Opinion

One week, three numbers tell the tale of Democratic political distress

As their prospects for the November midterm elections dim, Democrats might want to focus on one week, and three statistics, to help understand their predicament and, perhaps, to salvage their chances.

The week was the one that ended on Saturday, April 16, and these were the statistics: Ten, as in 10 people shot at random April 12 on New York’s subway; 8.5, as in 8.5 percent, the annualized rate of inflation for March, the highest since 1981, announced that same day; and 210,000, as in 210,000 migrants arrested at the southern border in March, according to a government court filing April 15, a 20-year high.