The Democrats’ Message of Failure

America’s economy may be growing faster than analysts expected, but will the growth survive potential Democratic advances in the midterms? The annual rate of growth of 3.4 percent in gross domestic product for the 3rd quarter suggests that the economy is faring better than most Americans appear to think. That could reflect, at least in part, a failure by President Trump and the GOP to stress the links between policy and economic performance.The GDP growth estimate, fueled by a 3.8 percent rise in consumer spending, per the Bureau of Economic Analysis, exceeded analysts’ consensus of a 3.2 percent expansion, Reuters reports. Yet the growth contrasts with the glum mood among consumers. This point has been well marked by Bloomberg, which has reported that surveys have been reflecting frustrations with persistent high prices, particularly for energy, and anxieties over job security.It’s hard to avoid the sense that this dissatisfaction among the electorate is a factor in polling that shows Republicans are facing tough sledding in the midterm voting. Yet the reality of third-quarter growth is at odds with the bleak outlook. Today’s “strong spending and growth figures,” reports the Times, “contrast with the poor marks that many voters are giving the economy as they head to the ballot box.”The prevalence of this negative outlook suggests a vindication of the Democrats’ recent talking points on the economy. Earlier this month, the chairman of the House Democratic caucus, Pete Aguilar, groused that “inflation is up. The cost of gas and groceries is soaring.” His constituents, he added, “are paying more for everything.” He concluded: “This Trump economy has been a total failure.”In what appears to have been a coordinated messaging effort, the Democratic whip in the House, Katherine Clark, averred, too, that “the GOP economy is a failure.” Ms. Clark insisted that “House Democrats are ready to win in November and stop this mess.” To the extent that the voters have been registering such gloomy prognostications by the Democrats and their allies in the press, though, they will likely want to be careful for what they wish.If the Democrats regain control of one or both houses of Congress, after all, they are likely to push back against the low-tax, pro-energy, and deregulatory economic policies that Mr. Trump has championed and that have fueled the growth in the economy. Feature the warning in these pages by economist Stephen Moore, who points out that higher gas prices are a likely consequence of a resumption of Democratic gains in the midterms.“Democrats are so deeply in bed with the radical climate change lobby that they have done everything they can to strangle” the energy industry, Mr. Moore cautions. He points to President Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and the push by Democratic states to extort billions from energy companies for the effects of climate change. Mr. Trump, by contrast, has led America to an all-time high in gas and oil production.“How high would gas prices be today if we weren’t now the world’s leader in oil and gas?” asks Mr. Moore. The admonition resonates with the midterm voting already under way in many states. Yet one can imagine Congressional Democrats are already salivating at the prospect of thwarting, or reversing, Mr. Trump’s agenda on, say, the tax cuts that have helped fuel growth. The Democrats’ messaging of economic “failure” could prove a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Democrats’ Message of Failure

The Democrats’ Message of Failure

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