# 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:** 24
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/504 "2024-06-01T02:13:16Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The question is "Why don’t many people recognize that by any standard, the economy is doing OK (Not “fantastic” but “OK”) > Your only answer seems to be that people are stupid and can only comprehend the price of groceries. If the major input on how the economy is doing is a weekly reminder of how much less money they have to spend then that’s how they measure it. I can’t believe this is difficult to understand. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/505 "2024-06-01T02:17:42Z")
What I find difficult to understand is that this only becomes an issue when Democrats are in power. Unless, of course, this was an important issue to you when Trump was the Prez. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/506 "2024-06-01T02:18:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What I find difficult to understand is that this only becomes an issue when Democrats are in power. Nonsense. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/507 "2024-06-01T02:20:36Z")
O.k., let’s pretend I’m from Missouri. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/508 "2024-06-01T02:48:32Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I can’t believe this is difficult to understand. So people are stupid and don’t understand grocery prices. Mkay then. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/509 "2024-06-01T03:24:13Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Yes, that’s good news, but you do understand that a message of “it’s not going to get any worse” doesn’t help a whole lot when many people feel that nothing’s been done to address how much harder paying the bills has gotten over the past couple of years? Inflation rate subsiding is as good as it gets. You don’t want DEflation, trust me — that would almost surely be part of a big economic crisis. (Buck Godot essentially made the same point, and well, a few posts up.) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/510 "2024-06-01T03:27:12Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Inflation rate subsiding is as good as it gets. You don’t want DEflation, trust me — that would almost surely be part of a big economic crisis. And I’m pretty sure I noted exactly that upthread, some time ago. I get that; prices aren’t going to go back _down_, barring an economic meltdown. But, without wages finally catching back up to where prices have gone to, people are still in the “it’s harder to pay my bills now” situation. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/511 "2024-06-01T03:30:13Z")
Absolutely. (Sorry I haven’t read this whole thread). Wages haven’t caught up, and that’s bad (but, it must be said, it’s better than not having a job at all, which is a relatively rare status at this time). ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/512 "2024-06-01T03:30:38Z")
_Show me_. Show me where you thought it was an important issue to bring up on this message board when food prices were rising while Trump was President. Show me where any prominent Republican thought it was an important issue when food prices were rising while Trump was President. Show me stats that indicated that Trump lost voters because food prices were rising while he was President. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/513 "2024-06-01T04:58:34Z")
Why? This thread is about why Biden isn’t getting traction on the economy. I don’t remember groceries going up like they have recently. I do remember gas going down to .99 cents a gallon under Trump. You can’t figure out why Biden isn’t getting traction on the issue but for some reason your sure it’s not groceries. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/514 "2024-06-01T05:02:16Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I don’t remember groceries going up like they have recently. I do remember gas going down to .99 cents a gallon under Trump. Say _what??_ ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/515 "2024-06-01T10:29:58Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > But, without wages finally catching back up to where prices have gone to, people are still in the “it’s harder to pay my bills now” situation. > [@JKellyMap](#): > > Absolutely. Wages haven’t caught up They have. Inflation-adjusted wages are 6.0% higher now than pre-pandemic ([cite](https://cepr.net/bidens-record-on-income-growth/)) Of course, some will now point out that not _everyone_ is better off, but that’s always the case. Or that minimum wages haven’t increased; but which party explicitly wants to keep them low? ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/516 "2024-06-01T10:37:13Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If the major input on how the economy is doing is a weekly reminder of how much less money they have to spend then that’s how they measure it. > > I can’t believe this is difficult to understand. OK, but there are a couple of things that you are apparently finding difficult to understand. The first is of course that for the first time vast numbers of Americans, as much as half, believe information that is the polar opposite of reality and _just happens to be_ the exact lies spread on conservative media. I mean, we’re beating a dead horse, you’re not going to concede this point even though there isn’t really a counter-argument, but I have to mention it. The other is that this topic is about why Biden isn’t getting traction i.e. why the picture isn’t _changing_. Let’s put it this way: imagine another president had taken over at the peak of inflation. Republican, Democrat, doesn’t matter. That president gets inflation right down at the same time as getting 15 million more people a job, including 800k manufacturing