One reason the economy isn't helping Republicans as much as it should is that a message of stability is implied by "It's the economy, stupid" messaging: don't upset the applecart if things are going well. The demographics Trump has trouble with see no stability to vote for.
This is partly a natural consequence of running as a disruptor against a system that badly needed to be shaken up, but of course, Trump's style exacerbates the political problem. He has trouble presenting himself in the midterms as the steady hand at the tiller.
The other way to leverage the economy politically is to build a case that the other side will actively work to destroy prosperity and cannot be trusted with power over the economy. That's the message Republicans *should* be sending, very loudly.
Unfortunately, certain Democrats are doing a better job of painting their party as dangerous loons than the Republicans are. It's a mistake to laugh at how silly the socialists sound and assume sensible hard-working taxpayers will recoil from them in horror.
If midterm elections turn on enthusiasm and turnout, then it follows no form of passive campaigning is likely to work very well. You can't sit back and assume the other side will draw too many cards and go bust. You have to actively engage voters.
That's one of the problems facing anti-Trump Republican candidates, as was the case with Dems who ran away from Obama in the midterms: it's a passive campaign style. Keep your head down, hope nobody hates you. It doesn't merge with national campaign messaging or excite anyone.
You'll notice Democrat campaigns are not passively sitting back and assuming Trump's negatives will win races for them without lifting a finger. They know that doesn't work, and neither will sitting back and assuming socialist loons will drive working people to the GOP.
It's very difficult to run an active, exciting campaign that separates a candidate from the national party and president. It automatically switches the campaign into a defensive crouch that doesn't energize voters. They don't feel like they're voting FOR anything.
That's really what the midterms are about: what are you voting FOR? That's the ground the GOP needs to shift this debate to. It's where campaigns with Trump's disruptive style win. It's not just about "positive" campaigning, although the idea is often misinterpreted that way.
Negative messaging - pointing out the bad things the other party will do - definitely has a strong role to play in an effective campaign that gives voters something to vote FOR. It's about offering a coherent vision, not putting on boxing gloves for a street fight.
The problem Trump presents to some GOP candidates is that he touches raw nerves in constituencies they're terrified of alienating. They're reluctant to be part of a national GOP midterm campaign for that reason, while Dems are giddy at the prospect of nationalizing the election.
You can't get around that by playing defense and crawling into a shell. Make the election in every district about voting to keep prosperity flourishing. Run strong and bold. Don't let the midterms turn into a referendum on Trump's tweets. It's about so much more than that. /end
