Good to see somebody (else) has noticed that what CW/MSM says about D messaging, rhetoric, etc. is heavily influenced by what R talking points/cariactures/outright lies are about it. We get 'Ds need to stop saying x' when it's actually just the Rs saying Ds are saying x. Harris did not call for 'trans on demand' (and during recess!), Trump endlessly said she had, and yet we get pundits opining Ds need to dial it back on trans rights, to stop doing what they've never done (other than insisting on civil rights). Or, as in the case you cite, Biden should have done what he, in fact, repeatedly did. Pretty infuriating.
The pundits will never say what he and the Ds should have done about inflation, that is, go after "greeddflation" hard in the spring of 2022. By then, reports that profits were rising along with prices, and that CEOs were gloating in investor meetings about the success of their "pricing operations" were rife. Economic Policy Institute had calculated 51% of price rises had gone to higher profits. Polling indicated majority of the public believed they were being gouged. But Ds never mounted a concerted push for either an excess profits tax or anti gouging law that Senate Rs would have had to block, making them own the issue.
People didn't blame Biden for "greedflation", they were pissed he didn't stop it. They didn't (don't) know there's no applicable Federal law. At least 37 states have anti gouging laws, usually enforceable during emergencies like hurricanes. So, many people's assumption and expectation was, Covid's an emergency, why isn't gov't acting?
It was a good question.
Btw, if you believe Mark Blyrh of Brown, gouging was a big factor in Europe, too (40%;vs 51% here).
Harris called for an anti gouging law for groceries during the campaign, Fox attacked it as price fixing for a few days, iirc, then dropped it, bet it polled too well. Brett Baier tried a gotcha question on Tim Ryan in '22 Ohio Senate campaign at a townhall, asking if he agreed with Biden's call for taxes on oil companies' excess profits. When Ryan said, given the high prices, profits, and stock buybacks, yeah, he did, the crowd whooped in approval. Baier immediately moved on. MTN & Brian Tyler Cohen You Tube still have it(tim ryan fox townhall).
Bob Casey (D-PA) intro'd a comphrensive anti gouging bill...in early 2023, to be administered by the FTC (meaning the redoubtable Lina Khan). Almost a year too late.
I hope you keep reminding us until people start to listen and remember. I think it would help if the Dems stop worrying about "messaging" and just repor facts and plausible real solutions. This seems difficult because the media are mostly owned by the bad guys and the people don't want facts so much as a reason to hate.
apologies to you if i take advantage of this to remind people of an important fact: SS is not paid for by "the government" and has nothing to with "the deficit." it is paid for entirely by the workers who expect to get the the money back with interest when they can no longer work. because we are going to be living longer we will need to pay more SS tax (which is really not a tax but a very safe savings and insurance policy). the amount needed would be a one tenth of one percent per year raise in the tax ...about one dollar per week per year.for a few years. I have never heard a politician or pundit even mention this, though the actuaries know it, they appear to be be required not to say it clearly out loud lest they be accused of playing politics.
Democrats finally have a genuine opening on economic messaging that feels authentic to voters experincing real financial strain. Trump's inability to show empathy makes this even more stark when people are struggling with grocry costs. The question is wheather Democrats can sustain this momentum without falling back into defensive mode about past performace.
We used to call it shrinkflation back in the olden days. Back when Biden’s economic policies rivaled Jimmy Carter’s. Now we have an affordability problem? Fuck all these politicians and the petit bourgeois who suck up to them. None of it is affordable.
"for now, the affordability issue belongs to Democrats"
but not for long if they can't show results. personally i don't think the government can do much about inflation because there are "economic forces" they can't control. however it does strike me that Trump policies DO affect inflation for the worse. bullying the Fed chair to cut rates, and the tariffs, and actually supporting price gouging by their friends do seem likely to make inflation worse.
unfortunately so do mitigation measures suggested by democrats.
incidentally, saying "inflation" is down is misleading. as long as prices are going up the misery just keeps getting worse. getting worse at a slower rate is not the same as getting better.
and even "three percent" per year has meant disaster to my savings after five or so years of it...especially as it is actually much higher in food prices and housing and property taxes, car insurance, and health care insurance...
i think there are answers, but my thoughts are not well developed, and i have never seen either party actually do anything that demonstrates actual thought.
The burden right now is not on the Democrats to show results. They don't hold power. The burden is on the Republicans to show results, which is not going to happen because the Republicans don't give a damn about the American people. For now the Democrats just need to keep hammering the Republicans on the affordability issue and their "let them eat cake" attitude.
I asumed it was understood that Democrats could not deliver until they "had power"
of course some of tuesday's winners will now have power (?).
in general i don't think it is good for a country for one party to have power, but Trumpism is so evil I would be glad to see Democrats in the majority until the fever breaks.
There are other problems than the affordability issue. But I realize politics is not always, or even often, about reality, just "message.".
