# OK, Dems. What's the Plan? Affordability **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 30, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494 "2026-09-30T22:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/81 "2026-10-05T14:16:38Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > affordability Affordability? They can’t make a winnable case on GOP House and Senate enablers are running the Golden Age of Grift? Or overseeing a badly mangled Middle East war. Administration gross incompetence and malfeasance on economics, migration, foreign policy with shonks, spivs and white Christian doughboys running the White House. et al You don’t think that a gentle focus on “affordability” might normalise the bizarre cult of personality you have running the show? > [@Bruno Gianelli - West Wing](#): > > _Because I am tired of working for candidates who make me think I should be embarrassed to believe what I believe, Sam. I’m tired of getting them elected. We all need some therapy, because someone came along and said that liberal means “soft on crime.” Soft on drugs. Soft on communism. Soft on defense. And we’re gonna tax you back to the stone age because people shouldn’t have to go to work if they don’t want to. And instead of saying, ‘Well, excuse me, you right-wing, reactionary xenophobic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-choice, pro-gun, Leave-it-to-Beaver-trip-back-to-the-fifties!’ we cowered in the corner and said, ‘Please. Don’t. Hurt. Me.’_ ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/82 "2026-10-05T14:41:38Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > But the Dems should go in with open eyes. If they’re not going to get credit for ending the war, then they need to make sure they have some other wins in the column: tariffs, ACA, boosting wages, etc. They need to be able to show they are addressing affordability across income brackets. All of these things would be good things. Unfortunately they amount to returning things to “normal”. That’s not something that will earn them extended credit. Putting things back to how they should be is rarely remembered or rewarded. With voters, in major elections, it’s always, “What have you done for me lately?” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/83 "2026-10-05T16:10:34Z")
And discontent with that “normal”, real or manufactured, was a lot of the attraction of voting for non-establishment candidates. Persuading somebody “Vote for the old status quo you hated because it’s not quite as bad as the new grifting that you voted for but studiously can’t quite see.” ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/84 "2026-10-05T16:40:54Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > All of these things would be good things. Unfortunately they amount to returning things to “normal”. This is over-thinking it. If we’re going to limit ourselves to what the voters will remember and appreciate, then why bother doing anything? May as well give up on governing and push a narrative through social media to get people to vote on ‘feels’. In any case, people know how far their paycheck is going and they will appreciate any improvement proportional to the size of the improvement. Restoring ACA would be a significant improvement to 24M people. Boosting wages will be noticed as well. Other than the stock market and crypto, every fiscal improvement is a return to ‘normal’. Solve the housing crisis so 30 year olds can buy a townhouse – normal. Bring the price of gas down – normal. Get a real job straight out of college – normal. Things haven’t been normal for a long time. A kid that graduated high-school during the financial crisis of 2008 is 36 now. What’s normal for them is completely different than what is normal for most of us Dopers. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/85 "2026-10-05T16:56:59Z")
Maybe the ACA subsidies can be restored by Dems. Very likely the gas prices will come down again because Trump isn’t threatening to destroy Iran. But I am not optimistic that house prices will come down, or wages will rise to meet the current housing market. I’m not optimistic that eggs and meat will be much cheaper. I’m not optimistic that prices of goods in general will become cheaper because Dems are in the house. I would love to be proven wrong, but this is the new normal, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/86 "2026-10-05T17:31:22Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > But I am not optimistic that house prices will come down, or wages will rise to meet the current housing market. I’m not optimistic that eggs and meat will be much cheaper. I’m not optimistic that prices of goods in general will become cheaper because Dems are in the house. I would love to be proven wrong, but this is the new normal, I’m afraid. Generally declining prices, except for volatile commodities is _always_ a disaster to avoid. The way to make housing or whatever “affordable” that’s now 20% higher than it was is to raise wages everywhere for everyone by 20% to match. Not to try to drive prices down. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/87 "2026-10-05T18:19:14Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > The Democrats are ruinning in the mid-terms largely on a platform of affordability. However, I haven’t seen many specific proposals. Republicans successfully drove Joe Biden out of office by eliding the fact that inflation had improved quite a bit and was sitting just a point or two over target. Maybe it’s enough for Democrats to have learned that “affordability” can be used simply to bludgeon the party in power and then ignored. This was 100% working for Republicans until Trump went tariff-crazy and started the dumbest war imaginable. Unwinding tariffs ought to be an easy affordability win. As for the Iran war, though, honestly I’m not sure anybody in the US has the cards to get that resolved. It’s not easy to get a sweetheart deal that our OPEC allies will get on board with. And even that happens, Israel will be the spoiler, as they’re not going to let Iran keep developing nuclear & other military capabilities, and we can’t do much if anything to keep either of those countries in check. So hopefully their plan doesn’t depend on ending the Iran war anytime soon, because that really doesn’t seem achievable. