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Heres a smart move Democrats start channeling Ronald Reagans famous question in the 1980 presidential campaign: Are you better off than you were four years ago?

If Democrats want to win in the 2022 midterm elections, voters need to hear Reagans question over and over.

Democrats have a great answer.

Yes, Americans are better off economically today than they were ten months ago when there was a Republican majority in the Senate and a Republican in the White House.

The top issue for voters in last weeks race for governor in Virginia was the economy, according to a VoteCast exit survey by the Associated Press and Fox News.

The economy was named the top issue by 35 percent of voters, more than twice the 17 percent who named Covid, or the 15 percent who said education.

And here is the winning economic record the Democrats can talk about right now:

If former President TrumpDonald TrumpFormer Chicago-area CEO sentenced to 30 days in prison for role in Jan. 6 attack Noem formally launches reelection campaign Overnight Health Care Presented by Rare Access Action Project Biden unveils FDA pick MORE was still in office, hed brag that this is the greatest U.S. economy in all history.

In fact, Trump constantly bragged about low unemployment numbers as a measure of his success before the pandemic sent unemployment sky high. Now Biden has cut unemployment drastically despite the pandemic.

All these economic accomplishments by Democrats are locked in.

On top of all that, House Democrats passed a major infrastructure bill late Friday, which Biden is expected to sign into law any day now.

If an even bigger measure aimed at expanding the social safety net passes too, Democrats will have more evidence beyond a roaring economy. They will be able to point to better health care, universal pre-kindergarten and subsidies for child care none of which would have happened without Democratic majorities on Capitol Hill.

The Democrats current economic record is compelling because theyve done it alone.

Most Republicans in Congress refused to work on legislation to help the economy grow and lessen income inequality. But they had no trouble working with Trump to drive up the deficit by passing a big tax cut for corporations and the rich.

Now Democrats must start taking credit for the economy.

Terry McAuliffeTerry McAuliffe10 takeaways from Virginia's election Republicans find a message on race that works; here's how Democrats should respond Kamala Harris a 2024 problem for Biden and the Democrats MORE, the Democratic candidate in the Virginia gubernatorial race, saw his advantage in polls fall away when Republicans shifted the debate away from economics.

The GOP got McAuliffe and enough voters to fixate on the bogus issue of Parents Rights. McAuliffe was trapped in culture wars quicksand created by right wing groups outrage at the idea that schools might enforce mask mandates, talk about racial injustice or be open to new pronouns for transgender students.

Democrats can get back on their feet by recalling the message discipline of four winning campaigns by President Clinton and President ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaOvernight Health Care Presented by Rare Access Action Project Biden unveils FDA pick Washington Post removes large portions of two stories on Steele dossier Manchin opposes Biden FDA nominee MORE.

In Clintons successful 1992 race, his top strategist, James Carville, famously coined the phrase Its the economy, stupid. In 1996, the economic boom carried Clinton to victory.

Obamas 2008 and 2012 campaigns followed the same road.

Obama refused to be thrown off message by far-right culture war attacks. Those jabs began with claims he was not born in the United States the Birther movement and were followed by accusations that he was a radical leftist, seemingly based on the fact that he knew a man who was once in the Weather Underground.

Later, there would be suggestions that the Affordable Care Act would sink the economy. Oh, and dont forget the charge that Democrats backed a War on Christmas.

In the first campaign, Obama focused on ending the 2008 economic crisis. In 2012, he was all about bolstering the U.S. car industry and continuing the steady economic recovery.

But for some reason, todays Democrats are constantly dragged off message by the GOPs bellowing about divisive, culture war issues.

Clintons former strategist, Carville, has a theory about what befell the Democrats in the most recent elections.

What went wrong is just stupid wokeness, Carville told PBS NewsHour last week. I mean, this 'defund the police' lunacy, this take Abraham Lincolns name off of schools.Weve got to change this internally in my view.

Carvilles analysis is correct, but incomplete.

It is important base politics for Democrats to push for racial justice and cultural equality. But be alert it opens the door for the GOP to appeal to white racial grievance. And the overall electorate cares far more about themselves and kitchen table, economic issues.

Thats why Democrats need to wake up and bang one drum loudly Its the economy, stupid!

Juan Williams is an author, and a political analyst for Fox News Channel.

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Juan Williams: Democrats must fight and win on the economy | TheHill - The Hill