How can we make Small Business love Dems?

This Gallup Poll on 2007 Mar 26-29  registered public perceptions of politicians' interest in key issues. It contains a number of thought-provoking results, most of which are reasonably good news or Democrats, albeit fairly predictable. However, I want to focus on the American public's perception of Washington's concern for small business.

Many of my small business colleagues believe that Republicans are their champions. Yet, these are the same people that are being torn up by health care costs, excluded by big business purchasing practices and generally ignored by a government that behaves like the bankers in the Capital One ad. So, when you go over the fold and see the survey response, please stick around long enough and offer any of your ideas for ways to fix this problem. I'm hoping that a little bit of brainstorming might generate something worthwhile.

The general preamble to the questions, followed by a list of 'groups' was the following:

Q: Do you think the political leaders in Washington pay too much attention, about the right amount, or too little attention to the needs of each of the following groups? How about -- ?  Small Business

   Too much - 3%
   About right - 28%
   Too little - 68%
   No opinion - 1%

Only 31% think that Washington's response to small business is even 'adequate'! In business, that much discontent is called an opportunity!

The poll doesn't pick on a political party, but I have to believe that a lot of this mud is sticking to the party that held power in Congress for the past 12 years. If any is sticking to Democrats, I'm guessing that it's due to Democrats comparative passivity in reaching out to this demographic.

I also suspect that the term small business as a 'group' is a fairly stable concept in most respondents' minds and that most of the respondents' opinions were formed over a period of time. That would tend to make them resistant to change. When an idea is entrenched, it usually takes a shock to the unfreeze the system so change can occur.

I'm hoping that the change of control in Congress gives the Democrats a unique window of opportunity to remake themselves as the preferred brand for small businesspersons. John Kerry seems to be working hard in the Senate and Nydia Velasquez seems to be a dynamo in the house.  They are already offering legislation that would mean a lot to myself and many of the small businesspersons I know. For example, there is considerable angst that most work for the military, NASA and federal government facilities  is directed solely through big prime contractors. It is virtually impossible for a small businessperson to even speak to potential customers at a government facility - even about things as mundane as office supplies. Proposed legislation to spread business around more fairly might make even the odd Republican consider a switch.

The small business owners that I know are really meant for membership in the progressive movement. They are pragmatic, results-oriented - and no one survives with a small business unless you are in intimate daily contact with reality. Unfortunately, Democrats' strategic effort to reach out to small business will need a lot more cheerleading than I have seen so far. This leads to my question:

What can the Democratic Netroots do to help drive the message of inclusion out to small business?

For too long, the Republicans have painted themselves as the 'friend of small business' with two talking points: "we won't raise your taxes" and "we will oppose government regulation". Both of these are lies. So what truth can Democrats tell and how can they help the small business audience to hear it?

I'm hoping that the comments might serve as a sort of brainstorming exercise. I, for one, would be very interested to hear ideas about ways to reach out and engage this huge demographic and lock them into the Democrat fold.