The Democrats' problem is not the economy, stupid

(CNN)The Democratic Party has reacted to its series of recent election losses by once again concluding that it needs a better economic message. As Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Sunday, "Democrats need a strong, bold, sharp-edged and common-sense economic agenda." The only disagreement within the party is about how sharp-edged and left-wing that agenda should be. But it is increasingly clear that the problem for Democrats has little to do with economics and much more to do with a cluster of issues they would rather not revisit — about culture, social mores and national identity.