Van Hollen: Dems must be ‘crystal clear’ on economy in 2016

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) says Democrats must do a better job in 2016 of touting their economic agenda as the party braces for a tough midterm election. 

On MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” Monday, Van Hollen, the top Dem on the House Budget Committee, rejected calls for changes at the Democratic National Committee, saying that the party needed to better argue for its policies.

{mosads}“I don’t think there needs to be a change in leadership, but I think what we need to do is, as we head into the next cycle, is to be crystal clear about our economic agenda, our middle-class agenda that has been drowned out for a variety of reasons,” he said.

Van Hollen pointed to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Ebola outbreak, saying they had taken attention away from economic issues.

“It’s very hard to break through with a message that, I think, resonates very strongly with the public. We need to do a better job, all of us, at doing that,” he said.

Van Hollen, top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, acknowledged voters are still concerned about the economy, despite lower unemployment.

“Even though more people are back to work in the United States, we still have wage stagnation, both at lower-income levels and middle-income levels,” he said, adding that raising the minimum wage would improve the situation. 

Van Hollen described himself as “an optimist” and said Republicans will have to work with President Obama in the next Congress.

At the same time, he pointed to Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) comment to The Washington Post vowing to challenge Obama if the GOP takes the Senate.

“If that’s going to be the case,” Van Hollen said, “it’s going to be a really rough two years.”