"Economic recovery" in America no longer means what it used to mean. These days, the notion of "economic recovery" has been hijacked by the Fed and bastardized in such a way that they celebrate "asset bubbles" rather than real growth in economic output.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-15/four-charts-prove-economic-recovery-just-fed-induced-entitlement-program-wealthy

Realist - Everybody in America is soft, and hates conflict. The cure for this, both in politics and social life, is the same -- hardihood. Give them raw truth.