>

Republicans greeted the stunning January jobs news by flipping out about balloons
Republicans are going to be dead-set on their messaging: "You don't feel the success and we'll make sure of it. You're in a recession." >

my $18 an hour 40 hour week paycheck is largely spent before I get it. This economy is SHIT. I don't need to have conservative ideals to see it. I just have to look at my bank account come the weekend. >

It's housing, we are all getting squeezed by greedy af landlords. >

Actually, I still live at home with my folks and STILL feel it. Not denying it, but it's more than just energy and housing here. When I'm able to spend almost $5 for a bottle of water for work there is a problem and I'm unwilling to call that an economic success. >

If you get a free place to stay and still manage to blow through $2500/mo., the problem is you. All of my bills combined outside of rent/utilities are below $1000/mo. 
Why tf would you pay $5 for a bottle of water when you can bring water from home for free? That's why it's $5 - because you are wiling to pay that. >

Well to call it free is a bit of a misnomer. I do pay my mom rent to help out with finances in the house, and pay her my cell line. All in all, I'm still throwing her over $200 a week, a third of what I take home every week. The rest kind of dries up as time goes on-Spotify, Netflix, YouTube Premium, other general expenses like meals on break, so on. Yeah, sure, you could argue some of that I could drop, and you'd be right, in fact I just canceled my Netflix because $20 a month is egregious.
But that's the point. That's what I'm making. Not that I'm buying that $5 bottle of water. The fact that inflation has been so out of hand, that I'm being asked to pay $20 a month just to watch Netflix in anything that isn't 720p with ads or that I'm being asked to spend $5 for water. You can't look at me in the eye and tell me that translates to economic success. >

That wage translates to about $37k a year.  Not rich obviously, but Netflix comprises roughly half of 1% of what you make -- that's not your main issue.  
Also, basing your perception of a nation's "economic success" on what resolution (720P!? dear God, might as well be homeless) of streaming you can get for 20 bucks is bizarre. >

Meanwhile, most Americans have no idea what Biden has done. He needs to get the word out against the current of Fox News, et al.
Americans not feeling impact of Biden agenda, Post-ABC poll finds >

Probably because 63% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. A good economy only really benefits the rich in this system. >

There is a significant degree to which this problem is self-inflicted and not the result of policy. 
When these numbers include majorities of people making over 100K/yr, the problem comes down to poor personal financial management. Americans are known for extreme personal spending and consumerism relative to most other first world countries, and this has been the case for a long time. >

About 35% of households in the US make 100k+, and less than half live paycheck to paycheck. So of that 63%, only ~16% live paycheck to paycheck. The economy doing better does not help poor people. All you have to do is look at grocery prices, or car prices, or house prices, or rent prices, or wages, or literally anything tied to cost of living. Everything in our lives is dictated by policy, by placing the onus on people’s personal responsibility you absolve the government of wrongdoing when that same government is the one that educated those people on finance in the first place. >

I mean this kind of proves their point. They're incorrect about superlatives, but 16% of households making 100k+ and still living paycheck to paycheck is a significant number. 
We definitely need better education on finances. It will only help though if people pay attention. >


Republicams greeted the stunning January jobs news with utter silence. What’s there for the party to quibble over when the economy generates 517,000 more jobs, unemployment drops to a 50-plus-year low, manufacturing continues to expand and wages increase at a steady pace?
The failure of a long-predicted recession to appear might not just send Republicans scrambling for the next shiny object with which to distract the public; it might shake up the 2024 presidential race.

Republicans will keep trying to tank the economy with debt ceiling theatre, but they cannot resist the strength of Biden's economy. Biden's power level is over 9000 and this isn't even his final form >

57% of Americans live pay check to pay check.  60% of Americans don't have enough aavings to cover a 1000+ emergency expense.  Inflation up 9.1% in 2022.  Utilities damn near doubled in a year. 
Yeah sure it's cool they printed more money in the last 3 years than all of american history put together.  But 80% of that money went to the 1%.  Inequality is greater than it has ever been.
So yeah i guess the biden economy is great if you already had 100a of millions of dollars in your bank account...but for the rest of us we lost a significant amount of purchasing power under biden. >

I hate to break your rant here but the 9% inflation is mainly being driven by corporate greed, mixed with adverse effects from COVID & the war in Ukraine and famine/disease. 
You know, all stuff that Biden has no control over. >

instead of giving away 100 billion in tax payer money to foreign nations....just maybe we should have invested that in our American people.  Something Biden has direct control over. >

