James Carville: The right message matters — and Clinton’s got it

Amid what some election prognosticators consider a less than favorable outlook for the upcoming midterm elections, it has been a tough few months for Democrats.

The best news for the Democratic Party right now, though, is that it appears the odds that Hillary Clinton will be running for president again are increasing. 

{mosads}Everyone, including this columnist, has long assumed that she will run. And most, including this columnist, think she will be the best person for this job. Many more again, once more including me, were never concerned as to whether she is the best person for this job. My only question about this campaign has been whether it will have the right message to get the job. 

Based on excellent reporting by Dylan Scott at Talking Points Memo, I can now enthusiastically report to you that she not only has the right message, she has the perfect message. 

For all of the coverage that the former secretary of State and former first lady has gotten in the past few months, Scott’s analysis of Clinton’s message is good music to these ears. President Obama did not just help this economy during his administration, he saved it from unthinkable consequences. After 54 months straight of private-sector job growth, Clinton appears determined to keep the momentum going and to finish the job of economic recovery. 

If Obama saved the economy, Clinton will grow the economy, for everyone. She noted, “we know unless we change our policies, a lot of the benefits are not going to be broadly shared” — a signal that Clinton is prepared to shift focus to a segment of the economy and the population that has been neglected for too long. 

What has always made the Clintons great politicians and better people is their unyielding commitment to expanding the middle class for everyone. Well, Hillary Clinton is right on message in saying, “Forget about getting rich. I’m talking about getting into the middle class and staying there.” 

The overarching message from the former secretary of State is an idea of finishing the job. We have an economic recovery that brought us back from peril, but for many Americans it still hasn’t recovered, and that is priority No. 1 for Clinton’s campaign.

It is a joyous feeling not to be for Hillary Clinton just out of loyalties to her or the Clintons as a whole but because I know that she has what it takes to get the job done. Now I am more convinced than ever that she know what it takes. She is the right person at the right time with the right message. This is rarely the case in politics, but it is now, and hallelujah for that. 

Carville is a political contributor for Fox News and ARISE News. He also serves as a professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he lives with his wife, Republican strategist Mary Matalin. Carville is the co-author with Stan Greenberg of It’s The Middle Class, Stupid! His column will appear twice a month in The Hill.