and plenty of time with a Republican Congress it won’t be as easy as it has been in the past.

My take? A suggestion to Obama & Clinton, stop creating massive government spending plans and start preaching fiscal responsibility. The Democrats can run on the Clinton economy and against two Bush economies. I honestly believe that next November the number one issue won’t be Iraq, it will be how we recover from economic strife. Like it or not people are still against tax hikes, even for the wealthy. Republicans will spin any tax as a hike on all Americans and that is a message that reaches people.

Edwards is too far out on this issue to ever recover, but you both have a shot if you want to take it. You will need to start talking about cutting some spending, working toward balancing the budget and you need to keep your big government program proposals where they are now. Stop adding to them because the money just won’t add up. Your time as part of the spend-happy Democratic Congress isn’t going to help with that either. So you have to play this tuff.

Clinton, all you have to say is “If you liked what we did under my husband you are going to love what I will do for you. Imagine an administration that repeated all of our rights and learned from all of our wrongs.”

Obama, this is harder for you to counter-act but you can do it. Just say “There are many experts I plan to draw from the field. Will many of them hopefully be from President Clinton’s team? Of course, why wouldn’t they be? Can we repeat everything from the Clinton years and go even further? You bet. I can change this around and because I am not beholden to special interests and lobbyists we can take everything that was done before and go even further. We can provide all the profit and all the jobs but add in the responsibility this time so we never have another Enron or Adelphia and we don’t make a mess of mortgages. I am proud to be a part of the party that brought you the Clinton economy but I will be even more proud to bring you a new economy. One built on openness, the tule of law, equality and endless drive for the future.”