Serious

Progressive activists can’t conceive of a problem that can’t be fixed by talking about ‘billionaires and corporate greed,’ but that’s what Democrats have.

My contention is not that messaging against “corporate greed” is unpopular. I know that certain progressive economic messages test well — unlike a lot of centrist commentators, I wrote multiple defenses of Kamala Harris’s choice to run against “price gouging.” My point is that talking about “billionaires and corporate greed” does nothing to address a voter’s concern about crime or migration.

In spite of all these problems, Democrats continue to have a lot going for them, issue-wise. They’re the party with the more popular stance on abortion. They are the party that defends popular old-age entitlement programs. Even the Affordable Care Act is popular now. And yes, there are definitely ways that Democrats can get mileage out of their position as the party that prioritizes programs for the middle class over tax cuts for billionaires. But those advantages are not substitutes for being trusted on crime, immigration, and the cost of living — indeed, the substantial fiscal burden that migrants are imposing in certain parts of the country goes a long way to undermine the Democratic Party’s image as the party that makes the American dream affordable for US citizens.