Abstract
The Democrats’ response to President Trump’s plan to raise wages, called “A Better Deal,” contains some valuable proposals. But on balance, this economist writes, it is badly inadequate for the task. It has little on health care, poverty, or full-employment policies, and even its infrastructure investment program is skimpy on details. In general, its policies are weak on finance. He also analyzes alternatives offered by the Congressional Progressive Caucus and an offshoot of Bernie Sanders’s campaign. He thinks these provide a blueprint, at least in part, for a more successful program.
