Of the numerous books on writing I’ve read, one that stands out is “Show, Don’t Tell: A Writer’s Guide” by William Noble. It taught me that rather than describing the mood or setting, show the action. Rather than tell the reader that the character was angry, describe the action: he threw his half-filled glass against the wall as he stormed out. This is analogous to what I am seeking from Democrats. Don’t just tell us that you are going to address affordability; tell us how. Rescinding elements of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act is a start. But it’s not enough.
What specifically will Democrats do to address the fact that 83 percent of renters earning under $30,000 spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, with 66 percent paying more than 50 percent? The national average cost of formal child care sits at around $13,180 per child annually. For infant care, costs average over $15,600 per year in center-based settings, eating up, on average, 10% of a median dual-income household’s income and 33% to 35% of a single-parent household’s earnings. The combination of broad import tariffs and war on Iran has created a dual supply-side shock, pushing up overall inflation and hitting grocery shelves. As of June 2026, consumer prices were about 29 percent higher than in January 2020.
The affordability crisis has grown more acute during Trump’s years in the White House, but its roots go back to Ronald Reagan and the beginning of the modern conservative movement. His changes to the tax code helped establish an economic structure in which income and wealth grew much faster at the top, public investment became harder to finance, and tax policy rewarded asset ownership more generously than work.
The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 lowered the top individual rate from 70 percent to 50 percent. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 eventually lowered it to 28 percent. These cuts did not automatically make working people poorer. But they allowed high earners to retain and accumulate considerably more income and wealth. According to the Congressional Budget Office, between 1979 and 2007, after-tax income grew 275 percent for the top 1 percent, compared with 18 percent for the bottom fifth.
George W. Bush’s subsequent supply-side tax cuts that favored the wealthy compounded the economic conditions that Reagan-era policies helped create by cutting taxes while financing two wars and other commitments through borrowing. Trump reinforced the pattern with additional tax cuts and deficit-financed policies. The Republican commitment to repeatedly lowering taxes without proportionately reducing expenditures has been the major contributor to the nation’s present fiscal vulnerability.
In addition, the 2008 financial crisis that occurred during Bush’s presidency destroyed household wealth, produced mass foreclosures, disrupted residential construction, and left the country with a housing shortage that was never fully corrected. Responsibility for that collapse extended beyond Bush. It included failures by regulators, Congress, the Federal Reserve, lenders, credit-rating agencies, and borrowers. Still, it occurred after years of inadequate financial oversight during his administration.
Should Democrats regain power, as projected, they will inherit an economic reality that has produced considerable wealth for a few, but has made the ordinary foundations of a stable life—housing, health care, education, transportation, childcare, and retirement—increasingly difficult to afford through work alone, and that will take years, if not decades, to repair. We need to hear from Speaker-in-waiting Hakeem Jeffries, Senate leader Chuck Schumer, and those seeking to lead the party in the 2028 presidential election about how they plan to get started in January 2027. Will the Democrats attempt to restore progressivity in the tax code? Will they pass legislation strengthening workers’ organizing and bargaining rights? How will they reduce health care, prescription drug, and child care costs?
Democrats are suffering extreme anxiety about the paltry sums of money they have raised during Trump 2.0. As a regular donor, I receive a deluge of emails and text messages daily, imploring me to understand the critical circumstances we are facing and to open my wallet and send campaign contributions. Democrats obviously are not reading the polls. People are ready to vote for them. But sending them money feels too much like business as usual.
Show us the tax plan. Show us the housing plan. Show us how work will once again provide a path to economic security. Show us what legislation will be introduced in January 2027, even if Donald Trump is waiting with his veto pen. Stop telling us how bad things are. We know it. We feel it. Show us how you intend to make life better.