New poll shows Americans don’t believe how good the US economy is … yet
A new poll shows Americans are practically delusional about the state of the U.S. economy. The Harris poll conducted for The Guardian made the following findings, which vary wildly from reality: 55% say the U.S. economy is shrinking. (The reality: The economy has expanded every year during Joe Biden's presidency.) 56% say the U.S. is in recession. (The reality: 7 straight quarters of positive GDP growth.) 49% say stocks are down YTD. (The reality: S&P 500 stock market index is up more than 12% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average just surged past 40,000 for the first time ever.) 49% say unemployment is at a 50-year high. (The reality: It hit a 50-year low under Biden, remaining under 4% for longer than any period since the 1960s.) It's difficult to look at those results without wondering what kind of diabolical house of mirrors we are living in. Even so, The Bulwark crew took on this poll in “The Next Level” podcast and found some silver linings in it given the current state of the presidential race. The partisan breakdown of the respondents who believe the country is currently in a recession is as follows: 67% of Republicans, 53% of independents, and 49% of Democrats. The silver lining of the fact that roughly half of Democrats and independents are currently so confused about the economy is the simultaneous understanding that, nonetheless, President Biden and Donald Trump are locked in a dead heat in this election. So Biden certainly has the space to improve his prospects with those voters. Presumably, most of the Democratic and independent voters who think the U.S. economy is shrinking, recessing, collapsing or whatever are low-information voters who aren't super tuned into the election yet—the exact profile of someone with whom Biden is struggling. And the facts are on Democrats' side, so that's the good news. However, that doesn't mean Democrats are going to talk voters out of being unhappy about their personal circumstances or feeling that prices are too high at the grocery store and gas station. But with the right message, some of those voters could be brought around to viewing Biden's handling of the economy more positively—if they were given different tools for making sense of why they feel like they are struggling. Here's a shot at the message: Biden inherited a mess, he should say it. Democrats worked hard to put money in people's pockets so they could weather the worst of the pandemic. Then they passed legislation that re-opened factories, put people back to work by the millions, and, thanks to the hard work of tens of millions of Americans, the U.S. economy is now "the envy of the world"—which is not hyperbole; The U.S. has bounced back from the pandemic faster than any other industrialized nation. We are leading, we've made progress, but we're not done yet. Then sprinkle in a little Barack Obama inspiration—”We've come too far to turn back now”—to let Trump cut taxes for the robber barons and corporations who have fleeced the American people throughout the pandemic. We've got a future to build together, we've got kids to raise, and freedoms to save. We are on the path and together, we can get this done. That's the basic outline: The economy was crap, we jump started it. Americans worked hard to claw their way back, and the U.S. is leading the way in the world's post-pandemic recovery, but we're not done yet. And if you elect Trump, it all falls apart because his priorities are all wrong and he's not fighting for you—he’s fighting for his rich friends. It's built on fact, it's grounded in reality. And it centers the voters as the heroes of the story, gives them agency, and allies them with Biden's effort to rebuild an economy that works for average folks. Most importantly, it paints Trump as a villain who would upend it all. The raw materials are available for Biden to make that argument, and among Democrats, some 50% of them currently believe the U.S. is in a recession. If his campaign can find a way to reach those voters, Biden must give them a reason to get to the polls in November. RELATED STORIES: The economy is thriving under Biden. So why don’t Americans believe it? New poll shows voters really want a crackdown on corporate greed Like many Republicans, Donald Trump has tried to sidestep the issue of abortion and reproductive rights. But he stumbled during an interview with a CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh this week, promising an “interesting” new policy that would let states restrict contraception.. Embedded Content Campaign Action
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A new poll shows Americans are practically delusional about the state of the U.S. economy.
The Harris poll conducted for The Guardian made the following findings, which vary wildly from reality:
-
55% say the U.S. economy is shrinking. (The reality: The economy has expanded every year during Joe Biden's presidency.)
-
56% say the U.S. is in recession. (The reality: 7 straight quarters of positive GDP growth.)
-
49% say stocks are down YTD. (The reality: S&P 500 stock market index is up more than 12% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average just surged past 40,000 for the first time ever.)
-
49% say unemployment is at a 50-year high. (The reality: It hit a 50-year low under Biden, remaining under 4% for longer than any period since the 1960s.)
It's difficult to look at those results without wondering what kind of diabolical house of mirrors we are living in. Even so, The Bulwark crew took on this poll in “The Next Level” podcast and found some silver linings in it given the current state of the presidential race.
The partisan breakdown of the respondents who believe the country is currently in a recession is as follows: 67% of Republicans, 53% of independents, and 49% of Democrats. The silver lining of the fact that roughly half of Democrats and independents are currently so confused about the economy is the simultaneous understanding that, nonetheless, President Biden and Donald Trump are locked in a dead heat in this election. So Biden certainly has the space to improve his prospects with those voters.
Presumably, most of the Democratic and independent voters who think the U.S. economy is shrinking, recessing, collapsing or whatever are low-information voters who aren't super tuned into the election yet—the exact profile of someone with whom Biden is struggling. And the facts are on Democrats' side, so that's the good news.
However, that doesn't mean Democrats are going to talk voters out of being unhappy about their personal circumstances or feeling that prices are too high at the grocery store and gas station. But with the right message, some of those voters could be brought around to viewing Biden's handling of the economy more positively—if they were given different tools for making sense of why they feel like they are struggling.
Here's a shot at the message: Biden inherited a mess, he should say it. Democrats worked hard to put money in people's pockets so they could weather the worst of the pandemic. Then they passed legislation that re-opened factories, put people back to work by the millions, and, thanks to the hard work of tens of millions of Americans, the U.S. economy is now "the envy of the world"—which is not hyperbole; The U.S. has bounced back from the pandemic faster than any other industrialized nation. We are leading, we've made progress, but we're not done yet.
Then sprinkle in a little Barack Obama inspiration—”We've come too far to turn back now”—to let Trump cut taxes for the robber barons and corporations who have fleeced the American people throughout the pandemic. We've got a future to build together, we've got kids to raise, and freedoms to save. We are on the path and together, we can get this done.
That's the basic outline: The economy was crap, we jump started it. Americans worked hard to claw their way back, and the U.S. is leading the way in the world's post-pandemic recovery, but we're not done yet. And if you elect Trump, it all falls apart because his priorities are all wrong and he's not fighting for you—he’s fighting for his rich friends.
It's built on fact, it's grounded in reality. And it centers the voters as the heroes of the story, gives them agency, and allies them with Biden's effort to rebuild an economy that works for average folks. Most importantly, it paints Trump as a villain who would upend it all.
The raw materials are available for Biden to make that argument, and among Democrats, some 50% of them currently believe the U.S. is in a recession. If his campaign can find a way to reach those voters, Biden must give them a reason to get to the polls in November.
RELATED STORIES:
The economy is thriving under Biden. So why don’t Americans believe it?
New poll shows voters really want a crackdown on corporate greed
Like many Republicans, Donald Trump has tried to sidestep the issue of abortion and reproductive rights. But he stumbled during an interview with a CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh this week, promising an “interesting” new policy that would let states restrict contraception..
