Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who was director of economics and domestic policy for John McCain’s 2008 campaign, says that in 2016 Republicans should run on the same fundamental economic message as always. And that message should not include increasing the tax credit for children. “The Republicans will never outbid the Democrats,” he says. “The Democrats will just say, ‘We’ll double that.’” That’s not what Democrats did in 1994, when Republicans campaigned on creating the tax credit for children. It’s not what they did in 2000, when George W. Bush campaigned on expanding it. So far it does not look as though Democrats are any more eager than they were then to let parents keep more of their money and spend it as they please.