Can Democrats translate policy wins to midterm victory?

The biggest obstacle to Democratic success in the midterms is the overwhelming sense of gloom that hangs over the electorate like a black cloud. The party that can break through the fog will dominate American politics for a generation.

The Democratic Party’s belief in government activism and the rising tide of young progressive voters, makes it the best bet to move the nation forward out of the morass of economic problems that scream out for bold action. The Republican Party has plenty of complaints but offers nothing in solutions except for nostalgia. It’s clear to vote Democratic is to drive the nation forward, while to vote Republican is to put the country in reverse.

A new national survey for USA Today shows that two out of every three voters believe the nation is heading in the wrong direction, which is a heavy burden for the Democratic Party that occupies the White House and controls both chambers of Congress.

The best way of taking a quick inventory of the things that make Americans so pessimistic is to watch the nightly political news: A horror show that is scarier than anything you’ll see on Halloween.

There are heart-wrenching stories of families struggling to make ends meet as gas, grocery and health care prices skyrocket. Then viewers see graphic images of freakish weather that brings drought to many places, flooding to other areas and economic devastation everywhere.

There are brief mentions of astronomical corporate profits and accelerating rates of climate change and the lack of access to health care, but that isn’t enough for voters to connect the dots. It’s up to President Biden to use the White House bully pulpit to assemble the financial puzzle pieces for the public. The president needs to step up to an even tougher challenge if Democrats lose control of Congress.

The drumbeat of horrible news should be a call to action for fundamental changes in economic, environmental and health care policy. Instead, the carnage translates into a bubbling caldron of gloom and doom that dampens the dreams and quashes the hopes of hard-working families.

The oppressive political atmosphere has created a deadlock in democracy that doesn’t give either party the leverage it needs to systematically address the serious problems that face our great nation. If the GOP gains control of Congress, this would bring lots of heat but little light to the challenges that lie ahead for the United States.

Voters have little faith in the capacity of either party to break the logjam, so they may settle for more of the same. Democrats should prove them wrong, stand tall and stay strong to break through to the public with a clear, concise and convincing narrative about meeting the challenges of both today and tomorrow.

Democrats must develop a compelling message that will address voter concerns about the nation’s economic plight. The USA Today poll data indicates that a many voters believe the nation is in a recession and that economic worries suck the oxygen out of concern about other vital problems.

Economic justice for financially stressed and hard-working American families is vital. But the Democratic economic vision must be comprehensive enough to address the cost of health care and the economic consequences of climate change.

The close division between the parties in the generic trial heat in the new poll is a sign of things to come. Biden will still be president after the midterm ballots are cast and counted — but he may contend with a hostile House of Representatives and a closely divided Senate.

Biden’s job rating is underwhelming, but he deserves more credit than he receives. So far, working with a tenuous majority in Congress, he took decisive action to taper the COVID-19 crisis and to begin the effort to blunt the humanitarian and economic carnage of climate change. But voters need more, want more and deserve better.

The situation will deteriorate if the GOP takes control of Congress. Republicans seem to live in the past and value ideology over innovation, which is a clear and present danger in a rapidly changing world.

Brad Bannon is a Democratic pollster and CEO of Bannon Communications Research. His podcast, “Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,” airs on Periscope TV and the Progressive Voices Network. Follow him on Twitter: @BradBannon