The middle class was sending a message to candidates in the 2014 midterm elections that they were seething with anger over economic issues, and Republicans and Democrats should focus on legislation to address their needs, said Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
"I think that there is a seething anger by the middle class at Washington, and I think that both parties need to listen to that," the New York Democrat told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday. "It's about the middle class' pocketbooks, and it's about our ability to come together where we can."
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In an effort to strike bipartisan agreement to meet those needs, Israel suggested lawmakers "pick three things that we can get done together."
"I think it's college debt. I think its immigration reform. And, I think it's reforming the tax code. We need to do this incrementally. I think both parties have a vested interest in delivering for the middle class," he said.
Israel said Republican gains in the House and Senate, as well as several governorships around the country, represented "a wave election at every level," adding the "only good news" for Democrats was gaining a few seats in GOP strongholds.
"We were able to win in some pretty tough Republican areas," he said. "It looks like we may win a race in a Republican district in Omaha, Nebraska, and maybe flip one in California."
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