THE “NEW POPULISM.” The New York Times today advances the argument that whether backed by substance or just a “tone,” appealing to voters’ economic insecurity on health care costs, higher education, and outsourcing is the way to win the White House in 2008.

This may be one strategy for tackling the primary, but it would be a mistake for Democrats to assume that pocketbook concerns have surpassed national security or even good government in the minds of most voters. In the 2006 midterms, the highest ranking issue among all voters in terms of importance was corruption and ethics, with 41 percent calling the problem “extremely important.” Economics and “terrorism” followed at 39 percent each. And 35 percent of voters called the Iraq war “extremely important.” Considering the likely Republican nominees, you better believe the Democrats are going to have to run on national security.

—Dana Goldstein

Dana Goldstein, a former associate editor and writer at the Prospect, comes from a family of public-school educators. She received the Spencer Fellowship in Education Journalism, a Schwarz Fellowship at the New America Foundation, and a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellowship at the Nation Institute. Her journalism is regularly featured in Slate, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Daily Beast, and other publications, and she is a staff writer at the Marshall Project.