Dems and the middle class.

Photo © 2020 Paul L. Gleiser

Democrats, long the self-proclaimed champions of the poor, are now declaring themselves the champions of another socio-economic cohort: the middle class. I just returned from covering the New Hampshire Primary and at every rally I attended, the candidate would somewhere in his or her stump speech intone about “hard-working middle-class families.”

To help these hard-working middle-class families each candidate promised a laundry list of government benefits. Free college. Some form of government-provided health care. Student loan forgiveness. Childcare. Employer-paid leave. In other words, the usual dog-eared list.

But here’s the problem for Dems. A whole lot of folks in the middle class have figured out on their own that the best prescription for improving the fortunes of hard-working middle-class families is a strong, vibrant, growing economy. When President Trump in his State of the Union address spent the first ten minutes going down a long list of policy successes, a lot of middle-class voters were nodding in agreement.

The list is impressive and, discounting only slightly for some permissible self-serving spin from the president, verifiable.

Unemployment is at the lowest level in over 50 years. The unemployment rate for women is the lowest it has been in 70 years. In the past three years, more than 3.5 million people have entered the labor force. Real median household income is at the highest levels ever recorded. The approximately 150 million Americans who own stock – either directly or through retirement plans – have seen their portfolios increase in value by more than 60 percent.

For its part, the media was reduced to picking at nits. When the president said that seven million new jobs have been created on his watch, the media said, ‘not true, the correct number is only 6.6 million.’ Never mind that the consensus forecast when Trump took office was only two million.

(And, as a sidebar, it’s not just the middle class. Household wealth for every cohort is rising – but it’s rising fastest in the lower half of households. Since Donald Trump has taken office, seven million people have come off the food stamp rolls.)

Such empirical data is Kryptonite to Democrats. Democrats do well when voters are doing poorly. At one Bernie Sanders rally in New Hampshire, no fewer than three warm-up speakers stood in front of the crowd and told tales of financial woe.

Of course, the implication was that Bernie would make it better via redistributive government programs. The challenge for Bernie and the other Dems is that with the economy so strong, enthusiasm for such programs is shrinking.

Trump administration policies have demonstrated in ways that are tangible to the middle class that dreary government giveaways –with their attendant strings – are no match for lower taxes, lighter regulation and a resultingly stronger economy.

Promises of government palliatives don’t resonate with middle class voters who are, on their own, doing better than they have in years. Are we surprised, then, that a frustrated Nancy Pelosi petulantly tore up the president’s State of the Union address?

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Paul Gleiser

Paul L. Gleiser is president of ATW Media, LLC, licensee of radio stations KTBB 97.5 FM/AM600, 92.1 The TEAM FM in Tyler-Longview, Texas.

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25 Responses

  1. Ron Eagleman says:

    Thanks to the Trump economy, the “hard-working poor” constituency is shrinking, so the Democrats have now moved their pandering to the “hard-working middle class”. There are many in the “hard-working upper class” who were once in the “hard-working poor” class, and by working hard, were able to move to the middle and then the upper income class. The sad reality of what the Democrats are selling is that those who are hard-working or creative are stuck in a system that does not allow incentive for success. Since Socialism does not reward those who have the energy and talent to invent and build things, those innovations are much less likely to occur. I know it is heresy to the current Democratic candidates, but profit motivation to improve the living standards for their families is the main driver of most successful people. This movement to take over the U.S. economy and total control of all major industries “without firing a shot” has been underway for decades. Most of those who are feeling entitled to all the free stuff are students or offspring of students who have been carefully indoctrinated in our primary, secondary, and higher educational system, as well as the left leaning media and movie industry. Conservatives have not been aggressive enough in spreading the advantages of a free market system, and the misery associated with Socialism and Communism; whereas, the left has been working hard at defining hard work and success as greed and “uncool”. Wow, that was hard work getting in all the “hard-work” descriptions! Hope it made sense!

    • Holland Cooke says:

      JUSY TRY not-guzzling Trump’s tangerine-hued urine long-enough to watch tonight’s Nevada debate and hear Mike Bloomberg, who actually IS what Trump claims to be.

      Unlike broke Trump, he actually IS a billionaire.

      Unlike longtime-registered-Democrat-pretending-to-be-a-Republican Trump, Bloomberg is a bona fife longtime-Republican-pretending-to-be-a-Dem.

      And (you’ll like this) Bloomberg has Billy Bush-type accusations.

      And after cleaning up after weirdo Giuliani, Bloomberg backed NYPD.

      Or keep guzzling. Trump is playing you.

      • Michael Reagan says:

        Here is my argument on Bloomberg. Billionaires tend to think they know everything there is to know because they made more money than you and I (well at least me speaking personally) could conceive of. So what! Making money like that entails couple of rock solid, hard core facts ( I know because I have worked for couple of mega-wealthy people and saw how they went about some of their wealth gathering) and that is DO NOT LET ANYONE STAND IN YOUR WAY. I was terminated because of my ethics and declined to help crush some human beings. BUT HECK, Vito Corleone says it is “only business”. NOT SO MY FRIEND. No way I am going to let anyone, much less a New Yorker like Bloomberg tell me what I can or cannot drink, climate change is caused by Americans, or good luck taking my guns and treading on my Second Amendment rights (which is really about protecting the people from the government). Hey, You Sir, are entitled to your opinion. This is mine and I dare say the majority of folks in East Texas think like I do. That is just the way it is. But, there is one certainty President Trump brings to the table others do not and that is economic prosperity, real hope, and at least trying to keep America from getting screwed by foreign governments. Trump does not tell me what is good for me or my family. Bloomberg is a little Napoleon, who’s ego is not one I care for.

