Sure, pollster Scott Rasmussen might have a reputation for angling to get on cable television. And yeah, maybe his surveys hit only political junkies who don’t really represent American public opinion. But the ESPN co-founder’s new book, The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt, provides some insight into what’s likely to become a page in the Republican script this election season: Harnessing data from his own polls, Rasmussen draws a hard line between the myopic, self-interested Political Class and the wise, common-sensical People, who just want to see the deficit shrink. Going beyond public opinion research, he proposes a detailed plan for how to reduce the national debt, and personally endorses what he’s found to be voters’ priorities—and hey, it’s hard to go wrong with populism.

The author discusses his book at noon at the Heritage Foundation’s Lehrman Auditorium, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Free. heritage.org. (202) 675-1752.