You Probably Missed it, But Dems Released Second Version of Their 'Better Deal'

Cortney O'Brien | May 23, 2018 2:30 PM

Remember when Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi unveiled their "Better Deal" agenda last year? Even MSNBC mocked it.

“A Better Deal” is “not terribly bold,” and doesn’t connect with people, analyst Eugene Robinson said at the time. “There’s nothing there that sort of punches you in the gut."

"The branding is awful," Vanity Fair added. The Democrats were trying to echo Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal." The only problem was that their effort was "vague and cautious."

Well, the same top Democrats gave it another go this week, in hopes of getting their message out to voters six months ahead of the midterm elections. This time, Schumer, Pelosi and the like renamed their effort to "A Better Deal for Our Democracy.” Instead of economic equality, the Democrats' new platform will focus on voting rights, ethics laws, and campaign finance reform.

Vox applauded the new effort, noting that Democrats used the same tactic (successfully) in 2006. A large feature of the Six for '06 Campaign was “Honest Leadership and Open Government." Running on that platform, the party went on to make several electoral gains.

In their new campaign, they pledged to do what Trump failed to do and finally drain the Washington swamp.

"President Trump has embraced the most egregious establishment Republican norms," Schumer said. "The Swamp has never been more foul or more fetid than under this president."

America Rising PAC said the Democrats might want to start by looking in their own ranks, as Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is the perfect candidate.

"And one GOP operative noted that Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who was recently cleared of criminal wrongdoing after facing charges of trading political favors for private gifts, might not have gotten off so freely if the Democrats’ promises to crack down on “pay-to-play” arrangements were adopted,” Sarah Dolan, communications director of the America Rising PAC, said.

“I’d be curious to hear what Schumer thinks about Menendez in light of this proposal.”

The third phase of the Democrat's "Better Deal" will focus on education, with specific goals in boosting teacher pay, protecting unions' rights and investing in school infrastructure.