Okay so you don’t know how the government works.
First, Congress has power of the purse. So no Biden does not have direct control over where our money goes.
Second, look at the Student Loan Forgiveness EO he has passed to see who is actually stopping aid to working Americans. >

Anything congress legislates passes by the executive branch for final authorization.  All biden had to do was say no, American people are more important and clearly struggling. >

Any comment on the student loan forgiveness? >

I mean any comment on the president 100% having final veto power over legislation? 
And I don't have student loans,  politically it is an issue that does nothing for me.  As far as student loan forgiveness, I want to know where were all the people at the top over the last 30 years while the cost of education became un affordable for most.  Where was the democratic party when these predatory loans were being issued in the first place.  Seems to me most colleges are liberal/democratic leaning....they were raking in the money.  Kind of seems like collusion. >

My comment is a president vetoing spending bills (aka the budget and shutting the government down) is pretty detrimental to the country. 
You blaming Biden specifically for congressional spending, claiming just his veto power as his direct responsibility. And also saying he is spending too much money overseas and not at home. While also ignoring bills that have been blocked by republicans in congress (infrastructure bill) and also ignoring his EOs aimed at giving money back to Americans.
Sounds like you started at an end statement of “Biden is bad” and are now trying to jump through hoops to justify your stance. >

The complete lack of a Grade-A shitstorm should also reset the 2024 race. Trump was a perpetuum mobile of permanent chaos, confusion and covfefe. This is the opposite of that, even while factoring in the war in Ukraine, the ever heightening pressure cooker in Taiwan and Iran making nuclear missiles.
I can't imagine what would have happened by now if Trump was President the past couple of years. >

Ukraine would have been conquered by russia, the usa would have left nato...  and that's just a start >

While I'm not about the Ukraine bit here, I have to ask why we are in NATO anyway. It's the US that gets called in to clean up messes for the UN, not it. Really think that we should learn the power of the word "no."
Including when it comes to giving trillions to said military that gets called in. I'm all for technological progression, and the military does do that, but why do we need to give them 60% of the federal budget in times of peace like we are now? We've left Afghanistan, we are not fighting the war in Ukraine...fail to see why we need to give the military all that money when schools are so broke they can't afford pencils for students.
Oh yeah, I forgot, America isn't the education of its future, it's having the strongest military in the world. Who cares if eventually that economy funding it collapses in on itself thanks to an improperly educated population. >

We are in nato to keep russia from conquering our friends in Europe.  This also would help the usa if russia attacked us. >

I realize that this may be a conservative way of thinking...but I thought NATO was supposed to be a UN military composed of all member nations though.
Tell me why it's becoming increasingly predominantly American? THAT is why I'm not for us in NATO. As the years have progressed, NATO has slowly and assuredly become more and more composed of US troops. Why? It's almost as if the UN expects us to play police for them... >

The un and nato are totally separate organizations.  You seem confused on this point. >

I think this could be similar to the Obama years.  In 2010, the recession was at its peak, Obama's approval rating was at an all-time low and it seemed like Republicans had 2012 in the bag.  Then things started to slowly, but surely turn around.  It remains to be seen if Biden can get the same sort of turnaround, but if he does, 2024 will be a real battle. >

Wait a minute....just this morning on Good Morning America, they were talking about how most Americans think the economy is terrible and they're all blaming Biden. It's almost like maybe opinion surveys aren't a good way to measure how the economy is doing. >

Surveys are undependable...just look at this WaPo opinion piece proving them wrong! Wtf do Americans know, Jennifer Rubin will tell you if you're happy or not. >

With apologies to Baskin Robbins, the 2024 race is going to be between Biden (or another Democrat) and 31 flavors of fascism.
Attempting to frame it any other way advantages those who would bring authoritarianism to America. I understand all the forces which lead the media to not cover the race this way, but the road to one party rule is paved with blind allegiance to normalcy and both sides-ism. >


allegiance to normalcy and both sides-ism

I like your phrase, I think I might steal that.  And yeah, this obsession with "both sides are the same" or "balanced reporting" is going to be our downfall. >

When you can't call a spade a spade, you end up being beaten by clubs. >

The MSM is a broken record.  Every freaking day they have new articles about the 2024 election, as if we have to start a new election cycle the minute an election has concluded.  I get that election ads and election punditry is how they pay their shareholders, and Trump is their big bet for clicks and ratings, but stop, just stop pretending that Trump was not the insurrectionist in chief.
I envy Canada.  6 week election cycles, and no private money in elections. >

Funny how the democrats are always the ones with the good economies and the lower deficits and YET the Republicans are always going on about how good they are at both. >

