Framing redistributive *policies: Political and media portrayals of welfare reauthorization and the 2003 dividend tax cuts

Economic inequality in the U.S. is presently at levels that are nearly unmatched in the nation's history, largely due to tremendous income gains among the wealthiest households (Phillips, 2002). Wide disparities in income and wealth accompanied by lack of social mobility threaten to undermine basic cultural values of equality and opportunity ("Ever Higher," 2005). Federal redistributive policies are an important mechanism for equalizing access to resources or widening economic disparity. The fact that current social policies consistently favor those who are White, male, and wealthy warrants examination of how redistributive policies help support an unfair status quo.;This research used a critical race approach to compare the political and media framing of federal redistributive policies that benefit lower- versus upper-income households. A discourse analysis of 284 articles from five major U.S. newspapers examined underlying messages about poverty, wealth, and inequality in media coverage of Congressional debates about welfare reauthorization and the 2003 dividend tax cuts. Coding procedures included qualitative thematic analyses as well as computer-assisted word searches using N6 software.;Findings showed that the Bush administration was highly successful in setting the terms of discussion for both welfare and tax policy, despite media coverage that tended to be critical of the administration's proposals. Welfare reauthorization debates were dominated by discussions of work requirements and marriage promotion, reinforcing public understanding of poverty and welfare reliance as individual problems rather than social concerns. Debates about the dividend tax cuts focused on issues of economic growth and unfairness in the tax code, distracting attention from the fact that the wealthy would be the primary beneficiaries of the cuts. The failure of legislators and the media to address the race and gender inequities that are highlighted by the two policies (i.e., welfare recipients are disproportionately female and of Color, whereas tax cut beneficiaries are disproportionately White) precluded meaningful discussion of wider social structures that routinely disadvantage certain groups. The paper concludes with a review of continuing trends in inequality and public policy, and suggests ways in which social scientists can further an economic justice agenda.