I think Dionne’s advice to the Democrats, that they present their agenda as helpful and even necessary to promote America’s economic competitiveness, makes sense. At a certain level it’s just banal: Of course any party is going to present its economic agenda as good for the economy. But the Democrats have been making just this case for months now. And in many particulars it’s an implausible case. How easy is it going to be to persuade Americans that raising the price of energy will generate jobs?