The Inequality Folly

As we rapidly approach the 2014 midterm elections, it's clear that each side has decided on a narrative.
GOP narrative: Obamacare, Obamacare, Benghazi, Benghazi, Obamacare!
DEM narrative: Inequality, Inequality, Inequality!

While I think it's a good idea in general for Democrats to focus on economic issues in this coming election ( They certainly won't be able to win elections for Senate and House seats in red states by focusing on social issues like abortion, guns, and gay rights ), I think their current inequality argument might lose more votes than it gains.

I'm all for reducing income inequality, but if Democrats want to win elections ( both in 2014 and going forward ), they need to be careful about how they talk about it.

The inequality argument is clearly tailored to attract votes who have struggled since the start of the Great Recession.  They are trying to attract voters who have not seen the fruits of the "recovery" that has led to stock market records and huge Wall Street bonuses over the last few years.  Well, I've got news for Democrats ...

Those people are already planning to vote for you.

Sure, if you keep talking about "inequality", a few more of those voters are going to get the message that  they need to get to the polls to vote for Democrats on election day.  However, lots of swing voters are going to hear a different message.

Consider a college-educated upper middle class parent with a mortgage to pay and kids to put through college.  Such a voter might agree with the Democrats on a lot of social issues, but might be a bit wary about policies that could take more money out of their already stretched paycheck.  Such a voter might hear "inequality" and think "redistribution of wealth".   The might think that anti-inequality policies might funnel some of their hard-earned money to others who are less deserving.  Some of these voters might even think that Democrats who rail against inequality are promoting socialism.

To be sure, some liberals have no problem with socialism, all liberals  support some socialist policies, and some ( like Bernie Sanders ) are even brave enough to admit it.  However, socialism is still a dirty word in American politics; in historical terms the dust from the Berlin Wall hasn't settled yet.  If you want to get elected in this country ( and are not named Bernie Sanders ), you can't say anything that even smells a little like socialism.

So what do Democratic politicians need to do if they want attract both lower income voters and more well-off swing voters?  Well, they should start by talking about the root causes of inequality rather than inequality itself.

Democrats should be talking about things like "opportunity" and "social mobility".  They should stress that a level playing field is required to make the American Dream a reality, and that Republican policies tilt that playing field in the direction of the rich and powerful.  I've often heard Republicans say some variant of "People shouldn't hate the rich; they should want to be rich."  Well, Democrats should point out that Republican policies help the rich remain rich a lot more than they help the poor improve their lot in life.  For example ...

- Republicans think it's fine for the richest folks to often pay lower tax rates ( via capital gains ) than poor folks.

- Republicans think the children of the rich should be able to inherit all their parent's wealth.

- Republicans have no problem with public schools being primarily funded by local property taxes, which means that children who grow up in wealthy areas have better public schools than children who grow up in poor areas.

- Republican are against any public policies that would help decrease college costs for poor and middle class Americans.

- Republicans are consistently more willing to allocate money to prisons than to schools.

- Republicans are against compelling businesses to pay a minimum wage that would help many struggling families improve their futures.

- Republicans have consistently voted to erode the social safety net ( Unemployment benefits, welfare, etc. ), because they apparently would rather see a poor family crash and burn than be given another chance to succeed.

- Republicans have consistently voted to cut food stamps.

I could go on an on, and Democrats could as well if they want to convince voters that they are the true party of "opportunity".  Republican's are always talking about "opportunity", but only Democrats are promoting policies that will provide opportunities to all Americans.  If Democrats can convince people that they are trying to give each American a fighting chance to succeed, they'll do fine in the coming election and all elections going forward.

Rich