When you say, "more meaningful social and military differences", are you referring to 'meaningful' in terms of size (distance between the Dem and Rep positions) or in terms of significance (effect on society)? I guess I might agree with the former and not with the latter. Economics has always been primary unless and until we are in a shooting war. I'll admit that raising the minimum wage is a benefit for those at or near the minimum wage who manage to retain their jobs. But with today's 9.8% unemployment and 17% underemployment, the conservatives may have a point that it is a deterrent to hiring. In any event, it is a less direct benefit to workers as a whole than shifting the tax burden back onto the wealthy and off the workers would be. Payroll taxes are still over 15%, as compared with about 10% during the 1960s. As for labor law, this is all very true, but somewhat irrelevant as it's all in the past. I don't see anything which Democrats are presently doing to better workers. My concern is with the contemporary crop of Democrats, the post 2006 congressional Democrats, and of course those in the Obama administration. I still see them helping the plutocrats much more, and the sums they are throwing around are ungodly. But maybe we should give the Obama administration more time?