Despite the occasional chirpy reports around here, it's obvious that the 2014 midterms are going to be a major challenge to Democrats, to put it mildly. For all the talk about how dumb and cartoonish the Tea Party element has looked in recent months, the truth is that (a) that perception hasn't registered much outside the liberal blogosphere, and (b) the economy, which is ultimately THE issue, remains sluggish -- and the party in power is usually held accountable.
The jobs picture remains lackluster largely because of Republican obstructionism, but this isn't something widely understood by low-information voters, and the Dems' messaging in this regard has been typically atrocious. It is also true that the economic slump is in no small part a consequence of many Democrats' love affair with Third Way neoliberalism, which is simply warmed-over supply-side economics, and works every bit as well. The occasional Sherrod Brown or Elizabeth Warren or Alan Grayson is sometimes allowed to poke his or her head out and defend traditional Democratic values, but their messages are never picked up by the national party and turned into an effective, sustained narrative.
But there is hope. There are only a few small things the Democratic Party has to do to right the ship before November. Let's go to the other side of the orange speed bump...
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