Tonight’s convention theme is the economy. Arizona governor Janet Napolitano, one of the most popular Democrats in the country, just a gave an effective speech on economic issues. As always with the Obama campaign, the speech was set at a high level of abstraction. But one thing you notice when you listen to the Democrats is that their economic message focuses on jobs. Unemployment is of course a major issue – but in fact the unemployment rate is not incredibly high, historically speaking. A more effective strategy, as Patrick Ruffini has pointed out, would be to focus on the high prices that affect pocket books everywhere. The Democrats don’t do that, however – particularly on energy, an issue on which Democrats don’t really mind the high prices at all. This is an opening for Republicans – and a liability for Democrats. Two words you won’t hear tonight: “Let’s Drill.”
