Biden economy: ‘Chaos wrapped in incompetence’

NEWS AND OPINION:

The powerful titans of the worlds of business and commerce are having some serious conversations with the White House about the timing of COVID-19 mandates. The National Retail Federation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Truckers Associations are among those who prefer the mandates be enforced after the upcoming holiday shopping season. Realtors, dentists and staffing companies are also speaking out.

They are concerned there could be a “mass exodus” of vital employees should President Biden’s mandate go into effect too early, according to an in-depth CNBC analysis — and many would like to see a 90-day window to deal with this challenge.

“This is a difficult policy to implement. It would be even more difficult during the holiday season,” Evan Armstrong, a lobbyist at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, told the network.

The conversations are ongoing, all seeking a delay in mandate enforcement.

“The reason for such a plea is obvious. Companies simply want to stop the chaotic disruptions these federal mandates are having on their supply chain and workforce. When companies are spending money defending lawsuits, negotiating with employees, or just trying to fill empty positions, they’re not making money. If they’re not making money, they could go broke,” wrote Nate Ashworth, co-founder of Election Central.com, a political news site.

The “Biden-caused disaster rolls on,” he noted.

Mr. Ashworth is concerned about the president’s actual business acumen.

“Unfortunately, with Joe Biden at the helm having zero business experience, zero created jobs to his credit, and never knowing how to manage a payroll or hire a workforce, these pleas may fall on deaf ears,” the analyst said.

“The Biden economy can be summed up as chaos wrapped in incompetence from a White House that pledged to end the supposed chaos of the last administration. Democrats are slowly coming to terms with the fact that Biden is a dud,” Mr. Ashworth later added.

DETERMINED IN MINNESOTA

One Republican hopeful in Minnesota is taking a stand for civility. Cicely Davis, a Black conservative Republican, is challenging Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, in the state’s very blue 5th District. But Ms. Davis — who describes herself as “an everyday Minnesotan — is not relying on political attacks, to persuade longtime Democratic voters that they should consider the GOP option.

She also stresses that she favors unity and backs policies that benefit everybody, not just her Republican base.

Ms. Davis also is determined to “restore Minneapolis” and refuses to allow her campaign to devolve into a cycle of personal attacks.

“The politics of bashing the other side must end, the American people face real issues in their everyday lives, and politicians from both sides of the aisle must come together to fix them. America is the greatest country in the world, our biggest threat is ourselves when we allow politics and infighting to rule the day over working together as one” Ms. Davis tells Inside the Beltway.

Find her campaign at CicelyDavis.com.

KEEPING THE NINE

A noteworthy coalition continues to monitor the fate of the “Keep Nine Amendment,” a joint resolution introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, on Feb. 25 that proposes an amendment to the Constitution that would mandate the Supreme Court continue to be composed of nine justices. 

Eager Democrats would like to expand the court to 13 justices.

The bipartisan “Keep Nine Coalition” of 17 former state attorneys general has penned a letter to the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court, urging it to consider and discuss the proposed amendment.

“More than 1,000 elected officials — including more than 200 Members of Congress and 800 state legislators — now support the Keep Nine Amendment, making it the most widely supported specific Supreme Court reform proposal in America,” the coalition said in a press release.

“If the Commission is serious about its mission to ‘provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform’ then there is no good reason for the Commission not to give serious consideration to the Keep Nine Amendment,” said Paul Summers, former attorney general of Tennessee and the chair of the coalition, in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

Curious? Find the endorsement list and more at KeepNine.org.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Orbital Reef.”

Space frolics are just around the corner. This is the name for a handsome new “orbital destination” for discerning customers — a commercially developed and owned space station to be built in low-Earth orbit — and operate there.

“The station will open the next chapter of human space exploration and development by facilitating the growth of a vibrant ecosystem and business model for the future. Orbital Reef is backed by space industry leaders and teammates including Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions, and Arizona State University,” Blue Origin explained in a public notice.

Yes, that Blue Origin — founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos and famous for reusable rockets, including the one that took iconic “Star Trek” star William Shatner on an unforgettable ride earlier this month.

“Designed to open multiple new markets in space, Orbital Reef will provide anyone with the opportunity to establish their own address on orbit,” the company said.

POLL DU JOUR

• 37% of U.S. adults agree with those who have decided not to get a COVID-19 vaccine; 56% of Republicans, 39% of independents and 16% of Democrats agree.

• 42% of rural residents, 38% of suburban residents and 30% of urban residents also agree.

• 37% overall strongly disagree with those who won’t get vaccinated and “cannot understand their decision”; 18% of Republicans, 33% of independents and 60% of Democrats agree.

• 30% of rural residents, 37% of suburban residents and 44% of urban residents also agree.

• 26% overall disagree with those who don’t get vaccinated “but understand their decision not to get vaccinated”: 26% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 24% of Democrats agree.

• 28% of rural residents, 24% of suburban residents and 26% of urban residents also agree.

Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 16-19.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.