# Why can't Biden get more traction from the economy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 18, 2024, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736 "2024-05-18T13:12:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/464 "2024-05-30T17:14:48Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Looking at polling though, Biden’s main issue seems to be with young adults and minorities. Dig into this “main issue” a bit. Without researching anything, just give an off-the-cuff response: In the polling numbers _generally_, is Biden (a) behind Trump or (b) ahead of Trump with young adults and minorities? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/465 "2024-05-30T17:15:22Z")
**JPMorgan: We are in ‘selective recession’ that only affects poorest Americans** : JPMorgan sounds the alarm on a deepening divide between the wealthiest and poorest Americans. > In a recent CNBC interview, JPMorgan analyst Matthew Boss said that lower-income Americans struggle to make ends meet while upper-class Americans continue to splurge. “You have the consumer at the high end who is being more choiceful,” Boss said. “The low end, I do think, is a melting ice cube… What I’m calling it now is a selective recession.” Boss added that 70% of low-income consumers are feeling the pinch despite remarkable wage growth and cooling inflation. “You focus on that low- to middle-income consumer, they’re under pressure, and the pressure is really that the inflation continues to last,” Boss said. [https://creditnews.com/economy/jpmorgan-we-are-in-selective-recession-that-only-affects-poorest-americans/](https://creditnews.com/economy/jpmorgan-we-are-in-selective-recession-that-only-affects-poorest-americans/) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/466 "2024-05-30T17:20:31Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Explain to me please, how when someone is at the grocery store, they see every single week that unemployment is at a record _high_ and the stock market has _fallen_. People don’t see unemployment and stock market issues at the grocery store. They see the cost of food going up. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/467 "2024-05-30T17:22:26Z")
And the President who was in office when food prices went _down_ was…? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/468 "2024-05-30T17:25:07Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Sure everyone gets misinformation. I just have a hard time believing that this cohort (young adults and minorities) of people would be more vulnerable to it then other demographics. If it is just misinformation, why is Biden doing so well with other groups? We’re specifically talking about the economy in this thread. According to the polls cited earlier, the majority of Americans believe _objectively false_ information about the economy, regardless of age. That’s a different question to people’s overall voting intentions. The latter question involves many confounding factors, such as that Biden’s age has often been cited as his [biggest issue](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/bidens-age-fitness-top-list-voters-concerns-poll-finds-rcna137212) for voters and older voters care [less](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/us/politics/biden-age-trump-poll.html) about that. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/469 "2024-05-30T17:27:44Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > We’re specifically talking about the economy in this thread. According to the polls cited earlier, the majority of Americans believe what is objectively false information about the economy, regardless of age. The price of food has gone up. That’s objectively true. They’re reminded of it every week. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/470 "2024-05-30T17:29:06Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > People don’t see unemployment and stock market issues at the grocery store. They see the cost of food going up. So where are they getting the false ideas about the whole economy? Where do they get the idea that we are in a recession or that the stock market has fallen? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/471 "2024-05-30T17:29:36Z")
Sure and it’s objectively true that salaries have outstripped such increases on average. And at the same time 15 million more people have a job (as part of a period of record low unemployment), the stock market is at a record high, energy production is at a record high. Are we going with the objective facts or not? This is such a surreal thread. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/472 "2024-05-30T17:29:55Z")
The price of food goes up no matter who is President. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/473 "2024-05-30T17:31:22Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The price of food goes up no matter who is President… I think it’s kind of like when the national debt goes up under a Democrat, it’s a tragedy, and must be discussed all the time. When the national debt goes up under a Republican… -Crickets ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/474 "2024-05-30T17:32:35Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The price of food has gone up. That’s objectively true. They’re reminded of it every week. Can’t prove it, but: I’d say that _the percentage of likely voters_: (a) using “_Food has gone up!_” as a proxy for the entire economy AND (b) holding it against Joe Biden … _is exaggerated_ right now in the national conversation about the election. Guess we’ll see in November. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/475 "2024-05-30T17:41:49Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > So where are they getting the false ideas about the whole economy? You’ve never heard the phrase “people vote with their wallet”? Not only is the price of food going up significantly so is [credit card debt](https://www.lendingtree.com/credit-cards/study/credit-card-debt-statistics/). You are operating on the assumption that people give a crap about any numbers you care to throw at them. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/476 "2024-05-30T17:46:02Z")
… but “price” and “debt” are, too, numbers… 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/477 "2024-05-30T17:49:45Z")
Food prices went up when Presidents have gotten reelected before, so why is this such an issue to you now? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/478 "2024-05-30T17:55:36Z")
the title of the thread is "Why can’t Biden get more traction from the economy? It’s a pretty simple explanation that people see the the cost of living going up weekly and that shows up in increased debt. It’s not rocket science. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/479 "2024-05-30T18:11:06Z")
Why do you refuse to respond to the fact that food prices go up no matter _who_ is President? What is different in this case…besides him not being a Republican, that is? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/480 "2024-05-30T18:13:44Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The title of the thread is "Why can’t Biden get more traction from the economy? Of course, there’s no reason not to fight the premise: **Is “the economy” costing Biden support right now?** ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/481 "2024-05-30T18:20:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Why do you refuse to respond to the fact that food prices go up no matter _who_ is President? > What is different in this case…besides him not being a Republican, that is? I’m not sure what part of “it’s the economy stupid” that doesn’t apply to Biden. It’s not like it’s his only issue he has with the public. But this thread is focused on the economy and why he isn’t getting traction on it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/482 "2024-05-30T18:22:03Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’m not sure what part of “it’s the economy stupid” that doesn’t apply to Biden. _Why does it apply to Biden in particular?_ ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/483 "2024-05-30T19:28:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Why does it apply to Biden in particular? Because he’s up for reelection and the op believes he’s not getting traction on the issue. I’m not sure why you’re arguing the obvious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736.md?page=23)