Good to see somebody (else) has noticed that what CW/MSM says about D messaging, rhetoric, etc. is heavily influenced by what R talking points/cariactures/outright lies are about it. We get 'Ds need to stop saying x' when it's actually just the Rs saying Ds are saying x. Harris did not call for 'trans on demand' (and during recess!), Trump endlessly said she had, and yet we get pundits opining Ds need to dial it back on trans rights, to stop doing what they've never done (other than insisting on civil rights). Or, as in the case you cite, Biden should have done what he, in fact, repeatedly did. Pretty infuriating.
The pundits will never say what he and the Ds should have done about inflation, that is, go after "greeddflation" hard in the spring of 2022. By then, reports that profits were rising along with prices, and that CEOs were gloating in investor meetings about the success of their "pricing operations" were rife. Economic Policy Institute had calculated 51% of price rises had gone to higher profits. Polling indicated majority of the public believed they were being gouged. But Ds never mounted a concerted push for either an excess profits tax or anti gouging law that Senate Rs would have had to block, making them own the issue.
People didn't blame Biden for "greedflation", they were pissed he didn't stop it. They didn't (don't) know there's no applicable Federal law. At least 37 states have anti gouging laws, usually enforceable during emergencies like hurricanes. So, many people's assumption and expectation was, Covid's an emergency, why isn't gov't acting?
It was a good question.
Btw, if you believe Mark Blyrh of Brown, gouging was a big factor in Europe, too (40%;vs 51% here).
thank you very much for reminding us. it is definitely something the Dems are going to have to attend to if they every get back in power.
Harris called for an anti gouging law for groceries during the campaign, Fox attacked it as price fixing for a few days, iirc, then dropped it, bet it polled too well. Brett Baier tried a gotcha question on Tim Ryan in '22 Ohio Senate campaign at a townhall, asking if he agreed with Biden's call for taxes on oil companies' excess profits. When Ryan said, given the high prices, profits, and stock buybacks, yeah, he did, the crowd whooped in approval. Baier immediately moved on. MTN & Brian Tyler Cohen You Tube still have it(tim ryan fox townhall).
Bob Casey (D-PA) intro'd a comphrensive anti gouging bill...in early 2023, to be administered by the FTC (meaning the redoubtable Lina Khan). Almost a year too late.
RC
I hope you keep reminding us until people start to listen and remember. I think it would help if the Dems stop worrying about "messaging" and just repor facts and plausible real solutions. This seems difficult because the media are mostly owned by the bad guys and the people don't want facts so much as a reason to hate.
apologies to you if i take advantage of this to remind people of an important fact: SS is not paid for by "the government" and has nothing to with "the deficit." it is paid for entirely by the workers who expect to get the the money back with interest when they can no longer work. because we are going to be living longer we will need to pay more SS tax (which is really not a tax but a very safe savings and insurance policy). the amount needed would be a one tenth of one percent per year raise in the tax ...about one dollar per week per year.for a few years. I have never heard a politician or pundit even mention this, though the actuaries know it, they appear to be be required not to say it clearly out loud lest they be accused of playing politics.
Democrats finally have a genuine opening on economic messaging that feels authentic to voters experincing real financial strain. Trump's inability to show empathy makes this even more stark when people are struggling with grocry costs. The question is wheather Democrats can sustain this momentum without falling back into defensive mode about past performace.
We used to call it shrinkflation back in the olden days. Back when Biden’s economic policies rivaled Jimmy Carter’s. Now we have an affordability problem? Fuck all these politicians and the petit bourgeois who suck up to them. None of it is affordable.
"for now, the affordability issue belongs to Democrats"
but not for long if they can't show results. personally i don't think the government can do much about inflation because there are "economic forces" they can't control. however it does strike me that Trump policies DO affect inflation for the worse. bullying the Fed chair to cut rates, and the tariffs, and actually supporting price gouging by their friends do seem likely to make inflation worse.
unfortunately so do mitigation measures suggested by democrats.
incidentally, saying "inflation" is down is misleading. as long as prices are going up the misery just keeps getting worse. getting worse at a slower rate is not the same as getting better.
and even "three percent" per year has meant disaster to my savings after five or so years of it...especially as it is actually much higher in food prices and housing and property taxes, car insurance, and health care insurance...
i think there are answers, but my thoughts are not well developed, and i have never seen either party actually do anything that demonstrates actual thought.
The burden right now is not on the Democrats to show results. They don't hold power. The burden is on the Republicans to show results, which is not going to happen because the Republicans don't give a damn about the American people. For now the Democrats just need to keep hammering the Republicans on the affordability issue and their "let them eat cake" attitude.
John
I asumed it was understood that Democrats could not deliver until they "had power"
of course some of tuesday's winners will now have power (?).
in general i don't think it is good for a country for one party to have power, but Trumpism is so evil I would be glad to see Democrats in the majority until the fever breaks.
There are other problems than the affordability issue. But I realize politics is not always, or even often, about reality, just "message.".