A winning economic message for Democrats: Government works

By William Berkson: Republican “trickle down” policies have failed spectacularly. But their anti-government economic narrative retains a hold on the electorate. In 2016, despite the long Obama era economic recovery, 3% more voters thought Trump would handle the economy best. What Americans want is inclusive economic growth, and without a rival narrative to achieve it, Democrats will continue to fail…

Continue Reading

Behind the Headlines: The Facebook dilemma

By Karen Kirk: Is it time to quit Facebook? I’m not alone in asking this question. There’s #DeleteFacebook on Twitter and various stories in the media about those who’ve gone cold turkey. Maybe it was always too good to be true. Troves of email users moved on to Facebook to keep up with long-distance friends and relatives, getting instant gratification…

Continue Reading

Americans get the worst healthcare for the most money– why?

By Brad Swanson: Medicaid expansion in Virginia will be a major issue in the special session of the legislature that begins on April 11. To understand the issue better, I looked at other rich Western countries and compared the quality and cost of their healthcare systems to ours. The results were stunning:   Americans pay more for healthcare with worse results…

Continue Reading

A vote for Democrats is a vote for … business?

By Chris King: A vote for Democrats is a vote for … business? That is not what voters usually hear, but it is true. Especially here in Northern Virginia, which is a diverse and dynamic business hub: tech, defense, engineering, real estate, law, non-profit, others. Many of the region’s executives and entrepreneurs are Democrats. And as Democrats we know that…

Continue Reading

McAuliffe’s magic brought investment when most needed

By Allison Dickert Madson: The outlook was dismal when Terry McAuliffe assumed office in 2014 as Virginia’s governor. A federal government shutdown, coupled with budget sequestration, meant big trouble for the state that receives more federal dollars than any other. Paul Reagan, who served as McAuliffe’s chief of staff during the entire four-year administration, remembers the sense of urgency as…

Continue Reading