OPINION:
A new poll from CNN found that four in 10 adults are afraid they’re not earning enough to provide for their families. That’s significant in itself. But add to it the fact that this four-in-10 figure is a massive jump over the 28 percent who expressed that same fear three years ago, and suddenly Democrats have a huge problem.
Americans just don’t have short enough memories to forget that under Donald Trump, their household economies were good; under Joe Biden, not so good.
It’s the economy, stupid. Biden’s inflation is killing Americans.
“Americans less able to afford healthcare than [in] 2022: Study,” one headline from The Hill ran.
“Cost of living top concern among seniors this election: survey,” another headline from The Hill ran.
The word’s out. The economy stinks. And no matter how many financial experts and policy wonks and press people tasked by the White House to say otherwise, the people of America ain’t buying it. They can’t afford it — ba-dum-dum-dum.
“Inflation has been far worse during the Biden administration, up to 19.9% over the first 41 months of Biden’s term compared to 5.4% during Trump’s first 41 months, according to the government’s consumer price index,” Forbes just wrote.
“Year-over-year, inflation peaked under Biden at a four-decade high of 9% in 2022 before falling to just over 3% — which Biden has blamed on COVID-19’s lingering impact and the Russia-Ukraine war,” Forbes went on.
A four-decade high of inflation — double-digit inflation rates — followed by zero relief from this administration — followed by excuses and blame games and finger-pointing and lies from this administration: That’s the Biden economy. And the American people are saying they don’t want more of it.
“Fact check,” CNN wrote in one May headline. “Biden against falsely claims inflation was 9% when he became president.” Specifically, Biden said in one CNN interview that “No president’s had the run we’ve had in terms of creating jobs and bringing down inflation. It was 9% when I came to office, 9%” — and then in another interview with Yahoo Finance, “[I]nflation … was at 9% when I came in and it’s now down around 3%.”
Hmm.
It’s almost as if Biden were lying or something.
In fact, that’s exactly what he did.
“Biden Lied, Your Wallet Died,” The Heritage Foundation wrote in May after Biden lied about the inflation rate.
“Americans aren’t falling for the Biden spin machine’s lies about the economy,” The Hill wrote in May after Biden lied about the inflation rate.
The Associated Press tried — but failed — to run cover for Biden, with yet another headline in May after he lied about the inflation rate. AP wrote in its “Fact Check” section, “Biden cites erroneous inflation statistic to make his case about the economy.” Somebody needs to fact-check the fact-checkers.
Remember when Biden’s White House actually sent out the fiscal policy experts to sell the narrative that inflation was actually a positive sign of a healthy economy?
Thing is, you can’t lie that the things people buy day in and day out, day after day after day, are affordable when they’re not. Shoppers see the same loaf of bread that cost $2.99 about 3½ years ago now sells for $4.50 — or more; they see the household cleaning supplies have doubled in price over the same time span; they see the back-to-school shopping they do every year has curiously spiked in cost over the last three. They see mortgage rates. They see bank loan rates. They see gas prices. They see the difference between Trump times and Biden years — and then they hear the lies and spins and dodges in truth of the Biden people, and they get angry.
They get angry because treating people as if they’re stupid is arrogant and shameful, particularly if you’re lying to their face while pleading for their votes.
Democrats have a heck of a problem to overcome this November. It’s bad enough they pushed a president on the American people who has been mentally unfit for office since Day One. It’s bad enough they pretended like he was A-OK all the way to the debate with Trump, after which it became impossible to claim he was A-OK, so they dumped him as quick as they could — while simultaneously insisting he was A-OK to serve out the remainder of his existing term. Lies, lies, boldface lies. It’s bad enough they circumvented their own party voters by shoving Biden to the side and propping up a candidate chosen by the elites, i.e. Kamala Harris, and then began to gaslight the American people about her own political and policy experiences. Border czar? What border czar? — they asked, wide-eyed and white-eyed, feigning forgetfulness that Harris was appointed by Biden to control the border, but miserably failed. That’s all bad enough.
Those are all Democrat lies that belong in the category of breathtaking.
But pretending America’s economy is as good as, nay, better than, nay way, way, way more healthy and happy than under Trump — well that’s just a whole new level of Democrat deception.
It won’t work. Democrats can say what they want about Americans’ finances.
But with four in 10 adults worried about making ends meet; and with senior citizens citing the cost-of-living as their No. 1 concern this election; and with Americans as a whole struggling to pay health care costs — not to mention food — not to mention housing — not to mention gas — not to mention fill-in-the-blank — Democrats’ words are cheap. Their promises are even cheaper. In three-plus years of Biden leadership, the economy’s tanked and people are feeling the need to pinch pennies.
Saying it ain’t so just ain’t gonna sell.
It’s one step shy of “let them eat cake” — and we all know how that popular France culture story ended.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan To Take Away Your Freedom,” is available by clicking HERE or clicking HERE or CLICKING HERE.
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