As Democrats try to shape a strategy for midterm elections they’re widely expected to lose, they’re debating whether they should talk to voters about the January 6 insurrection or the economy. (Read story here.)
The stakes are high. The GOP has been taken over by fanatics who don’t believe in democracy and are recklessly irresponsible about the pandemic. Many are white supremacists. A Republican House majority is likely to impeach Biden just because they can, and will use committee hearings to give voice to every rabid anti-vaxxer and anti-masker out there.
Even so, the answer to this question should be obvious. To most people, the Capitol riot is past history. Americans are forward looking, concerned with today and tomorrow, and the economy is always front and center in their thinking.
Right now, what Americans wants most is a return to normal. But the virus has a life of its own, and that’s beyond the power of any governing, Republican or Democratic. The best anyone can do is manage the health crisis. The Democrats do that better, given their respect for science and medical experts. They’re not good at defusing public frustration with the pandemic, but Republicans stoke the fire instead of trying to put it out.
The economy is something of a proxy for life returning to normal. If the virus can’t be made to go away, which may never happen, a fully functioning economy is the next best thing. For the immediate future, it’s imperative that Democrats address voters’ worries about inflation.
Here, they may get help from natural economic forces; the inflation problem may resolve by itself. To borrow an analogy from physics, deflation is the strong force and inflation is the weak force in the U.S. economy. The former eventually will overpower the latter. Inflation rate could drop to the pre-pandemic level (about 2%) by the elections.
A major part of the Democrats’ messaging should focus on what their infrastructure bill will do to create jobs, bring broadband to rural voters, and the other ways it will strengthen our economy — and emphasize that most Republicans in Congress voted against it. They should also argue that proactively managing the pandemic instead of trying to brush it off will result in a faster economic recovery.
Something else they should talk about: Do Republicans even have a plan for the economy? Or, if they win congressional majorities, will they spend the next two years sniping at Democrats, investigating Hunter Biden’s laptop, and other frivolities instead of helping to get the country moving again?