Writing for National Journal, political analyst Ron Brownstein reaches the conclusion that both Democrats and Republicans are failing to meet major goals of their parties. To wit, Republicans seemingly cannot make the party more attractive to those now "outside the tent," and Democrats seemingly cannot improve the economy.
It is difficult to imagine conditions more conducive to a focus on the economy than those existing at the last election: high unemployment, low job growth, and lack of consumer confidence. Obama's "coalition of the ascendant" are not ascending, yet they vote for him. Brownstein doesn't say why.
He does a better job of saying why Republicans cannot do a better job of enlarging the group "under their tent." In particular, Republican primary voters are not in favor of the policy changes which attracting those new voters would require.
Brownstein needs to explain why the voters most injured by current economic failures are nevertheless voting for a party which has largely given up working to get them full-time jobs. Some other factor is at work, something he doesn't identify. That is the failure of Brownstein's article.
