POLITICO: James Carville 'worried’ about Obama’s message on the economy

On how the president should fine tune his rhetoric if he wins a second term, Carville noted that the American people “want to be reassured of him that he understands the depth of the problem and that he has a plan to deal with the deterioration of the middle class.”

The veteran strategist’s latest remarks touch on similar concerns raised in a research document co-written with pollsters Stan Greenberg and Erica Seifert for Democracy Corps.

The three strategists warned on Tuesday in the memo that the Democratic Party could face an “impossible headwind in November” unless it adopts a more forward-looking economic message that focuses on the middle class, and called on the president to start spreading his message with “minimal discussion of the recovery and jobs created and maximal empathy for the challenges people face.”

“These voters are not convinced that we are headed in the right direction,” they wrote. “They are living in a new economy — and there is no conceivable recovery in the year ahead that will change the view of the new state of the country.”

The document continued, “They actually have a very realistic view of the long road back and the struggles of the middle class — and the current narrative about progress just misses the opportunity to connect and point forward. While we hear some optimism, this is framed mostly by the sense that this has to be rock bottom.”

Last week, Obama faced criticism after he said at a press conference that “the private sector is doing fine” — comments that Republicans immediately pounced on. The president tried to clarify his comments a few hours later, telling reporters that “it is absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine.”

On how the president should fine tune his rhetoric if he wins a second term, Carville noted that the American people “want to be reassured of him that he understands the depth of the problem and that he has a plan to deal with the deterioration of the middle class.”

The veteran strategist’s latest remarks touch on similar concerns raised in a research document co-written with pollsters Stan Greenberg and Erica Seifert for Democracy Corps.

The three strategists warned on Tuesday in the memo that the Democratic Party could face an “impossible headwind in November” unless it adopts a more forward-looking economic message that focuses on the middle class, and called on the president to start spreading his message with “minimal discussion of the recovery and jobs created and maximal empathy for the challenges people face.”

“These voters are not convinced that we are headed in the right direction,” they wrote. “They are living in a new economy — and there is no conceivable recovery in the year ahead that will change the view of the new state of the country.”

The document continued, “They actually have a very realistic view of the long road back and the struggles of the middle class — and the current narrative about progress just misses the opportunity to connect and point forward. While we hear some optimism, this is framed mostly by the sense that this has to be rock bottom.”

Last week, Obama faced criticism after he said at a press conference that “the private sector is doing fine” — comments that Republicans immediately pounced on. The president tried to clarify his comments a few hours later, telling reporters that “it is absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine.”

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