It's the economy, stupid
Bill Clinton* was right, you know. Few issues have the ability to sway voters as effectively and in many cases I think that is a good thing. For me, it’s the biggest reason I cannot be a Democrat; the party just doesn’t get this stuff at all, and it’s funny and shocking.
By all accounts the poor Dems have lost their way (so have the Republicans, honestly) since 2000. They have stumbled from one issue to the next, lacking any cohesive ideal for America. In fits and starts since the 2004 election they seem to have found at least part of one though, and it is too bad. I am going to call it economic populism, even though I don’t really know if that is technically correct. But you know what I mean, don’t you? Issues like:
*the dangerous threat of outsourcing (actually good thing) *raising the minimum wage (also a good thing) *bashing Wal-Mart
Yes, that’s right: if you are a Democrat you now hate Wal-Mart. According a New York Times article at least six Democratic presidential hopefuls attended rallies specifically targeting Wal-Mart’s low wages and lack of benefits for workers.
Supposedly this is part of a larger populist economic message, but like any recent Democratic messge, it’s a bit muddled. For example, the Dems want to raise the minimum wage to over $7. An excellent idea. But Joe Biden recently complained at an anti-Wal-Mart rally that “they talk about paying them $10 an hour. That’s true. How can you live a middle-class life on that?” Well, obviously you cannot. So what? Not every job in America is a career and not every job should be required to put you straight into the middle class. People take low-wage jobs for many reasons, and these jobs ensure that at least parts of the American economy stay competative.
What I find more telling about Biden’s comment, however, is that he seems to demand wages higher than $10 and hour, but his party does not propose raising the minimum wage higher than $7.50. Who can live a middle class life on that?
So, while they are busy bashing the largest private employee in the country for supposed sins, thousands of other companies are commiting the same sins without any outcry. But Wal-Mart is easy to hate and it is well-known. But let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say they want all workers to earn more than $10 (I do too, I just don’t think it is realistic). That would seriously destabalize the economics this country relies on, I think. Which would force most jobs overseas, except that won’t be allowed because outsourcing is bad.
I just don’t get the Democrat economic message. Can someone please explain it to me?
