Joe Biden’s approval ratings are approaching basement territory and there are warning signs of a possible looming catastrophe at the ballot box for Democrats in the 2022 midterms, with voter concerns sitting squarely on uncertainties about the U.S. economy on issues like worsening inflation, the continued supply chain crisis, and the gloomy jobs outlook.
But despite all that, the Biden White House plans “no shift” in their economic messaging going into the new year, reports the New York Times:
President Biden and his top aides are struggling to bridge the gap between the economy they want to celebrate and the one that has left many Americans anxious and frustrated, as a record-setting recovery collides with prolonged inflation and an ongoing pandemic that has left consumers deeply pessimistic.
[…]
White House officials say they have no plans to shift Mr. Biden’s messaging on economic issues, even as poll after poll shows his approval ratings in decline and voter worry over inflation swamping all other views of the economy. Their strategy remains focused on stressing the administration’s work to spread vaccinations and end the pandemic without further lockdowns, cheering the nation’s progress in economic growth and promising that Mr. Biden’s policies will bring down prices for oil, food and consumer goods.
[…]
Polls suggest that the disconnect between the president’s view of the economy and that of voters could pose political problems for Mr. Biden and fellow Democrats in the 2022 elections. But Mr. Biden’s team is undeterred.
Not only is “Mr. Biden’s team undeterred” when it comes to gaslighting the American people on the economy but so is the mainstream media. You’ll notice in the opening paragraph that the Times used the term “record-setting recovery” without explaining it – perhaps because they couldn’t.
Something else not mentioned in the Times piece was a very key reason why the Biden administration is planning on staying “on message” about the economy going forward despite the realities on the ground. As noted last week by CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy of all people, senior administration officials have been conferring directly with “major newsrooms” behind closed doors on how best to “quietly … reshape economic coverage”:
The White House, not happy with the news media’s coverage of the supply chain and economy, has been working behind the scenes trying to reshape coverage in its favor. Senior White House and admin officials — including NEC Deputy Directors David Kamin and Bharat Ramamurti, along with Ports Envoy John Porcari — have been briefing major newsrooms over the past week, a source tells me.
The officials have been discussing with newsrooms trends pertaining to job creation, economic growth, supply chains, and more. The basic argument that has been made: That the country’s economy is in much better shape than it was last year. I’m told the conversations have been productive, with anchors and reporters and producers getting to talk with the officials…
Some news in @ReliableSources: Senior White House and admin officials have been holding briefings with major newsrooms over past week as they try to reshape economic coverage. https://t.co/s3tNP28Lae pic.twitter.com/REvVzLKlXv
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) December 7, 2021
And it would appear that some in the media definitely got the message:
That White House effort to get the media to do their bidding on the economy really is paying off. https://t.co/2b5MgjAUcG
— Sister Toldjah 😁 (@sistertoldjah) December 10, 2021
CNBC’s Jim Cramer: “Today we have the strongest economy, perhaps, I’ve ever seen.”
This comes less than a week after Biden’s team sent out a memo to the media to hype up the economy pic.twitter.com/mehuFKHl7W
— Jewish Deplorable (@TrumpJew2) December 9, 2021
“Based on the data, President Biden and the Democratic Congress are set to preside over the strongest two-year performance on growth, jobs, and income in decades.” https://t.co/TAEKAGeQvz
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) December 9, 2021
The Biden White House, rank and file Democrats in the House and Senate, and the mainstream media can spin like tops all they want to on the subject, but the American voter has to see it with their own eyes and/or experience it directly before they’ll consider believing it.
As I’ve said before, unless we see some actual dramatic shifts for the better on the economy and related kitchen table issues, which are at the heart of what most people think about come election time, there’s a strong likelihood that the slim majority Biden has enjoyed in the House and the razor-thin one he has in the Senate will be history come 2022.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
