President Barack Obama will unveil a key election-year theme in a major address Friday, framing the stakes of the next three years as a choice between Democratic policies in favor of "opportunity for all," versus Republicans who support "opportunity for a few."
The Obama White House is billing today's speech to the Democratic National Committee as a major framing address ahead of this year's midterm elections.
"Congressional Republicans want to cut education, restore free rein to the powerful interests in Washington, and give more tax breaks to those at the very top -- because they believe prosperity will trickle down to everyone else. But we know that doesn’t work," a White House aide tells NBC News.
The aide adds, "Democrats have a different approach: We believe the economy grows best when it grows from the middle out. We believe in opportunity for all -- good jobs, better training and skills, a world-class education, and an economy that rewards hard work with higher wages, a dignified retirement, and the security of health insurance."
The Obama White House acknowledges that President Obama -- with his job-approval rating in the 40s -- isn’t an asset to many red-state Democrats who are running in 2014. But it hopes to make up for that by raising money, turning out the base and laying out the terms of the electoral debate.
The White House also is circulating a memo from Obama's top pollster, Joel Berenson, who contends that the Republican Party's relentless campaign against the health-care law is a "distraction" to many Americans.
According to the polling memo, 58 percent of voters agree with this statement: "It's time for Republicans to end their obsession with Obamacare and allow economic recovery to move forward, creating jobs and making investments in our future."
By comparison, 37 percent agree with: "Obamacare is the biggest economic threat our country faces and Republicans are right to continue fighting to stop it."
The memo also argues that, by a 55 percent-to-42 percent margin, voters prefer to "give the law a chance to work and make changes as needed" over "repeal the bill entirely and start over again."