The current economic downturn is one of the first ones during a Democratic presidential term in a long time. And it'll very likely be cleared up by the time Biden leaves office. >

Just in time for Republicans to steal the credit! >

The more accurate pattern is that the Republicans create some huge economic mess which is cleaned up by their Democratic successor.
Bush Sr. tried to run the government like a business and faced high unemployment and deficits which is what helped him lose to Clinton after one term. Clinton went on to oversee about 6 years of prosperity and the first balanced budget in decades.
Bush Jr. put the deregulation pedal to the medal which culminated in the 2008 financial crisis which was in its depths when Obama took over. Obama oversaw about 6 years of prosperity.
Trump boosted the economy initially and paradoxically the pandemic was great for the economy while he was in office. Biden really inherited the long-awaited comeuppance of 15 years of loose fiscal policy which is where we are today. I think it will clear up by the time his first term is over. >

I have found that republicans I know in real life legitimately believe the economy is horrible right now. They’re all upper middle class and have never had to tighten the belt once in their lives. They just know it’s so bad right now. Because eggs. >

Wait for it, the GOP will accept responsibility for the current economy any minute now. >

For fucks sake, it's February 2023. Primaries don't even start for ~~over~~ a year. Who knows what will change in the next year and a half. >

Primaries start in less than a year >

Ugh, you're right. Fixed. >

Weird, another Democrat cleaning up a Republican shit show. Kind of feels like Obama’s two years before the 2012 election. But Biden got way more legislation done in his first two years to gain momentum into 2024. >

Joe Biden’s First-term accomplishments. Making America Great Again!!!

Enacted the American Rescue Plan to get more than 500 million of Trump Covid-19vaccination in the arms of Americans.
Enacted a bipartisan infrastructure package to invest in roads & bridges, public transport airports, waterways and energy systems and national internet.
Created 6.6 million new jobs in 1-year (more than any previous president).
Achieved the lowest level of unemployment in 50-Years.
Enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act created enhanced GUN background checks, closed the “boyfriend” loophole and provided funds for youth mental health.
Enacted an Investment in Climate Change thru the Inflation Reduction Act
Ended America’s longest war in Afghanistan and brought our troops home Saving the US Billions of Dollars.
Provided college debt relief on loans for those making under $125,000 a year
Cut child poverty in half through the American Rescue Plan.
Enacted a cap on prescription drug prices at $2,000/year for seniors on Medicare through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Reduce government health spending.
Increased the VETERANS PACT Act to address service members’ exposure to burn pits and other toxins.
Provided COVID-19 payments of $1,400 to struggling U.S. citizens for rent and increased unemployment benefits.
Lowered prescription drugs cost by giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices.
Imposed a 15% minimum corporate tax making all corporations pay their fair share of tax thru the Inflation Reduction Act.
Rejoined the Paris Agreement the Global fight against climate change.
Strengthened the NATO Alliance against dictatorships.
authorized the assassination of the New leader of Al Qaeda terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Stood up to Russia’s Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine with sanctions.
Enacted reduced on healthcare premiums by $800 under the Affordable Care Act as part of the American Rescue Plan.
Increased the CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen American manufacturing and innovation.
Reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act through 2027.
Increased the budget of the Internal Revenue Service to review corporations & wealthy people who do not pay their fair share of taxes.

Authorized shooting down of China’s Spy Balloon over water to prevent injury.  


I'm good with 4 more Year Joe!!! >

If it's Biden running a Morning in America campaign vs Trump's redress of grievances or DeSantis's absolute batshittery, Biden wins it in a walk. >


Trump's redress of grievances or DeSantis's absolute batshittery, Biden wins it in a walk.

I wouldn't be so casual about that.  Trump's redress of grievances got a shocking number of votes in 2016 and 2020.  And DeSantis's absolute batshittery got him re-elected.  Some of the same people I know that were huge Trump fans are very happy with DeSantis's' batshittery. >

I see waaaay too many people loving DeSantis's bullshit to ever feel comfortable about 2024.  I think, ultimately, Biden is still in a good position and DeSantis is going to have a hard time pitching his "plays in Florida" policies to the rest of the country, but the shit that he's doing should absolutely terrify the general public and for whatever reason it just... doesn't... >

I can’t fathom voting for a party that’s tabling a 30% flat sales tax, gutting government revenues, and threatening to stifle spending on insanely popular social security programs that Americans have paid into for their entire lives.
All because I’ve been swept up in culture war propaganda?  Good lord - how are people this stupid. >

