To be or not to be

Seems like I've heard that line before....

What exactly should be the Democrats theme in the 2014 midterms?

Eugene Robinson believes the Democrats should accentuate the positive and sail on the Good Ship Lollipop--unemployment is down, the stock market is up, Obamacare is working.  David Atkins says that's a lot of hooey--the jobs created are McJobs, only the wealthy make money in the stock markets, and Obamacare is a long way from what it should be:  single-payer healthcare.  Lynn Start Parramore questions the Democrats commitment to a minimum wage increase, their signature issue for this year's elections, and believes the Democrats are to blame for its failure to garner enough votes to be debated.

While I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Atkins assertion that the more progressive the agenda we lay out for the American people the better we will do electorally, I'm also pretty sure that "We Create Nothing But McJobs!" (not close to true) and "Obamacare Could Be Better!" aren't exactly winning slogans.  Robinson's right--a little positive spin isn't going to hurt (ask the folks who came up with the "Morning in America" spots that helped to propel Reagan to his landslide re-election in 1984).

Parramore's piece is atrocious (she's usually very reliable)--while I would never want to be like republicans in marching lockstep, a Liberal blaming the Democrats for the failure of the minumum wage bill to get to the floor of the Senate based on a lot of he said/she said assertions and a couple of conservadems is...well, very Fox News like.  Frankly, if the U.S. Senate had a shred of sanity left the bill would have passed easily on a majority rule vote. A minimum wage increase and our contrast to republicans on its passage is going to be our strongest issue to attract voters this November, not intra-party paranoia.

Peace,
emaycee