Democratic Denial

Never underestimate the power of denial.

Democratic excuses for last Tuesday’s election disasters are pitiful. Placing blame on President Obama’s leadership or the vagaries of mid-term elections ignores the election of a Republican governor in Maryland, a Republican state house in Minnesota and the near-defeat of Democratic businessman Mark Warner in Virginia. Democrats now control fewer state legislative seats than at any time since the Civil War. Republicans are on a long march to dominate American politics – and Democrats are to blame.

Two statistics are all we need to know. First, median household income in America continues to fall. It is down 10% since 2000, with no sign or recovery. Second, the employment rate of Americans aged 18-65 is also down 10% since 2000. It also continues to fall.

Middle-class, working Americans live in economic turmoil. Their vision that a middle-management career would provide a home in a good neighborhood, college tuition, vacations, healthcare and retirement suddenly evaporated along with middle-management. Millions of Americans, reared in the pre-planned Industrial Age, are ill-equipped to realign their skills with the fluid expectations of the Information Age. As our economy continues to evolve this problem will endure.   

Republicans offer a solution: less government; lower taxes. This is a terrible solution; trickle-down economics don’t work and deregulation just gave us the Great Recession. However, the Republican “solution” is politically preferable to the Democratic solution – which doesn’t exist.

In the 1960s, a common bumper sticker read, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” Average Americans may not demand that government create jobs, but they understand that taxes and regulation impact job creation. They understand that one-third of the job force has given up trying to find a job. They understand that average working Americans earn 10% less today than 15 years ago. They understand that the Democratic Party has no strategy for aligning government action with economic growth.

The measure of merit in political economics is not the Dow Jones Industrial Average – it is median household income. Democrats must convey a clear and concise strategy for middle-class driven economic growth. When the Democratic Party proves its dedication to this standard it will regain the votes of America’s middle class.