Well, hey, what else is he going to talk about?
Biden stumps on job growth, as voters dread inflation
President Joe Biden has notched an envious record on jobs, with 10.3 million gained during his tenure. But voters in Tuesday’s midterm elections are far more focused on inflation hovering near 40-year highs.
That’s left the president trying to convince the public that the job gains mean better days are ahead, even as fears of a recession build.
Presidents have long trusted that voters would reward them for strong economic growth, but inflation has thrown a monkey wrench into the already difficult probability of Democrats’ retaining control of the House and Senate.
Economic anxieties have compounded as the Federal Reserve has repeatedly hiked its benchmark interest rates to lower inflation and possibly raise unemployment. Mortgage costs have shot upwards, while the S&P 500 stock index has dropped more than 20% so far this year as the world braces for a possible downturn.
Biden is asking voters to look beyond the current financial pain, saying that what matters are the job gains that he believes his policies are fostering. The government reported Friday that employers added 261,000 jobs in October as the unemployment rate bumped up to 3.7%.
What few stories mention is that most of the jobs gains are simply a rebound from the 25 million lost during the Chinese coronavirus, a goodly chunk lost because Democrats shut things down, closing businesses, picking winners and losers, deeming some non-essential, locking people down. I can say, my industry has not recovered. Employment is down by about 30-40%. There’s no point in having that many in sales. I won’t blame Joe for it, though.
“If you have a job, it’s small comfort to know that the job market is strong if at the same time you feel like every paycheck is worth less and less anyway,” said pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson. “Inflation is such political poison because voters are reminded every day whenever they spend money that it is a problem we are experiencing.”
Few in the national media are asking Joe, his people, and Democrats running for an elected position what Democrats have done and what they will do to ease inflation, food costs, clothes costs, and so forth.
Pizza for Thanksgiving? It might be a dinner option due to inflation
The higher cost of living right now is making many Americans question whether they’ll be able to afford the traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year.
The demographic that is feeling the most financially pinched, according to a new survey, is Gen Z — “who are opting for meals of soup, salad and pizza” this year, as an “Outnumbered” panel noted on Thursday.
One in five Americans doubt that they’ll have enough money to cover the costs of the usual Thanksgiving meal this year, according to the study by Personal Capital.
The survey found that young people with limited incomes may be celebrating a “friendsgiving” this Thanksgiving — featuring pizza, not turkey, as a top choice.
Butter is up 37%. The average cost of turkey is up from $1.19 a pound to $1.99. Travel costs are way up. Eggs are way up. And, no, you cannot blame this all on Biden: there are other factors in play to go with Biden and the Democrats ignoring the economy.
Read: Brandon Hits The Campaign Trail On Jobs, Mostly Forgets Economic Issues »