Democrats have been nervous about the inevitable election-year question, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland even stumbled over it a few days ago, saying “no,” before quickly blaming President George W. Bush.

There is really no reason for any hesitancy. The country is unquestionably better off than it was in 2008. The economy has added 4.5 million private-sector jobs since January 2010; even if you subtract the vast job losses in the early months of President Obama’s term, before his policies went into effect, the country is still ahead by 332,000 private-sector jobs.

That level of job growth is close to the recovery following the 1990s recession, and it is actually stronger than after the early-2000s recession. But it doesn’t feel strong because the original hole was so deep and so many people are still suffering: 12.8 million remain unemployed.

The contradiction between the plain facts of the data and the tepid feel of the recovery suggests that the recession created a more important question than the simplistic “are you better off?” Voters should ask themselves — and their leaders — how to keep this and future generations better off. How to prevent future recessions. How to design a tax code that promotes fairness and reduces inequality. How to make sure a safety net is in place for those who inevitably need more help.