Neither do I, but a steady diet of Fox News, Newsmax and OANN will apparently convince you of some shit...
From where I sit, far too many of the Boomers seem 100% OK with tacitly supporting the culture war shit that doesn't directly affect them, as long as there are cold drinks in the Florida sunshine. >

Don’t worry… most of their messaging is going to be focused on making gay and trans people feel bad. >

“Morning in America” Biden vs “Vote for us or we’ll blow up your power grid” Trump/ Desantis. In any other universe, the choice would be clear >

I am 67 and Biden is the best President in my lifetime though that isn’t saying much. >

The Media will do all it can to hurt Biden >

This is a story in the Washington Post, which is part of 'The Media', praising Biden's economy. The persecution complex on this sub is so overwrought >

If all they can do is wait for Americans to become misinformed/ignorant, followed by articles like this lamenting that fact, then what we have is a shit media that prefers reality tv to actual reporting. >

Just how out of touch are Biden’s campaign advisers if they really think running on the economy right now is a winning strategy?! >

The winning strategy has been and will be "Trump" and making as few media appearances as possible.  Biden isn't going to run on high inflation and high gas prices. >

Yea this economy is basically you will work, own nothing, and be happy. The Biden administration can say the reason why we got to this point isn’t their fault but pretending that this economy is doing great is entirely their fault. >

NASA has already identified an asteroid that could provide all the minerals the Earth could ever need.
If we can build nuclear submarines, we can build space colonies.
The potential is there, the willpower is lacking. >

There's a lot more to be concerned about than just running out of minerals. >

We are in a solar system full of all the resources we could ever need.  The only thing that's stopping us is a lack of imagination. >

And maybe, eventually, humans will get there. But it's not happening in anyone's lifetime today. Happening much sooner is disastrous climate change and ecological collapse.
Mr. AFO above is coming from the right place. If our leaders will not even broach the subject of our planetary boundaries and endless consumption, there's not a lot of reason to believe we're going to make it to that future humanity. >

US fought WW2 and built the atom bomb at the same time, while still maintaining a pretty good life style for most citizens.
We have the resources to combat climate change and move into space at the same time. >

WW2 also brought resource rationing, price controls, nationalization of industry towards the war effort, and massive public investment in research and development; all redirecting resources away from private sector economic growth and towards survival. 
Similarly we have all the resources to stop climate change EXCEPT politicians with the political will to do it. >


Similarly we have all the resources to stop climate change EXCEPT politicians with the political will to do it.

Exactly wrong.  What we  lack is voters with the political will to do it. >

You’re missing the point. Voters say one thing but day in and day out, they cast the vote that really matters. The vote that really matters is not on election day. The vote that really matters is when people have free time and discretionary spending (both of which are defined as anything beyond basic nutrition, shelter, etc.) they could demonstrate how pissed off they are about the politicians, and do something about it. But day in and day out most voters spend some time and some money doing something that is not essential and has nothing to do with getting better options on election day.  Regardless what voters tell themselves they believe, most of the voters day and day out make choices which validate and support the status quo.
I’m so sick of people blaming the politicians instead of blaming ourselves. >

lol what? I'm not right winging or anything here, nor will I pretend to support the ludicrous ideals of that party, but never in my life have I ever thought my dollar I spend would go for LESS than it is right now.
This just feels like liberal bootlicking here to me. Because the inflation that is rampant right now, means my $18 an hour 40 hour week paycheck is largely spent before I get it. This economy is SHIT. >

The inflation rate is improving and that’s great, but ideally we either get prices going back down or prices stabilizing while wages across the board go up. 
Right now I’d liken it, at least for my personal situation, to having plugged leaks in a boat. Still gotta get the water out somehow >

Negative inflation is not good >

"Economic success"?  Gas and food prices are through the roof. So are utilities.  That's what people see every single day.  If it continues into the primaries Biden will have a hard time explaining it. >

I agree.  Biden might be able to sell the jobs numbers to some degree, but democrats in general should be very, very careful not to oversell their success when it comes to the economy.  Because like you said many people are struggling with inflation and various commodity prices going through the roof and overselling it will sound tone deaf, allowing republicans to capitalize on it. >

Certainly doesn’t feel successful , groceries are still expensive , gas and electricity are expensive, rent is still going up. 
What economic success is this article talking about? Because I certainly do not see success. >

I think the jobs numbers and easing inflation are examples. It looks like we may not get the  recession that was expected recently which is good, but anything can happen in the next two years >

It’s definitely not easing up , shit is still expensive & getting more expensive as time goes on. >

Prices are never going back down. If we reach 0% inflation prices will stay at what they currently are.