One of the most pressing challenges facing the Democratic Party is a lack of voter confidence that Democrats understand the problems facing Americans. In April, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe the Democratic Party is out of touch with the concerns of most Americans, a larger percentage than said the same of the Republican Party or of President Trump.

When news of the Democratic agenda surfaced last week from Vox’s Jeff Stein, its slogan, which was reported to be “A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages” was widely mocked on social media as insufficiently aspirational and progressive, in part because some critics argued that an emphasis on “skills” unfairly suggested that workers should do more to help themselves, while others panned the slogan for its similarity to the tagline used by pizza chain Papa John’s. (The finalized slogan “A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future” is not the same as what was previously reported).

Promises to confront monopoly power are only one part of the wide-ranging platform the new Democratic agenda sets out. At the core of the agenda is a pledge that the party will create jobs, raise wages and income, while lowering the cost of living, for American workers and families.

“A Better Deal” is the product of months of meetings and deliberation between party leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, other House and Senate Democrats, and policy experts representing the full spectrum of liberal ideology.

Stephanie Kelton, an economist and professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, who served as an economic policy advisor to the Sanders campaign, said in an interview that she was invited to take part in a brainstorming session on Capitol Hill with Senator Schumer when the agenda was still in development.

“I think it was significant that they reached out to me knowing that I had been an economic advisor to the Sanders campaign. They wanted to hear from that side, from someone who had been working closely with Senator Sanders, and I definitely think they understand that in order for the party to unify around a broad, ambitious, economic platform, they need to include everyone,” Kelton said.

Democrats plan to unveil more proposals under the banner of “A Better Deal” in the weeks to come. The focus on an economic agenda suggests, however, that the party believes that prioritizing jobs, income, and wages will prove more unifying for the party, and more attractive to the kind of coalition they want to attract, than so-called “identity politics” messages that seek to appeal to voters on the basis of race and gender.

The idea of “a better deal,” may sound like only an incremental improvement or a hazy promise. But holding out the possibility of “better jobs” and “better wages” are specific goals that have the potential to resonate widely. For that resonance to translate into electoral wins, Democrats may need to convince voters not only of the sincerity of their message, but that the policy ideas the party is now putting forward are realistic and workable, and would meaningfully improve their lives.

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