      • C M Solomon says:

        What happened to “shirts and skins” and “civility”? Your ANGER and HATRED of Trump drips from every word and you are a member in good standing with the Democrat Marxist Cult. Trump’s successful policies and performance can’t penetrate the Democrat cocoon.

        • Holland Cooke says:

          Hey.
          TRY to keep up.
          2 weeks ago Paul-N-y’all declared civility obsolete, REMEMBER?

          • Michael Reagan says:

            Did you watch the Democratic debate? It would be awesome if dueling with those hard plastic BB guns was offered to the contestants. Of course eye protection and head gear would be necessary as well. Isn’t that a “civil” and fair way of resolving a dispute? Darn that has gone away. Would be fun to watch; gotta admit.

          • C M Solomon says:

            NO! You need to punch a fresh air “rationality” hole in your cocoon. It was obvious that Paul established (and we supported) that the cry of the Democrats for CIVILITY was proven to be fake. It is YOUR definition of civility that was declared obsolete! Paul was totally correct with his statement about civility: “… I say it’s about a 90-10 split. Dems fight dirty. Republicans barely fight at all.” Your Democrat mud splatter didn’t work and anything you say doesn’t meet the sanity test. Remember, trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result, is the perfect sign of INSANITY.

  2. Ron Eagleman says:

    Thanks for the links to Newsweek and Washington Post; I did not realize that Newsweek is still in business. If you will actually read the article in Newsweek, it is clear that Ivanka and Jared earned that income DURING their time working in the White House, not from any enrichment from the government (American taxpayers). They earned their income solely from the private enterprise business that they owned prior to ever being involved in the White House. Like our president, they do not take a salary. If one could see without the bias goggles, these gestures would be seen as altruistic, not greed or self-serving. This conduct is completely different from how a community organizer became super wealthy at the expense of the taxpayer, or how the Secretary of State in the previous administration sold her influence to the highest bidder, regardless of the harm to our country. I really do not think you want to go down the road of commutations and pardons, and comparing this president with previous presidents. Do Marc Rich or Chelsea Manning ring a bell? I could be lazy and link to some very distasteful descriptions of previous executive clemency or pardons from both parties, but I will forego the sleaze factor.

      • Paul Gleiser says:

        Never, ever, ever, not once ever did I hear even a peep from anyone on the left about Barack Obama’s many hours on the links — which included golf in Hawaii with all of the attendant transportation and housing costs for security.

        • Are you sure you want to compare number-of-golfing-days, LET ALONE whose hotel collected how-much-per-federal- employee-assigned? LETS DO THAT MATH.
          #DrainTheSwamp

          • Paul Gleiser says:

            Compare or don’t compare. You miss the point. The point is that I don’t really give a flying damn about how much this president or any president plays golf. Nor am I going to get my knickers in much of a knot over what it costs. Whatever that cost is, it is in the rounding error of the rounding error of the rounding error of the federal budget of the United States.

            I care about the policies that the president advances and the effects that those polices have on my business, my personal wealth and the future prospects of my two daughters.

        • Holland Cooke says:

          Trump is playing you; and laughing at you behind your back.

          • Paul Gleiser says:

            Essentially zero unemployment. Business growth like I haven’t seen in a decade. Happy customers who are all saying the same thing. Robust growth in my retirement assets. No more daily headlines about ISIS. No more daily headlines about truck bombs driving through outdoor markets. Optimism about the future from very nearly everyone I deal with. All in sharp contrast to the eight slogging, miserable years under Barack Obama. If Trump is playing me, all I can say is, “Play on, Baybeee!!!”

    • C M Solomon says:

      Thanks Ron and Paul for your comments. I was going to ignore the bait/diversion from our resident TROLL from the Left but could not resist until now.

      The Wikipedia definition fits perfectly, here. Let me quote: “In Internet slang, a troll is a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, [1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into displaying emotional responses [2] and normalizing tangential discussion, [3] whether for the troll’s amusement or a specific gain.

      The Democrats have become an “ideological cult,” (quoting James Carville) intent on destroying our unique Constitutional heritage of Liberty and Justice for all. After seeing the failed coup d’etat of the Deep State and the Democrat House Impeachment debacle, these Leftists have earned their reputation as the Party of Tyranny, not Liberty. They will twist the Trump successes of the free market every time to instill envy and covetousness in support of BIG Government Command and Control of every scintilla of our lives to enforce worship of their Godless ideology.

  3. Holland Cooke says:

    Yeah, cling to all that.
    Forget 11-year data graphs.
    While a*****e Trump plays you.
    And laughs at you behind your back.’

    • Paul Gleiser says:

      I chose to overlook the scatological reference in your previous reply to me. I am not, however, overlooking your choice of adjective preceding the word “Trump.” That word has been edited.

      Say what’s on your mind but keep it clean, please.

      • Notwithstanding consensus in your previous post: CIVILITY IS BACK?

        Good to know that some of the things the president has uttered are unwelcome here.

        Applause!
        I never lost hope.

  4. Ron Eagleman says:

    Just keep in mind, the expert troll is a refugee from Massachusetts, who cast his first vote for Michael Dukakis for President against Ronald Reagan. In that context, some of the twisted comments make more sense……….right?

  5. Ron Eagleman says:

    I stand corrected. Whether McGovern in ’72 or Dukakis in ’88, the point I was trying to make is a possible explanation for political leanings and comments. I could only remember that you had earlier mentioned that your first vote was for a Liberal Democrat (not by today’s Democratic standards), and it was a landslide loss. But you are completely correct, and I was completely wrong on the candidates and the dates.

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