Sherrod Brown Has Advice for Obama and Clinton

At the end of a press conference call on another matter, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Avon) was asked about the presidential race. He said that he spoke to Obama yesterday "about issues that affect the middle class - job creation, trade policy, and rebuilding our infrastructure."

Warming to his theme, he said that what we need is "one big idea on economic policy." That idea is to "rebuild the middle class" by repairing our infrastructure, developing alternative energy as a new growth industry, and changing our trade policy. "I know that you can win on this issue in Ohio," he said, referring to his own populist economic campaign in 2006.

"I'm not satisfied that either candidate is quite there yet on trade, alternative energy and manufacturing policy," Brown continued. Obama and Clinton are a lot closer than McCain, however. He predicted that "we will begin to see Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton connect with middle class voters" on rebuilding the middle class and turning around Ohio. "The candidate that builds an economic policy around one big idea of rebuilding the middle class will win the nomination and the general election."

Brown confirmed that he will not make an endorsement before the March 4th primary, saying that "it's for the people to decide."

On other matters, Brown said that the recently passed economic stimulus package is a "good first step," but "the Bush Republicans wouldn't let us go as far as we should concerning unemployment benefits and getting money into people's hands right away." He said that the "next step" is what really matters - dealing with housing, manufacturing, trade, and job creation.

Asked about today's hearing on steroids in baseball and Roger Clemens (Brown is a big baseball fan), he said it would be "worth the price of admission to the World Series" to see Clemens and his trainer at the same hearing table. He wishes "that baseball was about what happens between the lines," and that it could "get back to being the great sport that it should be."

UPDATE: In a major speech on economic policy today (excerpted by David Sirota on DailyKos here), Obama climbs aboard the economic populist train:

[T]oday, I'm laying out a comprehensive agenda to reclaim our dream and restore our prosperity. It's an agenda that focuses on three broad economic challenges that the next President must address - the current housing crisis; the cost crisis facing the middle-class and those struggling to join it; and the need to create millions of good jobs right here in America- jobs that can't be outsourced and won't disappear.