jobs, as part of record low unemployment, grows wages substantially (beating inflation), posts record high energy production, presides over a record high stock market etc etc By your logic, people would say: (S)he’s just as bad as Biden ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/517 "2024-06-01T11:10:47Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > They have. Inflation-adjusted wages are 6.0% higher now than pre-pandemic Thanks for that correction. There you go, then. All this anger and danger of electing a disastrous candidate, just because people are nostalgic for some _number_. They miss seeing a certain number next to cereal boxes at the grocery store…but do they miss seeing a certain number on their paycheck? It’s like being nostalgic for the 1990s simply because the years began with a 1 rather than a 2. Or pining for the days of Ronald Reagan because you have some weird fetish for the letter “r.” ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/518 "2024-06-01T11:43:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > > [@Magiver](#): > > > > I do remember gas going down to .99 cents a gallon under Trump. > > Say _what??_ It happened in some places, but it had nothing to do with anything Trump did. Around here, a handful of stations briefly offered stunt pricing of $0.99/gal during the height of COVID’s effects on everyday driving habits. > **[Gas is 99 cents at a few stations in Louisiana. That's good for drivers --...](https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/gas-is-99-cents-at-a-few-stations-in-louisiana-thats-good-for-drivers-/article_693cf4d4-73c7-11ea-b602-b70aca8738c8.amp.html)** > > Not since the days of the mortgage crisis have Louisiana consumers seen gas prices fall below a dollar a gallon. But with coronavirus and the oil industry in turmoil from EDIT: To tie this into the thread topic, summer-blend gas prices are going to end in mid- to late-September. Will Biden get “credited” for “gas prices going down under his watch”? We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/519 "2024-06-01T13:54:15Z")
I predict not. Any time during an election year, the talking point is that the President artificially created the temporary drop in gasoline prices in order to boost their election chances. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/520 "2024-06-01T17:10:04Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > It happened in some places, but it had nothing to do with anything Trump did. Around here, a handful of stations briefly offered stunt pricing of $0.99/gal during the height of COVID’s effects on everyday driving habits. Whether Trump had anything to do with it or not it has traction because Trump was a proponent of drilling for more oil and tried to open up drilling in ANWR. Biden’s early act as President was to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline bringing oil down from Canada. And there seems to be an ongoing dislike of natural gas during Biden’s current term in office. It’s hard for Biden to gain any traction on the economy when they see their weekly pay check diminished by the cost of food. People who are retired on a fixed income are worried. People struggling to pay rent are worried. People who want to buy a house are worried. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/521 "2024-06-01T17:18:17Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Biden’s early act as President was to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline bringing oil down from Canada. And there seems to be an ongoing dislike of natural gas during Biden’s current term in office This is a good example of rhetoric versus reality. Again, not only is oil production higher now than it was under trump, it’s higher than any country has ever achieved. The keystone XL pipeline was just one part of a pipeline that is very much operational. And the keystone pipeline is about importing oil from Canada to be refined in the US, mostly for export. It has negligible effect on world oil prices and zero effect on “energy independence”. It was just a convenient talking point. > [@Magiver](#): > > It’s hard for Biden to gain any traction on the economy when they see their weekly pay check diminished by the cost of food Again on average people have 6% more income, after inflation, than before the pandemic. I’m not sure what your perspective is on all this: are you taken in by the talking points? Or are you just trying to explain why you think people are negative about the economy? If it’s the latter, I agree with you about inflation, obviously, but I don’t see why you can’t concede that half of Americans believing outright false statements might have a lot to do with them being told these things on right wing and social media, 24 hours a day. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/522 "2024-06-01T17:27:29Z")
I still don’t understand @Magiver’s connection between someone seeing higher prices at the grocery store with the documented false beliefs that we are in a recession or that unemployment is at record highs. There is no logical connection between these. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736/523 "2024-06-01T17:32:26Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > The keystone XL pipeline was just one part of a pipeline that is very much operational. And the keystone pipeline is about importing oil from Canada to be refined in the US, mostly for export. > It has negligible effect on world oil prices and zero effect on “energy independence”. It was just a convenient talking point. Trying to put a positive spin on the cancellation of a major pipeline is mind boggling. Nobody is going to invest in any major oil project While Biden is President. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-biden-get-more-traction-from-the-economy/1001736.md?page=25)