Democrats have a problem on their hands: The economic numbers are so good that they aren't sure what to say about them. After creating 321,000 new jobs in November—the
50th straight month of growth and the highest job creation rate since the '90s—Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) is scratching his head, reports
Jackie Calmes at the Times.
“On the one hand, when we talk about the progress in the economy, most middle-class voters don’t feel that progress, and they believe we’re out of touch,” Mr. Israel said. “On the other hand, if we don’t talk about progress on the economy, we cede the narrative to Republicans and lose.”
Thank goodness Israel (
aka Dr. Doom) is in charge of a new policy and messaging initiative for Democrats after his stellar performance heading up the DCCC in the 2014 midterms. Well, let's see Doc, what happened the last time Democrats entirely ceded an issue to the GOP pre-election? Like maybe Obamacare—the crown jewel of Obama's first term—that's now been a total drag on votes for every single consecutive election cycle since.
Two of the biggest accomplishments of Obama's first term were health reform and the stimulus (which was too small but certainly better than nothing). Neither was perfect, but the Democrats have consistently failed to make the case for how these achievements are yielding results. And they are, in fact, yielding results.
But as the Times points out: the biggest problem with the economic recovery is stagnant wage growth. And not just for the past decade. Economist Paul Krugman argues that wages for retail workers (adjusted for inflation) have actually fallen over the last 30-40 years even as the overall wealth of the country has grown considerably.
There's a reason every statewide minimum-wage measure won at the ballot box in 2014.
C'mon Democrats, wake up and follow the roadmap that voters are giving you. Take credit for the successes, talk about the fact that there's more to do, champion the minimum wage fight ($10.10 polls at 70 percent!), make the case for "trickle-up" economics.
It's the perfect populist message for the times.
Or follow Israel's lead, tie yourself in knots and miss the moment. That's been a great strategy for the past two midterms.