President Biden on Thursday highlighted manufacturing investments in South Carolina made possible by his tax-and-climate legislation, part of a road show that tests the popularity of his “Bidenomics” mantra ahead of a 2024 reelection battle.
Mr. Biden said a new solar energy partnership will create hundreds of jobs in South Carolina, a state that may leapfrog Iowa and New Hampshire to kick off the Democratic primary process and sits at the center of the political universe.
“Our plan is working,” Mr. Biden said at the Flex LTD facility in West Columbia. “We’re creating American jobs here and exporting American products, not jobs.”
A separate company, Enphase, is investing $60 million in manufacturing lines — including one at Flex — that will result in 1,800 jobs nationwide and 600 in South Carolina. It will allow the companies to manufacture their microinverters, which maximize the output of solar panels, in the U.S. instead of China, India or Mexico, according to the White House.
“Today, they are shipping the first microinverters made in America,” Mr. Biden said.
Mr. Biden drew a straight line between the investments and the signature legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, that included major benefits for companies that lean into green energy. The legislation did not draw Republican support, a fact that Mr. Biden is using as a political cudgel whenever GOP lawmakers promote the law’s benefits for their constituents.
“All those members of Congress who voted against it suddenly realize how great it is, and they’re bragging about it. As my mother would say, ’God love ’em,’” Mr. Biden said.
South Carolina will play an outsized role in the 2024 cycle. Mr. Biden and Democratic allies pushed to reshuffle the primary calendar so South Carolina voters get their say first, angering New Hampshire leaders who relish their first-in-nation status in the primary calendar.
The situation is complicated because the Granite State says its laws require it to go first. At this point, it remains unclear whether Mr. Biden will even appear on the New Hampshire ballot.
For now, the Democratic National Committee says South Carolina ought to go first on Feb. 3, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6.
GOP candidates are lavishing attention on South Carolina, too, since it could prove pivotal in the party’s nomination race.
Former President Donald Trump held a massive weekend rally in Pickens, South Carolina, that underscored his staying power amid legal woes. Two GOP contenders, Sen. Tim Scott and former Gov. Nikki Haley, are from the Palmetto State.
On the Democratic side, Mr. Biden is leaning into the power of incumbency by highlighting funds that flow from his signature legislative achievements.
He pointed to major investments in the semiconductor industry under the CHIPs Act, and reminded his audience of the bipartisan infrastructure bill of 2021 to build roads, bridges and other projects.
“Under my predecessor, infrastructure week became a punchline,” Mr. Biden said.
He also said his administration is building a “Battery Belt” across America to manufacture the batteries needed to power components of electric vehicles.
Mr. Biden’s decision to affix his name to economic trends has its risks. Republicans have scoffed at Mr. Biden’s attempt to sell Bidenomics, saying it amounts to high government spending — with inflation as a direct result.
“Bidenomics means you pay more for everything in life. If you look at the difference between when he took office and now, how much does it cost to get a mortgage? Interest rates are significantly higher. How much is your grocery bill? How much does it cost to buy a new car?” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a top GOP presidential candidate, told Outkick’s Tomi Lahren in a midweek interview. “So all the staples of life are increasingly becoming unaffordable for average Americans, and it is a direct result of bad federal policy.”
Likewise, the Republican National Committee said Bidenomics equates to “pay more, get less.”
“Voters in South Carolina and around the country reject Joe Biden’s failed agenda because they know four more years of Biden means four more years of higher prices, falling wages, and Democrats raising taxes,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Thursday.
Mr. Biden said Thursday he has more work to do, particularly on inflation, and his term has been dogged by predictions of a possible recession. He is betting, however, that his rejection of “trickle-down” economics will lead to steady growth with broad benefits — and a sense of regret among his rivals.
“Every signature economic law this president has signed, congressional Republicans who voted ’no’ and attacked it on Fox News then went home to their district and hailed its benefits,” deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates told reporters. “The president is excited they have seen the light because what could speak to the effectiveness of Bidenomics more than these conversions?”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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