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/88 "2026-10-05T18:19:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The way to make housing or whatever “affordable” that’s now 20% higher than it was is to raise wages everywhere for everyone by 20% to match. Not to try to drive prices down. Okay… but how realistic is that and is that what Democratic candidates are saying? Or are they just saying the word “affordability” without any specific plan of how to achieve that goal? Here’s what the Progressive Dem Caucus is proposing: > **[PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS ANNOUNCES ‘NEW AFFORDABILITY AGENDA’](https://progressives.house.gov/2026/4/progressive-caucus-announces-new-affordability-agenda)** > > The Congressional Progressive Caucus announced the New Affordability Agenda, a slate of bold new ideas to tackle the cost of living crisis facing working Americans. Here’s the New Democratic Coalition is proposing: > **[new\_dem\_affordability\_agenda.pdf](https://newdemocratcoalition.house.gov/imo/media/doc/new_dem_affordability_agenda.pdf)** > > 7.29 MB There is one mention of raising minimum wage, without a scintilla of detail. My point isn’t that Democrats aren’t willing to try or that they don’t mean well. They do. But even these policies are very measured and relatively lacking in ambition and detail of what can be done to get things back to “normal”. Whatever that is. Which causes me to believe that where the economy is now (for the most part) is the new normal. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/89 "2026-10-05T19:22:02Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Affordability? > They can’t make a winnable case on GOP House and Senate enablers are running the Golden Age of Grift? Or overseeing a badly mangled Middle East war. Administration gross incompetence and malfeasance Making the whole campaign Running against someone is usually not a winner. Again, just like last elections “It’s the economy, stupid”. > **[It's the economy, stupid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_the_economy,_stupid)** > > "It's the economy, stupid" is a catchphrase that means that the primary concern of American voters is the state of the American economy, and how the economy affects their personal finances. The phrase was coined by James Carville in 1992 as "The economy, stupid". It is often quoted from a televised quip by Carville as "It's the economy, stupid". Carville was a strategist in Bill Clinton's successful campaign in the 1992 U.S. presidential election against incumbent George H. W. Bush. His phrase wa... > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Persuading somebody “Vote for the old status quo you hated I do not think wavering voters “hated” the Biden or Obama administration. > [@CaveMike](#): > > In any case, people know how far their paycheck is going and they will appreciate any improvement proportional to the size of the improvement. Restoring ACA would be a significant improvement to 24M people. Boosting wages will be noticed as well. Yep, again- “It’s the economy, stupid”. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Maybe the ACA subsidies can be restored by Dems. Very likely the gas prices will come down again because Trump isn’t threatening to destroy Iran. > > But I am not optimistic that house prices will come down, or wages will rise to meet the current housing market. I’m not optimistic that eggs and meat will be much cheaper. I’m not optimistic that prices of goods in general will become cheaper because Dems are in the house. I would love to be proven wrong, but this is the new normal, I’m afraid. ACA= no problem. Gas prices will come down, etc- , and thus inflation gets lower, thus prices get lower. Minimum wage will get higher. No one can fix housing. There is just so much suitable land, water, etc. But a reduction in inflation will help, along with a few other fixes. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Which causes me to believe that where the economy is now (for the most part) is the new normal. Not even close. The economy is cyclable , but tariffs, oil prices, and high medicals costs have made this year worse. All those can be fixed. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/90 "2026-10-05T19:59:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > but tariffs Corporations and business owner have had to absorb some of the overhead caused by tariffs. Even if tariffs are removed, the prices will stay where they are because they will want to claw back their costs over time. Then the prices will stay where they are because people will have gotten used to them. As long as inflation is under control, the prices of consumer goods will stabilize, but unlikely to go down. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/91 "2026-10-05T20:50:26Z")
> [@cited by DrDeth in Wiki](#): > > “It’s the economy, stupid”. Carville was a strategist in Bill Clinton’s successful campaign in the 1992 U.S. presidential election against incumbent George H. W. Bush. Well yes, but: - the slogan was (at least primarily) aimed at the campaign team, not the electorate. - If Carville was campaigning vs the Trump2 admin would he be using weasel words? - How does “It’s the economy, stupid” stack up against “It’s the affordability”? Rather than summat like "Costs down, reconnect, restore? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/92 "2026-10-06T00:13:58Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Well yes, but: > > - the slogan was (at least primarily) aimed at the campaign team, not the electorate. > - If Carville was campaigning vs the Trump2 admin would he be using weasel words? > - How does “It’s the economy, stupid” stack up against “It’s the affordability”? > > Rather than summat like "Costs down, reconnect, restore? Obviously, "It’s the affordability” is better for the public. But election after election has shown that “It’s the economy, stupid” hold forth. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494/93 "2026-10-06T00:46:25Z")
The word “affordability” is not a great choice for a slogan. But the media picked that word a couple of years ago talking about economics and inflation and wages and … and has been harping on it daily now for a couple years. The public now knows it as a vocabulary word, but also as a close-to-home economic problem with significant political connection. Both parties will be hammering on this problem using that word. Choosing a different word because it’s better in the dictionary or rhymes more nicely to make a slogan would be very stupid campaigning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-dems-whats-the-plan-affordability/1033494.md?page=4)