dagblog - Comments for "Square Deal, New Deal, "Better" Deal"

And fix those little child

PeraclesPlease — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 02:26:00 +0000

And fix those little child-proof prescription bottles! Let's focus on the better! Let's focus on the art of the deal! And the New Deal. the New New Art of the Better Deal! Let's mention the middle class 192 more times! And waits on airlines and bumped seats! I'm feeling empowered!

There is a "Better Deal"

artappraiser — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 01:23:01 +0000

In reply to Square Deal, New Deal, "Better" Deal

There is a "Better Deal" website. And according to Ben Mathis Lilley @ Slate, a Liz-Warren-style pro-consumer agenda is a big part of their plan (and Liz was @ the press conference)

Democrats Announce Plan to Campaign Against Cable Companies, Airlines, and Other Things Everyone Hates (July 24)

[....] The "Better Deal" website has a section about "cracking down on corporate monopolies and the abuse of economic and political power," which promises not just to make sure that "Wall Street never endangers Main Street again" but also to address issues like credit card fees, charges for using overhead bins, and "a United Airlines overbooking policy that led to the brutal assault of an airline passenger."

Business Insider wonk Josh Barro noted in June that this kind of approach—one advocated by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who was at the Virginia press conference—could be a smart way for the party to actually address large-scale economic problems without turning off more cautious voters who aren't prepared to get on board with full Bernie-style socialization:

Instead of proposing to tax a small slice of rich people to give subsidies to poor to lower-middle-income people, or proposing to tax everyone to have the government take over sectors of the economy, what if Democrats ran on fixing broken markets so middle-income people could afford to buy more of the things they need in their daily lives — with their own earnings?

It's a message that squares the American belief in values like scrappy self-sufficiency and fair competition with the reality that unsupervised capitalism may not always be the best way to promote those values. If you couldn't tell, I think it's smart! And folks, I'm a news blogger! Maybe this "better deal" will work better than the one Hillary Clinton proposed in 2015 [....]

I'm not sure that Blue Dogs

Michael Wolraich — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 20:45:00 +0000

In reply to The Blue Dog piece is

I'm not sure that Blue Dogs and today's "left" are incompatible. Blue Dogs tend to be socially conservative and economically progressive. Bernie-supporting leftists who want to re-prioritize economic issues may find much in common with them.

PS The whole left-right spectrum ain't what it used to be

The Blue Dog piece is

artappraiser — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 17:09:02 +0000

In reply to And @ Politico (I suspect

The Blue Dog piece is interesting, it is clearly intentional push back against the using Dem zeitgeist of an energized left; more:

“People want to purify,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the Blue Dog’s three co-chairs, said about the Democratic base’s surge to the left. “[But] without Blue Dogs, we don’t have a majority. That’s the bottom line.”

The Blue Dogs are also meeting with top Trump officials on tax reform and other issues, causing heartburn with some colleagues who insist all-out resistance — not working with an administration they loathe — is the winning formula for next year. And they’re ready for ideological battle, determined to keep the Democratic Caucus rooted in what they say are its defining big-tent values, despite the rising progressive passion brought on by Trump’s election.

It is not clear yet whether the Schumer and Pelosi message machine is including their concerns, or has dismissed them, need more details.

And @ Politico (I suspect

artappraiser — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 16:48:45 +0000

In reply to And Pelosi published in the

And @ Politico (I suspect that all the media has is a press release so far in addition to Schumer on TV Sunday.) but interestingly apparently Politico got some kind message from "The Blue Dogs"

Democrats launch economic agenda ahead of 2018 campaign 07/24/2017 06:00 AM EDT

House and Senate leaders hope to unite their fractious party and win back the public with 'A Better Deal.'

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate will unveil a broad economic agenda Monday, hoping to unite the disparate wings of their caucuses and win back working-class voters who fled the party last year.

The party’s messaging strategy is the culmination of months of internal meetings and polling after a disappointing 2016 election that left Democrats reeling and many complaining they had no message to offer the public other than being against President Donald Trump [.....]

Blue Dogs eye comeback in 2018 07/24/2017 05:07 AM EDT

The caucus of conservative House Dems thinks Trump can fuel its resurgence.

The Blue Dog Coalition, a fading wing of the Democratic Caucus in recent years, is leaning on a controversial ally as it tries to regain a toehold on power in the House: President Donald Trump.

The group of moderate and conservative Democrats, which was all but wiped out when Republicans swept the House in 2010, has been slowly rebuilding its membership.

And with Democrats eager to woo the white working-class voters who flocked to Trump, the coalition is prodding party leaders to support Blue Dog-backed candidates, saying that’s the key to taking back the House in 2018. It’s a push that is quickly running into conflict with the party’s energized left flank [....]

And Pelosi published in the

artappraiser — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 16:36:48 +0000

In reply to Square Deal, New Deal, "Better" Deal

And Pelosi published in the Washington Post:

Americans deserve better than the GOP agenda, so we’re offering a better deal

Here is The Hill's summary of the talking points:

Dems to unveil ‘better deal’ messaging campaign Monday

and the outline ther press has gotten so far

In its first phase, released Monday morning, the Democrats’ campaign focuses on three broad areas: creating new jobs, lowering prescription drug costs and restraining the power of corporations. Notably absent from the agenda are the social issues — things like reproductive rights, immigration reform and gun control — that have, at times, defined the party.

and that

Additional proposals — including tax and trade reforms — will be unveiled later in the year.

I note this first line

Democrats in both chambers will gather in rural Virginia on Monday to unveil a new national messaging campaign

means the media is certainly invited to help get buzz going, so it will be interesting to watch for what kind of "buzz" they get.