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The big post-election consensus is that Democrats believe, asTheNew York Timesput it, they were missing a broad economic message to enthuse supporters and convert some independents.

So what would that missing narrative be? The point of a narrative is to give people an explanation of what they are experiencing that includes what is wrong, who is responsible, and what we can do about it.

Take a look at two explanations of whats happening that are very similar but different in important ways.

The first, from Republican message guru Frank Luntz, writing inThe New York Times: [F]rom the reddest rural towns to the bluest big cities, the sentiment is the same. People say Washington is broken and on the decline, that government no longer works for them only for the rich and powerful.

The second, from Democratic message advisors James Carville and Stan Greenberg, along with Page Gardner: People believe that the rich are using their influence to rig the system so the economy works for them but not the middle class.

The big difference here is how the common sentiment among Americans that the rich call the shots is framed to suggest a solution. By focusing on the government, Luntz sets up the Republican push for limited government. Or as successful Iowa Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst said in a debate, When Washington is picking winners and losers, its almost always our Iowa middle-class families that lose.

For Carville, Greenberg, and Gardner, the focus is on the economy being rigged. Or as one ad for Oregons Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley said, It is Jeff leading the fight to hold Wall Street and big banks accountable when they prey on working families and small businesses.

Merkley won and so did Ernst. The explanation, according to progressive pundits, is that Democrats like Merkley who used a populist message which means they connected peoples economic concerns to the rich and powerful who are responsible were successful while Dems who ran away from that message lost. As someone who has been leading theProgressive Economic Narrative(PEN) project, I really wanted to believe that. But as it seemed too easy, I decided to look at some campaigns and see whether it was spin or the truth. It turns out to be the truth.

The first case I looked at was Minnesota Democrat Al Frankens campaign. After eking out a victory in the great Democratic year of 2008, Franken won handily this year, even as Republicans took over the Minnesota House of Representatives. Imagine my smile when I quickly found Franken ads based on the key value statement in ourProgressive Economic Narrative, We all do better when we all do better. This was also a key theme of Minnesotas great progressive senator, Paul Wellstone.

Frankens progressive populism makes a key distinction when he uses the key word in that values phrase, all. As he says in another ad, I work for all Minnesotans. Wall Street wasnt happy about that. But I dont work for Wall Street. I work for you.

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Progressives overlooked winning formula: How Democrats can rebound in 2016