New Democratic governors see big opening against Trump in the economy – By Joan McCarter (Daily Kos) / Feb 25 2019
New Mexico’s Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
Newly elected Democratic governors see an opening in their states for Democrats to use the economy against the current occupant of the Oval Office in 2020. Whatever Trump says about the booming economy, Democrats argue, the people of their states aren’t feeling the benefits, and they want that to be a primary narrative for the cycle.
At a weekend gathering of national governors, Gov. Tony Evers, who knocked out Republican wart on the body politic Scott Walker in Wisconsin last November, said of his state, “Yes, we have a 3 percent unemployment rate, but we also have 800,000 families that are struggling just to put food on the table. … We have a long way to go.” Likewise, Minnesota’s new Gov. Tim Walz says the people in his state see all the benefit from Trump’s policies going to the top, and not trickling down. “There is no doubt that Minnesotans and Americans are working harder and (are) more productive, but most of that gain has not been seen in the middle class,” Walz said.
Low wages and expensive health care and the middle-class squeeze are top concerns in New Mexico, too, says Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. She wants Democrats to go straight at Trump and make their case, saying they need to highlight their own policies. “If Democrats around the country, including me, are not talking about those precise strategies … I think we won’t get attention for the economic efforts that we’re making.” There’s room, though, argues New Jersey’s Gov. Phil Murphy, to talk about more. “We don’t make economic progress without social progress, and likewise, you don’t make social progress without economic progress.”
What’s abundantly clear is that Americans still hate the Republicans’ tax giveaway to the wealthy and don’t have any problems with taxing the rich. The tax bill was unpopular when it was signed and hasn’t gotten any better in the average American’s opinion, particularly not when they’re seeing bigger tax bills and smaller refunds now that it’s been implemented.
There’s an embarrassment of riches for Democrats to use in going against Trump, and there’s not one single issue that’s going to do the job of taking him down (provided Robert Mueller doesn’t get there first).
