If it were up to President Trump, the midterm elections would be about curtailing birthright citizenship and halting the caravan of several thousand Central American migrants that has been slowly making its way to the U.S. border. Democrats, meanwhile, would much rather spend their time defending Obamacare and calling for a more generous safety net.
But if both parties are playing to their political strengths, the difficult truth is that immigration and the fate of the safety net aren't two separate questions. They're bound tightly together, in a way that poses particular challenges for the Democratic Party — challenges that will grow only more pronounced in the years to come.
Most Democrats are convinced that in an age of offshoring and automation, when the wages of the working class are under intense competitive pressure, it is government's job to help close the gap between what low- and middle-income U.S. families earn and what they need to lead decent lives.
Read Full Article »